Twitter announced it is limiting the number of daily direct messages unverified users can send in what it said is an effort to reduce spam.
The change went into effect Friday, according to a message on the Help Center. To increase the number of daily messages allowed, Twitter is prodding users to subscribe to Twitter Blue, a subscription service it launched last year.
Among the benefits of it, users who pay will show up higher in replies and appear in Twitter’s “For You” feed, which recommends tweets for users. Owner Elon Musk has described Twitter Blue as a way to boost revenue and fend off trolls and bots.
Last week, the company said that starting July 14 it was adding a message setting that would send messages from people users follow to their primary inboxes. Messages from verified users the person doesn't follow would be sent to the request inbox. Twitter Support said there has been a 70% reduction in the number of spam messages showing up in users' private inbox since the change.
"This work is ongoing, and we’ll continue to make changes to fight spam to make Twitter better for everyone," Twitter Support tweeted Friday night.