Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Twitter is changing how many Direct Messages non-paying customers can send from unlimited to 500 per day.
- The change comes amidst limits to non-paying customers’ ability to DM other users on the platform and a purported rebranding of Twitter to X.
Twitter is undergoing a lot of changes recently. In the middle of its purported rebranding to X (yes, you read that right), Twitter is also exploring ways to get more people to subscribe to Twitter Blue and pay to get “verified.” Recently, the platform had begun rate-limiting users on its platform, citing a spam bot problem but allowing a far greater limit for Blue subscribers. Now, citing the same, Twitter has introduced limits to how many Direct Messages (DMs) you can send in a day as a non-subscriber.
The handle did not disclose the limit. However, digging deeper into support docs, we found that there is an account limit of 500 Direct Messages sent per day. Once a user reaches this limit, they cannot send any more DMs.
Twitter had also flipped a settings switch for many users, which had left people frustrated. The company had changed DM settings from allowing messaging requests from everyone to allowing message requests only from Verified users (aka Twitter Blue subscribers).
Twitter had switched users to the “Verified only” without informing them, leading to confusion
Most users were not informed about this change, so they remained under the impression that anyone on the platform could still message them if needed. Many users, like us tech journalists, rely on this setting to receive tips and leads.
Twitter says that this change reduced spam messages by 70%. The platform’s wording implies the change was discretionary, but in my personal account, the platform made the switch without any heads-up. Several other tech journalists that I follow had the same experience.
The common thread in all of these changes was that it prioritized Twitter Blue subscribers, which the platform continues to call “Verified users,” even though no verification is involved anymore. If you pay for the social media platform, you will have a relatively unfettered experience, while free users will have a somewhat limited experience.
If you use Twitter as your primary communication app, you should consider switching to a robust IM app or subscribing to Twitter Blue. If you’re looking for alternatives, note that Threads does not have a DMs feature yet.
