Officially Rolled Out: Prices and Features List for Paid WhatsApp

A new era for WhatsApp has begun. Meta has officially started testing an optional subscription service named WhatsApp Plus. For the first wave, this paid service, which offers a number of premium features, is being distributed to select users in the European region. The introduction of this subscription package was first highlighted by social media consultant Matt Navarra and has been directly confirmed by Meta’s management. “WhatsApp is testing a new optional subscription called WhatsApp+, designed for users who want more ways to organise and personalise their experience,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. This limited trial is intentionally being rolled out to gather user input, ensuring that the paid features they develop truly provide commensurate added value. This means that core functions such as sending messages, voice and video calls, and end-to-end encrypted privacy protection will remain free and available to all users without exception. Here are the privileges that WhatsApp Plus subscribers will receive: Whereas free version users are limited to pinning only 3 chats, Plus subscribers get an increased capacity to pin up to 20 important chats on the home page. Tired of the default green colour? Users can overhaul the entire interface with 18 exclusive colours. The options are very diverse, ranging from Vibrant Blue, Royal Purple, Deep Navy, Forest Green, Sunset Orange, to Burgundy. The WhatsApp icon in the phone menu can now be changed to taste. There are 14 attractive designs available, such as classic style, glitter effect, blue light, cosmic theme, clay-like texture, purple furry effect, to high-contrast black-and-white minimalist icon. There are additional 10 premium ringtones available to distinguish incoming calls from regular users. Users can freely set themes, notification tones, and ringtones for multiple chat lists simultaneously. Subscribers will get access to premium stickers with special animated effects in the form of overlays that fill the chat screen. Interestingly, these luxurious sticker animations can still be viewed by the message recipient, even if they do not subscribe to WhatsApp Plus. High prices in this region are usually influenced by local tax regulations. These prices may be adjusted and become much cheaper in other countries. For example, in Pakistan, the package rate is said to be only 229 PKR (around Rp 14,000). Currently, WhatsApp Plus is still in a limited beta testing phase and is only available to some Android users. Distribution to more users will be rolled out gradually over the next few weeks.