Twitter working on feature to tip users for tweets
What's the story
Twitter is going all out with its monetization model, and the latest addition to that involves a way for Twitter users to pay each other.
App researcher Jane Manchun Wong has discovered evidence that the platform could include a button for tipping other users in the future.
The tipping feature is evidently being implemented across the main Twitter app as well as Twitter Spaces.
Patreon to PayPal
Feature assets show support for third-party payment gateways
One of the iterations of the feature shared by Wong involves a blue cash button on the user profile pages. Using the button opens up a drop-down menu listing payment options ranging from Patreon and Bandcamp to Venmo and PayPal.
While Wong's leaks involve data mined assets, there's no telling if the final implementation would actually involve support for all these third-party payment gateways.
Twitter Post
App researcher Jane Manchun Wong discovers Tip Jar in Spaces
Twitter is working on Tip Jar right on the user profile https://t.co/kqzQmiDFKc pic.twitter.com/VacGyJJ8DU
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 22, 2021
Audio only tipping
Twitter Spaces will feature 'Tip Jar' presumably for live tipping
The tipping feature doesn't seem to be restricted to the main app, and Wong also found assets linking it to the platform's Clubhouse clone Twitter Spaces.
The unreleased Spaces feature is called Tip Jar and Wong discovered a setup page where users can link the aforementioned payment gateways to their accounts. This should allow users to tip using their service of choice.
Work in progress
Although Twitter is working on tipping, that doesn't guarantee release
As expected, Twitter hasn't made any announcement toward this feature. It hasn't acknowledged or dismissed Wong's findings either.
Having said that, discovery of features in data mined assets doesn't guarantee of future roll-outs since companies often drop features prematurely.
Interestingly, The Verge speculates that there's a possibility of the feature being gated, possibly by requiring a minimum follower count before it can be enabled.
Not unexpected
Twitter aggressively monetizing platform since last investor call
This development isn't surprising because Twitter's recent investor call underscored how it has failed to monetize its userbase; it has since transpired in renewed monetization efforts.
The platform has since been announcing monetization schemes such as Super Follow, which is a mix between Patreon and Substack. The company even confirmed the long-requested undo tweet feature, but it is expected to be paywalled as well.