It’s been over seven years since people have been talking about Twitter edits. Back in 2017, it seemed like the Twitter edit button was coming but it didn’t. Nevertheless, in 2022, it was talked about again by Elon Musk and a Twitter Blue subscription is available in most countries in 2024.
After years of requests, Twitter (X as it is now called) offers an edit button feature to its subscribers. With the new Twitter X Blue subscription package priced at $8/month (or $99 annually), users can now make corrections and changes before they hit that submit button.
A major relief for all those who have experienced typos in their tweets.
Not only do you get access to editing capability with this plan but if your account already has verified status, it comes with additional perks like dedicated customer support from experts when needed.
So no more giving up on memes after making mistakes or choosing between correcting another tweet with Twitter Blue.
Table of Contents
Will You Pay For Twitter X Blue?
Will you pay for the Twitter edit button with a “Blue” subscription? You will also be able to get your blue check verification if your account is verified with Twitter Blue.
Of course, Meta is now following Elon Musk’s lead in this subscription-based model.
Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.
X Subscription Benefits
Today there are 3 X subscription models, basic, premium and premium+.
Basic Subscribers get a slight boost in their replies but don’t receive a checkmark, reduced ads, or access to Media Studio.
Premium Subscribers receive a checkmark, fewer ads, access to Media Studio, and more. They can also edit tweets, post longer videos, and send encrypted direct messages.
Premium+ Subscribers enjoy all Premium features, plus no ads in the For You and Following timelines, reply prioritization, and access to Grok, X’s AI tool.
Subscribers can make posts up to 25,000 characters long, while the free version has a shorter character limit.
Twitter Edit Button – The Tweet That Started It
Then I saw this tweet a while back and I got really excited! Did you see this tweet by one of the biggest users of Twitter with 80 million followers? It sure got a lot of Twitter users excited.
And then, of course, the news broke that Elon purchased the largest stake in Twitter and he declined to become a board member.
As we all know by now the Twitter purchase happened and Elon began firing those that were in charge at Twitter and more layoffs ensued. Apparently, every coder had 10 bosses over at Twitter according to Elon Musk.
Do you want an edit button?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2022
Back in September of 2022, Twitter began testing this new feature with the Twitter Blue Accounts However, I’ve read that you will only have 30 minutes to make any edits to your original tweets.
I signed up on April 1st, 2023 to test out this new Twitter Blue service to rocket to the top of search there. I’ve learned that you cannot edit replies to tweets, only your original tweet.
However, I love the other perks that are coming with the Twitter Blue subscription like added bookmarks.
How Will You Recognize A Twitter Edit?
The Twitter edits will feature:
- An icon
- A timestamp
- Label
These 3 features will let other users know that you have edited your tweet. If you TAP the label, you will see the original tweet and the edits.
Twitter Blue – Paying For The Twitter Edit Button
Twitter Blue is their paid subscription service. The price in the United States is $8.00 per month for Twitter Blue or $7.00 with the annual plan option. You can sign up for it anytime on your Twitter account under your account settings.
It may be worth the $8.00/month now with the edit button. Twitter claims: “Twitter Blue simply offers an opt-in layer of customization for your Twitter experience. ”
Will you subscribe to Twitter Blue to pay for the Twitter edit button?
What Will You Do With Twitter Edits?
First of all, Twitter edits should be quick and easy. Twitter is the fastest pace social network. Therefore having the ability to quickly change a tweet within a quick time period (seconds) would be a huge win for many users.
Many users say these edits would make them happier on Twitter X.
It reminds me of the birthdays on Twitter that came about years ago. You can easily edit those out so people won’t know your birthdate but many leave it in.
Woops. One of those moments wish Twitter allowed edits! I've made a correction tweet for now
— Peter Clarke (@PedroClarke1) January 7, 2017
Twitter Edits Only On Original Post
Twitter edits are only available on your original post. It is not available for your replies to other posts on the X network.
You have up to 30 minutes to make an edit on Twitter X, after that you can no longer edit the post.
Tweets As Public Records – A Problem for Twitter Edit Button?
So you’ve heard it all before right? It could get complicated. Yes, even with Twitter edits. Twitter X is a public record. According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, most states’ public records law likely includes social media.
