I am uninstalling WhatsApp earlier than it provides a subscription tier

If there’s one factor I am at all times attempting to do, it is minimize down on the variety of month-to-month subscriptions I’ve. With so many companies now utilizing a subscription mannequin, it is easy for them to pile up and get costly quick.

So once I see an app that is been free for years instantly begin experimenting with subscriptions, it annoys me. Sadly, one of many apps I take advantage of on daily basis, and that tens of millions of individuals depend on, could possibly be heading in that route quickly: WhatsApp.

WABetaInfo lately discovered references in WhatsApp a couple of new premium subscription known as “WhatsApp Plus” that could possibly be coming quickly (through Android Police).

Whereas it isn’t clear how a lot this premium WhatsApp Plus subscription will value, it is going to reportedly supply a number of unique customization choices, together with 14 totally different app icons, a spread of accent colours and themes to select from, and unique ringtones and stickers.

The subscription might additionally embody different perks that make the app simpler to make use of, together with the power to pin as much as 20 chats. Proper now, the variety of conversations you’ll be able to pin in WhatsApp is proscribed to three, so that might be a considerable bounce.

WhatsApp will keep free

For my part, WhatsApp Plus appears pointless

It is price noting that whereas Meta (which owns WhatsApp) might launch WhatsApp Plus as a paid subscription quickly, WABetaInfo’s report makes it clear that WhatsApp will stay utterly free to make use of, and that its new subscription would simply be an non-obligatory add-on for individuals who need it.

Moreover, it is unclear when or if WhatsApp Plus will really launch. It is reportedly in improvement for iOS and Android, so it is attainable it might launch later this 12 months. Conversely, it is also fully attainable that Meta decides to not launch all of it.

For my part, the one helpful characteristic WhatsApp Plus may need is the power to pin as much as 20 conversations, moderately than simply 3. The whole lot else, just like the customization choices I discussed earlier, appears utterly pointless to me.

It actually simply looks as if WhatsApp Plus could be including options that must be free, and that Meta is just attempting to make more money by placing them behind a paywall.

That mentioned, there is no such thing as a data but on how a lot WhatsApp Plus may cost. Nonetheless, based mostly on the reported options, it is a straightforward skip for me, whatever the worth. I solely use WhatsApp for messaging and calls, and I do not care about additional customization choices. Truthfully, if something, this information simply makes me wish to change completely to Google Messages sooner moderately than later, earlier than WhatsApp will get worse.