Meta announced its subscription plan, Meta Verified, earlier this week and now the social media company is rolling out to users based in Australia and New Zealand. The company began the rollout around 6.30pm Sydney time on Friday.
The subscription offers a verified label, improved reach, better protection against identity theft, access to customer support and exclusive stickers on Facebook and Instagram.
Users can consult the advantages offered by the subscription and the membership procedure on this site. The company is rolling out the plan slowly, so many users might not see the option to purchase it right away.
Meta Verified is a paid plan for individual and business accounts that costs $11.99 per month on the web and $14.99 per month on iOS or Android.
It is important to note that users must purchase separate plans for Instagram and Facebook, and currently you can only purchase the web plan for Facebook. So, if you wanted to buy Meta Verified for both platforms, you would have to spend $27 per month. In comparison, Netflix’s premium package costs $19.99 per month and Spotify’s premium individual package costs $9.99 per month. The company said it hopes to “offer an account linking option in the near future.” This means the subscription could work on both services in the future.
To purchase a Meta Verified plan, users must be over 18, have a history of recent activity like posting, and have a profile picture that matches the government ID they provide as proof. At this time, Meta does not allow subscribers to change their profile name, username, date of birth, or profile picture without unsubscribing and reapplying.
Additionally, the company is also changing the meaning of the blue tick on the platform. While it doesn’t get rid of checkmarks for notable profiles like Twitter, it does change the definition. Meta changed the checkmark’s description from “a tool to help people find the real accounts of public figures and brands” to “a tool to help people find the real accounts of people and brands”.
Earlier this week, the company told TechCrunch that to differentiate notable profiles from Meta Verified followers, it will start displaying follower counts in more places.
“The blue badge will look the same as we evolve the meaning of the badge to focus on authenticity,” he noted.
