Twitter expands access to its experimental Status feature…but not to its paid subscribers

In a continuation of tests that began this July, the current list of possible status updates is being expanded. The feature, which is something of a cross between Myspace moods and a Facebook status, allows users to tag posts with an additional expression. It is now possible for users to tag their tweets with words like "Don't@ me", "Tweeting it into existence" or "That's it, that's theTweet."

The expansion was first spotted by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong.

Other new status options include: breaking news, gaming, pet of the day, so wholesome, and then and now.

The experiment is not one of the features that are provided to the paying customers of the service.

Users in the U.S. are the only ones who have the option to add a status to their account.

A new set of potential statuses will be available for those with access to the status feature. More people in Australia will get access to the experiment today, according to a source. Most of the people in Australia will now be able to use the feature.

Power users who pay for a blue subscription are not able to use the status feature. Those who wanted an expanded range of features, like a better news reading experience, personalization options and early access to experiments, weren't made available to its paid subscribers.

The first group to get access to the new audio tab were users of the blue version of the service. In August, podcasts were visible to a random group of English-speaking mobile audience, before they were brought to paid subscribers the following month.

It is not listed among the experiments offered to the subscribers of the social network.

When it comes to trialing its new products first, it will only offer some of its experiments to subscribers while others will be tested with the broader public, according to a spokesman for the company.

This seems to be a poor decision on the part of the company as those who are actually paying for the service have to watch other users play with new features first. It is understandable that some features need to be tested among a larger group, but paid customers should be in that group.

The company considers NFT profile pictures to be higher impact than other features, so they will only be available to subscribers of the blue service.

Blue subscribers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand were the first to receive the feature. The launch does not include the U.S., which is expected to come soon.

This strategy appears to be off the mark again. It is disappointing to see that when it comes to some of its most fun and in-demand features, it is prioritized over its paying customers.