Meta, the owner of WhatsApp messages, has finally found a way to monetize it. According to WABetaInfo, the messaging service is set to announce a monthly premium subscription for businesses soon. The offer is already available in beta in select countries via iOS, TestFlight and Android.
With this subscription, Premium members have access to two advanced features. A premium account can be used on ten devices at the same time, compared to four for the classic messaging version. Also, a company can create a personalized URL, such as htpps://wa.me/NomDeMaSociete, which will allow the user to easily access their customer service on WhatsApp. This address can be changed quarterly and will be lost if the company unsubscribes.
Generate income
The purpose of this subscription for Meta is twofold. attract more businesses to messaging while monetizing Meta’s only free and ad-free platform.
In 2014, Meta (still called Facebook) bought WhatsApp for $22 billion. Back then, the app business model was completely different. Messages were free for the first 12 months, then available for €0.89 per year. Meta made the app free to promote its growth.
Since then, the group has been trying to find a way to monetize the app with 2 billion users. For a while, Mark Zuckerberg thought about introducing similar ads on Instagram or Facebook. This solution was set aside because it goes against the spirit of messaging where exchanges are encrypted and cannot be used by Meta. Instead, the American group relies on paid features for businesses.
The official availability of the premium monthly subscription has not yet been announced, and no indication of pricing has been given.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.