Therefore, this means that all Tweets, (or now posts as they are called) including those mistaken or offensive ones, are subject to the same laws governing the government’s and public officials’ email or physical records. This means tweets can be used in court cases, etc.
So if Tweets are edited, what will it do to that public record? In addition, even Jack the CEO refers to it in another tweet on the matter back in 2016.
Edit: clearest ask was to provide a quick way to fix errors. Anything beyond requires showing edit history given tweets are public record
— jack (@jack) December 30, 2016
Most of all it is a great way to see what you tweeted about years ago if you have been on the Twitter network for some time. A great way to use tweets in court cases too if necessary.
Emergency Disclosure Requests of Tweets (Now Called Posts on X)
In line with their Privacy Policy, Twitter X may disclose account information to law enforcement in response to a valid emergency disclosure request.
Twitter X evaluates emergency disclosure requests on a case-by-case basis in compliance with relevant law. If they receive information that provides them with a good faith belief that there is an exigent emergency involving a danger of death or serious physical injury to a person, they may provide any available information necessary to prevent that harm.
Some natures of emergency may include reports of suicide, terrorist attack, bomb threat, etc.
Would the Twitter edit button make a difference in these emergency reports?
Embedded Tweets (Posts)
Many news organizations use embedded tweets on their digital websites and in print. If one was to edit a tweet would that update the embedded tweet?
That seems like it would become a technical nightmare for many news organizations and websites. However, embedded tweets are automatically changed with the edit button.
FYI: I believe they will be, however, be aware you may need to clear your browser’s cache to see them.
Twitter Edit Button Time Stamps
Since everything on Twitter is mostly in chronological order (depending on your Twitter feed setup) would the new Twitter edit get a new timestamp? That would have to be a must in my Twitter playbook. Furthermore what about notifications?
Would your followers be notified when you made an edit? Another technical hurdle to overcome for Twitter with a new edit feature.
Retweets With The Twitter Edit Button
In addition to the above, what about retweets? A Twitter user makes a great point in this tweet below on retweets: Retweets are considered just like tweets.
Because of this retweets should include the edits somehow. But they are NOT editable. Only original posts can be edited.
Forum software often allows editing for a minute or so.
— Sam Robb (@SamRobbWrites) April 5, 2022
That gives time to review and catch a misspelling or awkward sentence construction & make a quick correction.
Put a new tweet on a timer. Don't allow retweets for 60 seconds. Allow editing during that time.
Facebook’s Edit Option
Yet Facebook allows editing – you may be wondering why. Their way around editing is this: “any post that has undergone delayed modification will brandish a small type that says “Edited,” and when that is clicked on, it reveals the editing history of the post in question.” via Digitaltrends.
You can also view your Facebook archive similar to Twitter’s here. Seems like Twitter should try to follow in Facebook’s footsteps in this one.
If you have been a reader here at Inspire to Thrive for a while you know I don’t want Twitter to be like Facebook but they could use a few of their tried and true tactics.
Your Turn on Twitter Blue Subscriptions
Because of the complications do you think Twitter should allow Twitter Edits? Are you a Twitter Blue member? I’d love to hear from you as well! If so, will you PAY MORE for it going forward?
Have you been using the Twitter edit button with your subscription? Do you think the Like button will stay on Twitter? I’d love to know more in the comments below.
Don’t forget to sign up for your updates from Inspire To Thrive today!
Twitter Edit Button: Twitter Blue With More Fantastic Features Share on X
She has 30+ years of experience in marketing/advertising with 12 years of experience in content marketing, social media, blogging, and SEO.
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Hi Lisa,
I’m pretty sure they are going to give users the edit button. Once I saw that the Twitter account shared a gif I don’t think they can turn back now. I hope everyone is happy with the change when it happens. Thanks for all the updates on this topic.
Hi Ileane, I think so too. But one never knows either. I thought there were going to do it in 2017 and here we are in 2022 still without it. But I believe like you, it will happen this year. You are welcome and thanks for taking the time to come and comment here Ileane. I hope you have a great rest of your day.
Hi Lisa, Excellent update to an excellent article. So much has changed with Twitter since you first wrote this article, you were wise to update it.
