Meta announced the global rollout of paid subscription tiers across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and has also begun testing an all-new paid plan for Meta AI.
Meta announced the global rollout of paid subscription tiers across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and has also begun testing an all-new paid plan for Meta AI.
Subscriptions include a number of story management tools and AI bonuses, but the detail worth dwelling on is this: Meta AI's "Thinking" mode, as well as video and image generation tools, which were previously free, will now be paid and will have usage limits, Dexerto writes .
Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus subscriptions will cost $3.99 per month, while WhatsApp Plus will cost $2.99.
Facebook users with a paid subscription will be able to extend the display time of stories from 24 to 48 hours, send animated heart reactions that will appear on friends' stories, and see the exact number of re-views of their story.
At the same time, Instagram Plus offers even more features for hidden surveillance: subscribers will be able to view other people's stories anonymously (without appearing in the viewer list), "highlight" one story per week for greater reach, and also extend the availability of their own stories for an additional 24 hours.
WhatsApp Plus is free of any hype. The subscription only gives you the ability to pin up to 20 additional chats and access to exclusive premium stickers.
Meta also clarified that the new rates are in no way related to Meta Verified. The paid blue check mark remains a separate product.
The company has begun testing two new AI-focused pricing plans in Singapore, Guatemala, and Bolivia: Meta One Plus for $7.99 per month and Meta One Premium for $19.99.
Both packages offer advanced image and video generation capabilities, as well as in-depth analysis using the “Thinking” mode.
Free users will technically still have access to this mode, but with restrictions that didn't exist before.
Thus, Meta appears to be seeking to create an additional source of revenue to offset the hundreds of billions of dollars invested in AI infrastructure.
