Lucknow/New Delhi: WhatsApp has 2.8 billion+ global users and more than 80 crore users in India. In such a situation, the company is going to bring a big change. Meta is now working on a new strategy to monetize its most popular messaging app. This means that users may have to pay to get rid of ads in statuses and channels.
According to reports like Android Authority and WaBetaInfo, in the new beta version 2.26.3.9 (Android) of WhatsApp, such strings have been found in the code, which point towards an optional paid subscription. With this subscription, users will be able to remove all the ads appearing in the Updates tab (Status and Channels).
– Core features will remain free: Private chats, voice/video calls, groups – all this will be completely free and ad-free. The change will take place only on the Updates tab (Status + Channels).
-Advantage of paid plan: Upon subscribing, you will not see any ads while scrolling through the status – you will be able to view the status of friends/family without interruption.
– What about free users?: Ads will appear in statuses/channels without payment (like content after ads on YouTube). The ads will come with a sponsored label and users will be able to manage/block them.
– Where will it start?: Starting with the European Union (EU) and the UK – due to strict privacy regulations there (such as GDPR), Meta is forced to offer a subscription model instead of ad-tracking. The price can be around ₹350-₹500 per month.
– In India and the world?: Currently being tested only in beta. It is not confirmed when and how it will be rolled out in a big market like India. Meta has been testing ads in statuses and channels since last year, but ads will never appear in private messages.
First year was free, then for some time it used to charge ₹ 55 annually. In 2016, Meta (then Facebook) made it completely free. Now, after years, there are preparations to introduce a hybrid model (free + ads or paid ad-free) – as is already happening on Facebook and Instagram.
Meta’s objective is clear to recover the cost of running the app from the users and increase revenue, without compromising on privacy. At present, this is just a trial – when and how the official launch will happen will be known in the coming months.
