Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp To Test Premium Subscriptions (techcrunch.com)
- Reference: 0180665972
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/01/27/1744205/instagram-facebook-and-whatsapp-to-test-premium-subscriptions
- Source link: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/meta-to-test-premium-subscriptions-on-instagram-facebook-and-whatsapp/
> Meta plans to [1]test new subscriptions that give people access to exclusive features on its apps, the company told TechCrunch on Monday. The tech giant said the new subscriptions will unlock more productivity and creativity, along with expanded AI capabilities.
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> In the coming months, Meta said it will offer a premium experience on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp that gives users access to special features and more control over how they share and connect, while keeping the core experiences free. Meta doesn't appear to be locked into one strategy, noting that it will test a variety of subscription features and bundles, and that each app subscription will have a distinct set of exclusive features.
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/meta-to-test-premium-subscriptions-on-instagram-facebook-and-whatsapp/
Meh (Score:2)
Who cares?
Too Late (Score:3)
Before the whole business model was marketing, profiling and addiction was the time to do subscriptions to prevent enshitification. There is no going back; it's so toxic that I doubt it can be composted and produce anything fruitful.
They will take your money, remove the absolute minimum annoyances while promoting some extras to "add value" but retain as much shit as possible; this is about making more money not replacing evil income streams. That is why there is no chance of going back while it's a publicl
Re: (Score:3)
In the early days you could go on Facebook, scroll thru new posts for a few minutes until you reached where you got to last time you visited then leave the site. That meant you only need to spend a modest time on the site each day to keep up to date with what was happening with your friends. Then they changed it and I found I could never reach where I was up to last visit and was spending a lot of time on the site for no good reason. That was the start of the endless scrolling implementation designed to
Re: (Score:2)
For a while I would use an adblocker on Facebook and I actually would reach the end. However, I think this was because the adblocker would break the page after a while. It was nice.
Re: (Score:3)
You're right, ads are so ingrained into Facebook that I don't think they can be extricated from the product. People are signing up for the privilege to view ads and have their responses tracked (whether they realize it or not). Facebook is an advertising machine and you are the product. If they can trick someone into paying money for it, even better, but it won't materially change the system except improve the quality of ads by verifying your identity.
We will milk you for ad data (Score:3)
And you will pay for it. Is the tech industry anything other than a massive rent extraction machine?
Re: (Score:2)
But, but I'm a premium subscriber! Premium, I tell you. Premium damn it. Premium!
marking the value (Score:1)
Marking the value of these companies to market, is that it? For decades the idea for all of these 'businesses' was to collect as many free users as possible (which is why they could get hundreds of thousands if not millions of subscribers per day) and then get paid by the 'investors' (gamblers) for this. Their best business propositions were to sell advertisements and to sell user data. By introducing paid subscriptions AFAIC they are actually marking the value of their businesses to market, as in they a
AI ain't paying off (Score:2)
Tech giants took huge risks with AI, money's not coming back, and now they scramble to monetize any last bit of value they have left.
Just the basics (Score:2)
I would gladly pay money to get a chronological feed, no ads, no AI, and no suggested follows.
Re: (Score:3)
[1]F. B. Purity [fbpurity.com] gives you a reverse-chronological feed and zaps most ads. Downside is it only works in a browser on the desktop, but then again that's the [2]only sort-of-safe way to use Facebook. [skoll.ca]
[1] https://www.fbpurity.com/
[2] https://dianne.skoll.ca/writings/how-to-use-facebook/
productivity and creativity? (Score:2)
There's currently zero "productivity" or "creativity" on Facebook, so I can't imagine what they are going to offer for your subscription that will insert these things wholesale into your experience. Just charge people for no ads and perfect control over their algorithm and you'll get subscribers.
How about pay for no ads or tracking? (Score:2)
Many people avoid Meta products because of the predatory pricing model. In that model, "payment" means giving up our privacy and control of our data to advertisers and data brokers. Instead, offer a model where we pay directly, and give us control of our own data again.
Any other deal is pointless. Any "premium" service is for their benefit, not ours.
Nice! (Score:2)
Not only are you the product, you now can PAY to be the product!
Meetup does this. (Score:2)
A weekly gathering uses Meetup. Meetup SUCKS, but they layer in all of these appeals to getting a subscription, because ... I guess they we get access to the Prime Suckage? Like, do they have an entirely different set of engineers and managers running a parallel system which is much more user-centric?
I can't imagine this will be any better. Facebook is terrible in so many ways. I am willing to pay for a YouTube package to get out of YouTube's ads, but over time I'm gradually realizing that doesn't solve
OH PLEASE (Score:2)
Lock AI features behind premium subscription! PLEASE!
I potentially approve of this... (Score:2)
I would consider using a fee-based social media platform if: (1) it never shows me ads; (2) it never shows me content except from people or groups I've explicitly chosen to follow; (3) it always presents posts to me in reverse-chronological order; and (4) it does not sell my personal information and does not use my personal information for algorithmic purposes or to drive "engagement".
I think I'd pay between $3 and $5 (CAD) per month for a decent platform like this if enough of my friends were on it too.
Lootboxes next? (Score:1)
We have seen this movie before.
We're no longer just the product... (Score:2)
Great, we're no longer just the product. Now we're paying to be the product!
will it allow me to (Score:2)
choose to not interact with AI? otherwise i don't want it will it allow me to see more actual content vs ads than i do currently? if so it's not features for users but features for shareholders
Re: (Score:2)
There is no subscription fee if you choose to use AI. To stop using AI, you have to pay. Now, that seems like a healthy business model. :)