Twitter Blue does address this issue as it does already have a 60-second timer available for you to review/edit a tweet before it is posted. You don’t have to use this feature with Twitter Blue, but it has helped me catch typos before the tweet is posted. The Twitter Blue delayed posting can also let people who tweet in anger take a moment to see how their tweet may come across to others.
You’re right, Lisa, it will be fascinating to see how this evolves on Twitter.
Thank you so much for the mention in the article!
Thanks, Carolyn. Yes, it was so many years ago too. I can’t wait to see how this all plays out. I may go with Twitter Blue if they release the edit button to Blue users. You are welcome Carolyn and I appreciate your coming by and commenting today. Have a great rest of your week there!
Hey Lisa,
Lets see what Elon has to bring as a “change” to twitter, he may actually make it so different from what it is today, and scare some twitters away from the platform.
Having an edit button might prove useful, am not so much looking forward for one…but am sure there are many regulars out there who might appreciate the feature.
Hi Praveen, I’m excited to see him involved and think the change could be really good. An edit button done right would be fabulous for users who won’t have to delete a tweet and start over. Especially on mobile when the keyboard is small. It sure will be interesting to see how it all plays out on Twitter, Praveen. Thanks for coming by on this one! Make it a great day.
Hi Lisa,
Awesome article to read, As twitter is a social media platform to get huge amount of genuine traffic to our blogs/site, Your article has really explained the twitter edit which will be very helpful to me and other bloggers for the social media marketing of our blogs/sites
Thank your for sharing such an informative article.
Hi Sonali, thank you. Yes, I do hope Twitter can implement the Twitter edits this year. It will be interesting to see how it happens as there are many technical hurdles for them to overcome. Thanks for coming by Sonali, have a great rest of the week.
Superb ! post Lisa…….Everytime your article is really informative and helpful for me and other bloggers too because Twitter is the best way to drive genuine traffic to our website. Really you have described everything about twitter in descriptive, simply yet effective too. You’ve done a great job with this.
Thanks for sharing this precious article with us.
Thanks Gaurav, Welcome to Inspire to Thrive. Do you wish that Twitter will find a way to come up with edits? Thanks for coming by and have a great day!
Hello, Lisa!
I, too, want EDIT added into tweets.
That really is embarrassing to see the typos in important and serious tweets and it’s not the good idea at all to delete that tweet and make another one after awhile.
So, I’m for EDIT button for the tweets be rolled out in 2017 on Twitter.
~ Adeel
Hi Adeel, oh yes, those darn mistakes can be embarrasing. I just recently had to delete one because of a bad link. I hope they can find a way to do edits soon on Twitter. Thanks for coming by and have a great weekend Adeel.
Hi Lisa,
This is an interesting news.
We have been waiting for this since many years.
But the technical difficulties attached with pulling them back from implementing it.
Yes, some of the reasons you have already mentioned in it.
One way it’s a good thing if they implement it.
Let’s wait and watch.
Thanks for the share.
Have a wonderful weekend
-Philip
Hi Philip, Than you. I thought so too. It is amazing how many technical difficulties they have been for Twitter. I hope they do find a way around them and can implement in some fashion. I think if Facebook does they could too. But I now understand why. Have a great weekend too Philip!
This is so exciting! That reminds me recently there was a trending hashtag which was something about what annoys us about twitter and I had photoshopped the menu to add the “edit” option. So glad to know it might actually be happening. I have to delete tweets and redo them so many times… I feel like it’s my fault sometimes but then I realize I’m just used to being able to edit my content on other social media sites.
Hi Louise, welcome to Inspire to Thrive. I think so too and hope they can get over the hurdles mentioned to be able to let us somehow edit tweets. I know sometimes I go fast especially on mobile and wish I could edit it like I can on Facebook. We will have to see how it plays out this year. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to comment Louise, have a great day and weekend ahead.
I didn’t even realize that you couldn’t edit on Twitter already, I guess I don’t spend enough time there these days since most of my audience is on Facebook and Instagram. Interesting to think about the tweet ecosystem and how an edit could impact that, like with the retweets issue.
Hi Loretta, welcome to Inspire to Thrive. Oh yes, Twitter has held out on the edit feature and after ressearching I can see why. You are missing out not being on Twitter much – there is an IFTT recipe where you can make your Instagram photos show when you tweet them. Thanks for ocming by and have a great week!
