X (Twitter) Discontinues NFT Profile Picture Feature

Social media platform X (Twitter) has reportedly ceased support for setting NFTs as profile pictures, nearly two years after introducing the feature.

According to reports from several X users, the platform seems to have stopped supporting NFTs as profile pictures. Many users who previously had NFTs as their profile pictures noted that their frames had been changed from hexagonal to circular. Additionally, X has removed NFT-related keywords from its customer support pages.

Previously, if a user linked their social media account to a cryptocurrency wallet containing NFTs, X would use those NFTs as profile pictures with a hexagonal frame, distinguishing them from the usual circular avatar frame.

The NFT profile picture feature was first launched by Twitter on January 20, 2022, nearly two years ago, and was one of the last initiatives promoted by former CEO Jack Dorsey before stepping down. Twitter was later acquired by billionaire Elon Musk in October of the same year. Musk has been critical of several cryptocurrency integration plans of the social media platform, including issuing a crypto coin and developing a separate cryptocurrency wallet platform.

The new owner of X has also previously criticized the NFT profile picture feature, suggesting that Twitter devoted too much effort to non-essential features while neglecting issues such as spam and bot accounts.

It remains unclear whether X has permanently discontinued the ability to set NFTs as profile pictures or if this is a temporary change. Many users are expressing disappointment if this change is indeed permanent, as having support from a widely-used global social network like Twitter was considered a significant milestone in cryptocurrency adoption.

CEO of Kraken exchange, Jesse Powell, commented:

"X discontinuing NFT support is a setback for the cryptocurrency industry. Losing utility is always a loss. NFT profile pictures, although not widely embraced, were a feasible product and not fully realized like the original vision: community, message signing with NFTs, and other features centered around digital ownership."

Meta, the parent company of popular social networks Facebook and Instagram, also announced in March 2023 that it would allow setting NFTs as profile pictures just six months after launching this feature.