Twitch has introduced a new feature that allows users to reverse subscriptions after completion. Users could even specify that they completed the subscription solely for the notification in the stream. This faced massive backlash and has now been disabled.
What’s new on Twitch? On Twitch, subscriptions that allow viewers to support their favorite streamers can be refunded, provided this occurs within the first 10 minutes after purchase.
This feature is intended to prevent viewers from accidentally signing up for such a subscription and incurring charges.
Those who wish to have their subscription refunded must provide a reason. Recently, Twitch offered the option: “I only did it for the notification in the stream.”
This notification is played in the chat and, for many streamers, directly in the livestream. In some cases, text-to-speech messages can even be sent through it. This so-called shoutout is considered one of the reasons why people subscribe at all.
What’s the issue with this? Many streamers expressed concern and feared that the feature could be exploited. Trolls could use such a notification and then withdraw their subscription without being penalized.
For example, streamer Talesoftiny spoke out on Twitter. She criticized Twitch for making one step forward but two steps back, opening the door for trolls.
Her complaint to Twitch garnered over 18,000 likes and 4,500 retweets.
This is not the first time Twitch has faced criticism from its streamers:
- The way Twitch bans streamers is not transparent enough and seems arbitrary
- There has been a long-standing conflict with music on Twitch. They faced copyright penalties for streamers, and in the end, Twitch admitted they made mistakes.
- Adjustments to the profanity filter had the exact opposite effect. Viewers simply created alternative spellings for it.
Twitch removes criticized dialog
How does Twitch respond to the criticism? Meanwhile, Twitch’s support has responded to Talesoftiny’s criticism and replied directly to her in a tweet.
It states that the refund function has actually existed since 2018. The new dialog options for the reasons were intended to improve the experience for streamers and subscribers.
However, Twitch has acknowledged that the text made it seem as though they were supporting trolls and has therefore removed this option.
Subscriptions can still be refunded, however. In principle, trolls could still exploit this function but would need to provide a different reason.
Whether Twitch will intervene if someone withdraws subscriptions too often and is obviously just trolling is unknown.
A further discussion is currently being sparked on Twitch by the “Hot Tub Streams.” In this, streamers film themselves in swimsuits in an outdoor pool, a hot tub, and chat with viewers:
Streamer criticizes women who film themselves in hot tubs on Twitch
