Twitter Launches NFT Profile Pic Verification for Some iPhone Users

Twitter announced on Thursday that certain users will be able to import NFTs from their crypto wallets and post them as their profile pictures on the popular social media service.

For now, the service is only available to those who sign up for the “Labs” feature via the company’s Twitter Blue subscription service. Twitter is also limiting the release to iOS users but says Android and web users will be able to see when a user changes their profile pics to an NFT.

An NFT is a type of token that essentially acts like a blockchain-based deed of ownership that can be linked to both physical and digital items, such as the profile picture avatars which have become popular on the social media platform among the tech crowd and even pro athletes and other celebrities.

“Once authenticated, the NFT will be displayed as a soft hexagon across all surfaces where your avatar is visible. When people tap on it, they can learn more about the art, its collection, provenance and more,” said Twitter in release describing the new feature, which makes use of leading NFT marketplace OpenSea’s API.

Twitter also released a video with raucous music that shows people starting their day by switching their avatars to their NFT:

According to a Twitter spokesperson, the company is limiting the release to Blue subscribers for now in part to obtain feedback about the NFT feature and add updates as needed.

Another Twitter Blue video shows that users can connect their NFTs via various wallets, including MetaMask, Rainbow, and Coinbase. The company’s Blue service, which costs $2.99/month in the U.S., offers a set of other features that Twitter bills as premium.

Thursday’s announcement reflects the company’s decent decision to prioritize crypto–including Bitcoin payments—and NFTs across its products.

Twitter is not the only tech giant to bet big on NFTs and the so-called metaverse. Facebook, which recently, changed its name to Meta is reportedly preparing to roll out NFTs.