Well facebook has edit option which is very useful to edit any typos. I never thought that twitter should have edit option as I barely use twitter. But still edit option would surely make the experience better.
Thanks
Hi Rajkumar, welcome to Inspire to Thrive. Why do you barely use Twitter? Yes, Facebook does. That’s why it is sort of surprising Twitter doesn’t but after the research I did on it, I can understand why they are going slowly with it. Thanks for coming by and have a great day!
Super awesome post. I’m trying to to get the hang of the twitter changes. Although you can never get away from finding that perfect #!
Thanks Laura, welcome to Inspire to Thrive. Oh yes, the perfect hashtag can take a little time to find. I hope you have a great weekend!
This is a really good topic. I loved reading the comments. It’s good to see several different viewpoints on this.
Thanks Jeff and welcome to Inspire to Thrive. They are many opinions on this and I can’t wait to see how it pans out this year. Have a great day!
I agree with Donna, Lisa, you always teach me something new about Twitter. If it weren’t for your blog posts, I wouldn’t know what the heck is going on with them.
I for one am happy about this change. I’ve goofed up a couple times myself and tweeted something with a misspelled word.
Thanks for always sharing the 411 about Twitter! Hope you’re having a great day. Have a great weekend.
Cori
Thanks Cori, glad you see you did learn something new too. I’ve done that many times in a hurry. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. I hope you had a nice weekend and happy Monday Cori!
Hi Lisa,
You always teach me something new when it comes to Twitter. Anything we do online becomes public as soon as we hit that send button.
This is going to be so interesting to see how it works out.
Thanks again!
-Donna
Hi Donna, you are welcome and I’m glad you were able to learn something new. I can’t wait to see how it will play out this year and what the CEO of Twitter will do about edits. Thanks for comimg by and have a great day!
Hey Lisa,
Happy New Year!
Thanks for the interesting Twitter news – as always!
I think we’ve all made typos in our haste to respond on Twitter. My initial reaction was that this would be a good move. I’ve taken advantage of the Edit facility on Facebook, and I think it would be useful on Twitter too. But I see there might be difficulties.
Please keep us posted, Lisa.
Cheers
– David
Hi David, you are welcome. That was my exact thought process David. At first I was thrilled and then read the research and saw how complicated it could be. But if Facebook can do it I think Twitter can do. I love Martin’s suggestion of a draft tweet. Thanks for coming by David and have a fabulous day!
Hey Lisa,
Glad to read your interesting post and I totally agree with your points. If a tweet is widely shared but then edited significantly, this could complicate the experience for those who share it, which from a user experience and product standpoint, could become problematic for both new and engaged users.
Sharing other people’s content and tagging them is a sure-fire way to get on their radar.This is an important step in cultivating mutually beneficial relationships. Eventually, thanks for sharing your best facts regarding this topic.
With best wishes,
Amar kumar
Hi Amar, thank you. Yes, it really got more complicated the more I dug into this topic. I was excited to see it might be coming but learned so much of why it hasn’t and how complicated it can get. I can’t wait to see how this one unfolds Amar. Thanks for your input and have a great rest of the week!
Hi Lisa
It will surely give a great help to its users who work on mini devices and commit mistakes while typing to correct it after sending their tweet.
But the tweets that get viral can’t be edited in one go and it seems almost impossible to incorporate the edit to all the reshared tweets.
Many thanks for sharing this very informative post.
Hi Mi Muba, LOL, yes it gets more complicated the more we think about it. I can’t wait to see how the CEO of Twitter will go about this one. But do remember Facebook allows edit and they are also of public record. Who knew all this social media would get so complicated, right? Thanks for taking the time to comment and have a great day!
Lisa: Instead of editing a tweet, how about deleting a tweet and write a new one?
All the Best,
Martin
Hi Martin, oh yes that can be done. But if you delete it after something else tweeted it it can be read and it could be embarrassing. Thanks for coming by Martin and have a great day! Have you done that and had it still read or not?
Lisa: That it is OK with me. I have only deleted tweets in order to fix small typos. How about having a draft feature, checking your tweet before pushing the send button?
I am not sure that you could find a deleted Tweet in a user’s stream.
