Twitter has announced that it will begin testing a new Tip Jar feature on its iOS and Android platforms today. Money can now be sent and received on Twitter, which the company claims is a new way for users to show their support.
How the Twitter tip jar works
To send a tip to your favorite account, simply tap the dollar bill icon on a user’s profile page. If the account has tips, the icon will appear next to the message and notification alerts.
From there, a drop-down menu will appear, displaying all of the available payment services from which the user’s account allows you to make your donation.
PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App are all options. When you select a service, you will be directed to the app for that service on your device.
Tips are also sent directly to the account owner, with Twitter claiming that it does not take a cut of the donations.
Who is eligible to use the tip jar?
Only a select few will be able to use the tip jar feature and receive money.
According to Twitter, this includes creators, journalists, experts, and nonprofits, with plans to expand to more users and languages shortly.
“Tip Jar is an easy way to support the incredible voices that make up the conversation on Twitter. This is the first step in our work to create new ways for people to receive and show support on Twitter – with money.”
However, there are security concerns.
One concerning issue that some users have discovered with this feature is that sending money through certain apps also exposes personal information about the donor.
This appears to be due to the terms and conditions of each payment service. Twitter has responded by stating that it is updating its Help Centre and prompts to inform users of this.
Update: According to a PayPal representative, addresses are only shared if the “goods and services” option is selected during payment. When this is set to “Friends and Family,” a user’s address will not be shared when making a payment. PayPal will collaborate with Twitter to make users aware of this.
