TechCrunch has recently announced that Meta is looking at testing subscription plans on WhatsApp, an app that has always been free. This isn’t limited to WhatsApp, because TechCrunch says Meta intends on adding premium services to its other platforms, Instagram and Facebook, as well.
The goal here, apparently, is to bring more productivity and creativity to the platforms along with added AI features.
How Has WhatsApp Managed To Stay Free For So Long?
WhatsApp, like any other social platform, is a business. Many have wondered for all the years since its launch, how exactly the platform makes its money. Initially, WhatsApp positioned itself as an app with 1 year free service. Thereafter, users would pay. But that never happened. Users continued to enjoy the app for free.
Usually, when apps are free, the company will monetise through ads. WhatsApp hasn’t done that either, until recently.
On how WhatsApp had made its money, BBC reports that the service runs on large computer servers across data centres worldwide, which costs money, even for everyday chats.
The app has billions of users around the world, and that scale is thanks to its parent company, which covers the heavy running costs.
Money does not come from private users. It comes from companies that want to talk directly to people inside the app, turning everyday chat into a business tool.
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The BBC explains that companies can open public channels on WhatsApp at no cost. These channels let brands send updates to subscribers who choose to follow them.
Firms pay when they want direct contact with individual users. This covers customer service chats and actions such as booking tickets or making payments inside a message thread. In Bangalore, bus tickets can already be bought this way, according to the BBC.
Nikila Srinivasan, vice president of business messaging at Meta, says, “a business and a customer should be able to get things done right in a chat thread.” That covers payments, returns and bookings without leaving the app.
How Does The Recent Manus Acquisition Come In Here?
You’ll remember that Meta recently acquired Manus, an AI startup. According to TechCrunch, the startup will also contribute to these subscription plans. Manus will be integrated into Meta’s platforms, but it will still also stand on its own, with its own separate offerings outside of the tech giant.
One of the subscriptions Manus and Meta will be adding will be to video generation, with Vibes. This is Meta AI’s editing app. On Vibes, users can create and remix videos with AI. With the news, Vibes will also take on the freemium model, where more features will be available to paid users.
Will Meta Verified Have Subscriptions As Well?
Meta Verified is not going to work with the subscriptions, according to TechCrunch. TechCrunch said, “It’s worth noting that the new subscriptions will be separate from Meta Verified.
”The tech giant says it’s going to use what it learned from Meta Verified to evolve its subscription business to include more offerings it thinks everyday users, creators, and businesses will want.”
User feedback will then influence how the features progress going forward.
