Microsoft isn’t paying Twitter’s new API fees, so Xbox to Twitter sharing is gone

Xbox players started to notice this week that Microsoft removed the ability to share screenshots and clips to Twitter straight from consoles or the Xbox Game Bar on Windows. Open up the sharing options window and you’ll see that the option for Twitter has been entirely removed.

Microsoft confirmed Thursday — in a response to a player’s tweet about the removal — that Twitter is no longer a sharing option. “We have had to disable the ability to share game uploads to Twitter directly from the console and Game Bar on Windows,” read a tweet from the Xbox Twitter account. “You can still share your favorite moments to Twitter via the Xbox app for Android and iOS.”

Microsoft didn’t say that this is because of Elon Musk’s new Twitter API (application programing interface) paywall, but it’s quite likely that is the case. Microsoft declined to comment beyond the above statement.

The Xbox change does coincide Twitter’s rollout of the new API pricing structure, which could cost a company like Microsoft around $42,000 per month, according to The Verge. Free and basic tiers ($100 per month) are available as part of the new Twitter API pricing structure, but are meant for smaller projects.

Both Nintendo and Sony currently still allow players to send clips and screenshots to Twitter from their respective consoles. We’ve reached out to both companies to confirm that continued access.

For players looking to get their screenshots or sick video clips from their console to Twitter, there is another option: the Xbox mobile app. You can access your console captures in the library there, then share to Twitter, Instagram, and elsewhere.

But beyond Twitter sharing from Xbox consoles, Microsoft is also removing support for Twitter through its advertising platform. The company put a note on the top of a support page stating that support will end on April 25 — users of the advertising platform won’t be able to manage tweets via the social media management tool it includes.

That seems to have angered Musk, who responded to a tweet about Microsoft’s dropped support with “lawsuit time,” claiming that Microsoft “trained illegally using Twitter data.”

Update: This story has been updated to note that Microsoft has declined to comment further.