What you need to know
- Twitter is blocking unregistered users from viewing accounts and tweets.
- An unregistered user will be prompted to sign in or create an account if they wish to access the platform.
- Twitter has not publicly stated whether or not this is an intended change.
Unregistered users are encountering quite a frustrating problem when attempting to browse Twitter.
A few people from The Verge and other publications noticed and have been able to replicate the blackout Twitter is curiously imposing upon unregistered users. If you attempt to view a tweet or account on your computer or mobile device while not signed in, Twitter will block you and instruct you to do so or create an account.
We’re left scratching our heads for now as Twitter has not formally stated whether or not this change is intentional or if this is a newfound error.
Perhaps this change isn’t entirely shocking given the platform’s drastic changes since Elon Musk took over, such as API changes revealed earlier this year that practically killed off third-party clients.
However, Musk recently stepped aside from his role and named NBC Universal’s Linda Yaccarino as the company’s new CEO in May. Meanwhile, Musk remains part of the top management, focusing on product design and new technology.
For so long, Twitter has allowed users, regardless of their platform status, to view information. With this change, users aren’t even given a preview of the tweet or account before being met with a “sign into Twitter” splash screen. And it’ll be interesting to see if and how this affects Google Search results.
Of course, it could be that Twitter is trying to encourage users to make an account so it can gain more daily users and expose them to its Blue subscription plan, which continues to add new features. After all, many users have seemingly flocked to competing platforms like Mastodon and Blue Sky following Musk’s takeover and subsequent changes.
Still, it seems Twitter’s monetization efforts haven’t quite paid off, and the company is seemingly adding new features every so often to make it more attractive. Earlier this year, The Information reported that subscribers only accounted for 0.2% of the platform’s monthly U.S. user base two months after launching, which was roughly 180,000 people.
