I am uninstalling WhatsApp earlier than it provides a subscription tier

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

So after I see an app that is been free for years all of the sudden begin experimenting with subscriptions, it annoys me. Sadly, one of many apps I take advantage of day-after-day, and that hundreds of thousands of individuals depend on, may very well be heading in that course quickly: WhatsApp.

WABetaInfo lately discovered references in WhatsApp a couple of new premium subscription referred to as “WhatsApp Plus” that may very well be coming quickly (by way of Android Police).

Whereas it isn’t clear how a lot this premium WhatsApp Plus subscription will price, it’s going to reportedly provide a number of unique customization choices, together with 14 totally different app icons, a variety 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 possibly can pin in WhatsApp is proscribed to three, so that might be a considerable leap.

WhatsApp will keep free

In my opinion, WhatsApp Plus appears pointless

It is value 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 elective add-on for individuals who need it.

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

In my opinion, the one helpful function WhatsApp Plus might need is the power to pin as much as 20 conversations, quite than simply 3. Every part 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 needs to be free, and that Meta is simply attempting to make extra cash by placing them behind a paywall.

That mentioned, there isn’t any info but on how a lot WhatsApp Plus may cost. Nonetheless, primarily based on the reported options, it is a straightforward skip for me, whatever the value. I solely use WhatsApp for messaging and calls, and I do not care about further customization choices. Actually, if something, this information simply makes me wish to change completely to Google Messages sooner quite than later, earlier than WhatsApp will get worse.