Meta’s Paid Verification for Facebook and Instagram Launches in the US

Meta is officially launching its Meta Verified program in the US today. In an Instagram story, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg invited users to join a waitlist to get access to the subscription bundle priced at $11.99/month on the web or $14.99/month if you subscribe on iOS and Android. In addition to the US, Meta Verified is also being tested in Australia in New Zealand.

Meta Verified took some inspiration from Elon Musk’s revamped Twitter Blue subscription, as one of the key features is an official verified badge on Facebook and Instagram profiles. Meta said that there won’t be any changes for Facebook and Instagram accounts that already have a verified badge, though it will still be possible for these accounts to subscribe to Meta Verified to enjoy extra features.

The other features offered with a Meta Verified subscription include better protection from account impersonation, direct customer support, and exclusive stickers to use on Facebook and Instagram Stories and Facebook Reels. There’s also 100 stars to spend every month to support creators on Facebook.

Unlike Twitter, Meta Verify has a verification process in place to prevent impersonation issues. Subscribers will need to provide a government ID to prove their account’s authenticity, and once they’re verified they won’t be able to change their profile name, username, or profile photo without going through the verification process all over again.

Last but not least, if you have an account on both Facebook and Instagram, you’ll need to subscribe on each app separately as one Meta Verified subscription can’t be used on both platforms. And if you were hoping to see fewer ads on Facebook and Instagram with a Meta Verified subscription, that’s unfortunately not the case.