Twitter's 'Tip Jar" feature allows users to send money to their favorite accounts directly, making it easy to contribute to charities, fundraisers, or just say a small thank you for a helpful suggestion. Following an extensive test, the feature was originally rolled out to select users in May 2021 before being made available for all users above 18 on iOS in September. A couple of months later, the feature finally arrived on Android, enabling all Twitter users to send and receive money using the new feature.
While it was initially available to only a handful of creators, journalists, and nonprofits, it has since been made available to all adults across both Android and iOS. Twitter supports a number of different payment options, including Cash App, Patreon, Paypal, Bandcamp, and Venmo. On Android, users can also send tips via 'Spaces', which is Twitter's live audio feature similar to Clubhouse.
To tip someone using the tip jar, go over to their profile page and tap on the dollar bill icon next to the 'Follow' button. Then simply pick a payment option or platform for the transaction. This will depend on what options have been added by a particular receiver, and will differ from one user to another. To receive money via Tip Jar, users will have to first setup the feature for their account. To do that, go over to the 'Profile' page and tap on the 'Edit profile' button. On the next screen, scroll down to the bottom and enable Tip Jar using the toggle. Finally, add the payment details and save the preferences to activate Tip Jar for that account.
Tipping Is Big On Social Media
Shortly after the release of Tip Jar, users reported that a security loophole was leaking the address of people who were tipping via PayPal. According to reports, users who were receiving money via PayPal were seeing the full address of the person who was tipping them. However, according to PayPal, the names and addresses were only being shown for "commercial payments for goods and services." The company advised users to opt for the "individual payments to friends and family" option to send tips without revealing their real name and address.
Tip Jar is largely in line with the online tipping economy that’s been gaining momentum over the past few years. Various online platforms have either already rolled out similar features, like Twitch and YouTube, or are in the process of doing so in the coming weeks and months, like TikTok. Instagram also launched a similar feature in November 2021, letting users tip Live creators by purchasing badges during livestream events. As for Twitter, the company is hoping that the feature will increase engagement on the platform, so it remains to be seen if it catches on among its user base going forward.
Source: Twitter