As per the latest reports, Meta is ready to try out paid subscriptions for its most popular applications, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. It seems that core usage of the applications will remain free and available to all, but there will be paid tiers in the social media platforms going forward.
Meta to test paid subscriptions for social media
Meta is reportedly exploring premium subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp users in the coming months, in what would be its latest experiment with paid services in the social media realm.
As reported by the BBC, the premium tiers in this proposed plan will include features with increased AI capabilities. The core services of the platforms will still be accessible to users for free.
Meta has claimed that there will be no single, uniform payment scheme, but rather a trial-and-error approach, with each app getting its own bunch of paid features. Some reports claim that this could be something like an anonymous story viewing on Instagram.
Additionally, Meta also plans to test subscriptions for features, such as its Vibes video generation app, which is an AI video generation app that can bring new ideas to life. Meta announced Vibes in September as a part of the latest version of the Meta AI app.
Meta will also reportedly use Manus, a Chinese-founded AI firm, which Meta purchased in December for a reported $2bn. “Manus’s exceptional talent will join Meta’s team to deliver general-purpose agents across our consumer and business products, including Meta AI,” Meta said in a blog post back then.
Moreover, users from the UK were notified of a £2.99 monthly subscription to access an ad-free version of Facebook and Instagram.
Previous monetizing strategies include a paid verification service that gives Facebook and Instagram users a blue tick for a monthly fee, a feature commonly used by celebrities.