HI Martin, I love that one! Great suggestion. A draft feature would be awesome. Thanks for the input on this one. Have a great day and weekend ahead Martin.
Hi Lisa, I think once the tweet has been liked, retweeted or embedded it should not be editable. There is too much potential for changing the entire meaning of the tweet with an edit.
Tweeters can always delete their tweet and post a new tweet if they have an embarrassing typo or change their minds.
Hi Carolyn, excellent point. Maybe within the first minute or like you stated before anyone does any action to the tweet. Yes, the delete button does work but hopefully it hasn’t been seen by too many before one can do that. Thanks for coming by Carolyn and I hope your 2017 is starting out well.
Hi Lisa,
Happy New Year!
I disagree with your “Retweets are considered just like tweets. Because of this retweets should include the edits somehow.”
When you retweet one of my tweets using the retweet button, you don’t create a new tweet but the system copies and pastes my tweet on your timeline. That retweet shows MY text and it shows ME as the author of the tweet. Nothing belongs to you. It’s like quoting me.
Therefore there is no point in you having the right to edit the words attributed to me. If you modify a quote, that’s not a quote anymore.
And if you’re not convinced by the theoretical part, here’s the practical part: a VIP tweets “I love X” then you retweet that tweet but edit the text like this: “I hate X” (or other inappropriate words or pics) The first consequence: your retweet shown to your followers is a fake that claims that the VIP tweeted something contrary to what the VIP tweeted. The next consequences: you can discover them by yourself.
Of course you won’t make such modifications. But others will do it for sure. And it cannot be allowed coz it may create huge troubles.
As for me having the right to edit my tweet that has been already retweeted, sure, why not? Even if I make a big change to my tweet, I’m still responsible for what I tweeted. And it’s my right to change my opinion. Sure the person who retweeted that tweet may not like my change, but it has the power to cancel the retweet and to never ever retweet me again.
Hi Adrian, Nice to see you back here. I understand your point about it being different and it belongs to the person who did the original tweet. But wouldn’t it be better if after you edit it the rest of the retweets reflect it? Just a thought. I sure got a lot more complicated after I did the research on what edits could do to Twitter and the public records. No wonder they have not done it yet. But I think they will come up with something on it this year Adrian according to the CEO. It will be interesting. Thanks for your comment and explanation Adrian. Always a pleasure, have a great day!
“But wouldn’t it be better if after you edit it the rest of the retweets reflect it?”
Here’s my view that was indirectly included in my previous comment:
Any retweet is the exact copy of the original tweet. Otherwise isn’t a retweet. Therefore if the original is edited, then all retweets will show the latest version of the original tweet – the one that I edited.
That’s why I said, “the person who retweeted that tweet may not like my change, but it has the power to cancel the retweet and to never ever retweet me again”
It referred to the fact that I tweet something, someone retweets it, then I edit the original tweet and the person who retweeted may not like my change that is now reposted on her or his timeline. This is the only disadvantage I can see for the moment.
For me it’s not a disadvantage though. Usually I don’t retweet using Twitter’s button.
Hi Adrian, thanks for coming back to explain. YES. I think it would be better after too. You don’t use the RT on Twitter? I do but usually put in the Buffer so I don’t tweet too much all at once. Have a great Wednesday Adrian.
No, usually I don’t use that RT button. Sometimes I use it only for retweeting “no link tweets” (very rarely), or my own articles shared from other accounts that belong to me.
But why do you ask? Don’t you remember my opinion on this topic?
5 Reasons Why Not to Retweet Using Twitter’s Native Button
Retweet with Comment Punches Marketers in the Face
HI Adrian, you just refreshed my memory on that one.
Hey Lisa! Happy Monday!
This is definitely an interesting topic. Should edits be allowed? On one hand, I say yes, however, when it comes to RT’s, I wouldn’t want my original content altered. I think this could be a pretty hairy one for Twitter, especially from a legal standpoint. Will definitely be interesting to see what happens.
Thanks for sharing this with us!
B
Hi Brenda, thanks. Our first full week of 2017. I would agree. At first I thought great, edits are coming. But after doing research it doesn’t sound easy or as feasible yet Facebook has a way with it and public records. It will be very interesting to see how this develops. Thanks for coming by.