Meta is planning to introduce a WhatsApp Plus paid tier that will bring additional features to subscribers.
The low cost upgrade will include things like more customisation, exclusive stickers and ringtones, and the ability to pin up to 20 chats.
WhatsApp is planning to introduce a paid-for tier which could be called WhatsApp Plus. For a small fee – said to around €2.49 a month in Europe – subscribers will get access to additional functions.
It's part of a drive by Meta to increase revenues from its users, with paid tiers in Instagram also expected.
The details have been unearthed in the beta version of WhatsApp (via WABetaInfo), revealing what you'll get for your money and what it will look like.
Before diving into what the WhatsApp Plus subscription will bring, it's worth pointing out that it's expected that the core functionality of WhatsApp will continue as normal, so those who don't subscribe won't find that anything is taken away from them.
It's also going to be a low-cost option, with WhatsApp looking to make a little more without it being a major burden for subscribers.
What features will WhatsApp Plus offer?
The following features have been uncovered in the WhatsApp beta, detailing that the subscription will contain:
- Premium Stickers
- App theme
- Custom WhatsApp app icon
- Pin up to 20 chats
- Premium ringtones
- Upgrade chat lists
These are minor additions, aimed at heavy WhatsApp users, but this isn't available for WhatsApp Business.
Stickers will allow for more customisation, downloading exclusive stickers from the store, with the recipient benefitting from expanded animations, even if they aren't a subscriber. For those who use stickers a lot, if someone sends you a premium sticker it might convince you to subscribe.
WhatsApp already provides customisation, but the option to change the theme brings 18 new colour choices to apply across the app. Likewise, customising the app means you can move from WhatsApp's traditional green to something else, just so it looks more distinctive or unique.
Pinning is a great tool for keeping track of your important chats but the regular option is limited to three. This might be the thing that convinces some power users to upgrade, because it will make finding some groups so much faster and easier than scrolling or searching.
Exclusive ringtones will expand the options for subscribers, with additional upgrades available for chat lists, allowing bulk settings changes for groups and chats in a list. That will apply to new chats that get added to the list.
Whether that's enough to convince users to pay the subscription remains to be seen, but with over three billion monthly active users, it only takes a small percentage to take the subscription for Meta to start raking in the cash.
