After Australia and New Zealand, Meta Verified has now been launched on Facebook and Instagram in the US too. Last month, the social networking giant launched the Twitter-inspired paid verification service on an experimental basis in the two Australasian countries.
Meta Verified costs $14.99 per month on Apple and Google’s respective mobile app stores and $11.99 per month on the web.
Users in the US who wish to get verified under the new subscription service can now join the waitlist to sign up for it.
The key offering of the verification service is, of course, the blue badge that marks the profile as verified. The subscription also grants access to direct customer support and a range of exclusive stickers on Facebook and Instagram reels. Additionally, verified users will receive 100 stars every month that they can use to support other creators on Facebook.
You can get a badge, proactive impersonation protection, and direct access to customer support.Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
With that said, do note that not all Meta Verified perks available to users in Australia and New Zealand are being offered in the US just yet. Users purchasing the subscription in Australia or New Zealand enjoy enhanced visibility and reach in searches, recommendations, and comments. However, many users reported facing confusion over how exactly this offering works.
Following the feedback, Meta has decided to explore the value of the offering before rolling it out in any other country. Those in the US, therefore, won’t be able to enjoy the increased visibility and reach perks upon buying the subscription.
Taking a page out of Musk’s playbook
The concept of paid verification subscription certainly isn’t novel. Twitter CEO Elon Musk launched a similar subscription named Twitter Blue on the microblogging platform in December last year, less than two months after acquiring it.
Priced at $8 per month, Twitter Blue adds a similar blue badge on user profiles to mark them as verified.
The initial test of Meta Verified was a success, unlike Twitter Blue.
While the same currently applies to Twitter users who got verified before the launch of Twitter Blue, Musk has promised to do away with legacy verification badges.
This would force those users to pay up for the verified badge if they wish to keep it on their profiles.
How to get verified on Facebook and Instagram?
To purchase a Meta verified subscription, users are required to open the “Accounts Center” via the settings menu on Facebook or Instagram. A small label saying “Meta Verified available” will appear under their name and profile picture if the subscription service is available for the account.
Users can then proceed with the verification process after choosing a preferred mode of payment. The verification process requires users to provide a government-issued photo ID to confirm their identity.
Recent trends show a clear rise in the monetization of social media services. Besides Twitter Blue and Meta Verified, Snapchat launched a paid premium service last year too.
Meta (or Facebook, previously) had kept most of their services free right from the beginning, but the change is evident. The blue verification badge is a highly coveted symbol on social media, especially for politicians, celebrities, and other public figures who need to stand out.
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Nancie Pecora