X, rebranded from Twitter, has officially placed its advanced account and column management solution, XPro (formerly Tweetdeck), behind a payment barrier for subscription-based access.
The change, which was first communicated to users on July 3, has sparked frustration and disappointment among social media managers, journalists, and power users who rely on XPro for their work and personal use.
We have just launched a new, improved version of TweetDeck. All users can continue to access their saved searches & workflows via https://t.co/2WwL3hNVR2 by selecting “Try the new TweetDeck” in the bottom left menu.
Some notes on getting started and the future of the product…
— Support (@Support) July 3, 2023
XPro is a platform that allows users to create and monitor multiple columns of different content, such as tweets from specific accounts, lists, hashtags, or keywords. It also enabled users to schedule tweets, manage multiple accounts, and access analytics.
However, on July 3, X announced that it had launched a new and improved version of XPro, which would support full composer functionality, Spaces, video docking, polls, and more.
It also said that teams functionality, which allowed users to share access to accounts without sharing passwords, would be temporarily unavailable and restored in the coming weeks. Most importantly, it said that in 30 days, users must be verified to access XPro.
A number of users who are not verified or do not wish to pay for X Premium have expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision to make XPro a premium-only feature.
Some users have reported encountering a paywall when trying to access XPro, while others have said they will look for alternative tools or platforms.
i don’t even have a good joke here Tweetdeck is such an important tool for how I do my job. Pour one out for digicomms staff tonight
— Kate Martin (@katekeepsit100) August 15, 2023