Twitter changes its official handle to @x
Twitter has changed its official handle to @x as part of the ongoing rebranding. As a result, the original @Twitter handle is now inactive, and its bio reads, “This account is no longer active. Follow @x for updates.” The social media company’s other official handles have either let go of the “Twitter” moniker or substituted it with the letter X.
TechCrunch previously reported that Twitter hadn’t reached out to the original owner of the @X handle — Gene X Hwang of corporate photography and videography studio Orange Photography. However, earlier today, Hwang tweeted “Alls well that ends well” from his new handle @x1234567998765. It’s so far not clear if he sold the handle to Twitter.
Twitter’s own handles such as @TwitterSupport, @TwitterDev — which is now inactive — and @TwitterAPI are now @Support, @Xdevelopers and @API, with the new X logo as the profile picture. However, several regional handles like Twitter Japan and Twitter India are yet to be renamed.
The company’s subscription service Twitter Blue is now @XBlue on the site. However, the About page of the paid plan still has Twitter Blue branding. According to an update on the Twitter Video page (first spotted by The Verge), verified users can now allow other Blue users to download the videos they post on the social network for offline viewing.
On Tuesday, the company briefly updated the new “X” logo with bolder lines. But later, Elon Musk said that he is reverting the change as he didn’t “like the thicker bars” and the logo will “evolve over time.”
Twitter rebranding hasn’t gone smoothly as several parts of the site still carry the Twitter branding and moniker — including the mobile apps. Over the last few days, Multiple reports noted that Microsoft owns an X trademark since 2003 related to Xbox. and Meta owns a federal trademark since 2019 covering a blue-and-white letter “X.” Trademark attorney Josh Gerben told Reuters there’s a “100% chance” that the Musk-owned social network will be sued by somebody over the X rebranding.
The company had also started removing the Twitter logo from its San Francisco headquarters, but the work was only partially complete as the crane blocking traffic left because police deemed it be “unauthorized work.”
A New York Times report published Monday noted that workers around the office had started removing bird-related items and renaming conference rooms as “eXposure,” “eXult” and “s3Xy.”
On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that X is offering new incentives to advertisers in the U.S. and the U.K. The report said that the company is offering discounted pricing for video ads under the “Explore” tab.
