Meta is trying out another add-on subscription offering, this time in WhatsApp, with some users being prompted to sign up to WhatsApp Plus to access a range of additional features.
Social media expert Matt Navarra shared this image of the new WhatsApp Plus promotion screen on Threads.
As per the pop-up, WhatsApp Plus currently offers a range of add-on elements, including:
- Premium sticker types
- Options to change the app’s theme
- Custom app icons
- Up to 20 pinnable chats, expanded from the current limit of three
- Premium ringtones for calls and messages
- Additional chat sorting options
WABetaInfo has shared additional images of these perks, including a look at the custom icons:
[image]
Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s testing WhatsApp Plus: “WhatsApp is testing a new, optional subscription called WhatsApp Plus, designed for users who want more ways to organize and personalize their experience. We’re starting with a small test to gather feedback and ensure we’re building something people find genuinely valuable.”
The new subscription offering comes just weeks after Meta confirmed it’s testing a new Instagram Plus add-on subscription package, which will provide paying users with additional options and features to customize and expand their in-app experience.
The two packages could facilitate a significant expansion of Meta’s subscription revenue stream, which currently includes Meta Verified add-on packages for Facebook and Instagram.
Meta hasn’t shared any official data on Meta Verified take-up, but looking at Meta’s quarterly performance updates, it seems that, potentially around 35 million or so Facebook and IG users may have signed up to Meta Verified thus far, generating an additional $2 billion or so in revenue for the company each year.
Again, there are no exact figures on this, because Meta hasn’t released them. But it’s safe to assume that Meta Verified is making a lot of money, which is why the company is looking to expand its subscription offerings.
The opportunity for additional subscription revenue comes from X, with Elon Musk pushing to make X Premium a bigger consideration.
Shortly after taking over the app formerly known as Twitter in late 2022, Musk predicted that eventually, subscription-based social media would become “the only social media that matters.” That’s because he believed it offered the only path to eradicating bots and ensuring that real humans were behind every account.
Musk told potential investors that Twitter/X would eventually generate around 50% of its total revenue from subscriptions. That hasn’t happened, but Musk’s push to drive more paid social options opened the door for other apps to also consider and eventually implement the same, which has created solid revenue streams for Snapchat and Meta.
And while a level of skepticism remains around paid subscription offerings, it’s hard to argue with the results. If people are willing to pay for add-on features, it makes sense for Meta to cash in on that.
Meta hasn’t provided info on the pricing of the new WhatsApp subscription package, but WABetaInfo reported that the package is priced at 2.49 euros, or about $2.35 per month.
