Twitter plans to release new Super Follow function on iOS

 Twitter is adding the Super Follow function to its platform. The company announced that this feature would enable users to pay creators on Twitter for special content. Along with Super Follow, people can use other new features, which the social giant reported recently. Among them are Fleets, Spaces, and the acquisition of Revue – the newsletter product.

Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter head of consumer products, spoke about the new Super Follow feature. According to him, the company is sharing a 30% cut with Apple.

Even though people use Twitter on desktop, the majority of users prefer the app on Android and iOS. So, if the company wants to implement the new function, it will have to give a cut to Google or Apple. Still, 30% is quite a big amount. Despite that, Beykpour said that currently, Twitter isn’t planning to talk to Apple about reducing its 30% cut for Super Followers.

According to Beykpour, they are building a new layer that didn’t exist before. So, even if they gain $7 instead of $10 because of a 30% fee, they will still be able to make more on Twitter than before. He added that while he would love to gain $9 instead of $7, they don’t have a direct influence on that. Thus, they prefer to focus on releasing features and the profits it will bring. Currently, their main goal is to enable creators to make money.

There are transaction costs to consider, though, be it the platforms or otherwise. Those costs will need to be involved in that transaction. As a result, Twitter may participate in the transaction in some way to cover their costs. Still, the company’s goal isn’t to maximize revenue.

Other companies, including Spotify and Epic Games, don’t approve the 30% cut for Apple. However, Twitter says there are some benefits.

What could Twitter gain by paying so much fee?

Beykpour noted that the app stores and the platforms have tried and true frameworks and workflows for developers. They could be used as leverage when it comes to facilitating in-app payments and digital goods. Even though that comes with a cost, it also offers lots of benefits that improve simplicity, increase conversion and decrease fraud.

So, that process has both pros and cons. Twitter is not tying its new feature to one platform. They plan for it to work on iOS, Android, web. As a result, they need to have a sort of framework and a workflow that enables all of that to work well together.