The first functions of WhatsApp Plus, the paid subscription that Meta is preparing for the app, are leaked
WhatsApp works on a paid subscription plan called WhatsApp Plusavailable for Android and iOS. For now, it is not known if this plan also includes WhatsApp Web or desktop clients. In reality, the messaging app has not made any official announcement, but the details leaked by WaBetaInfo allow us to know quite precisely what functions the plan will include and in what direction Meta is moving with its messaging platform.
The news doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. It was already known in January that Meta was planning to launch premium plans for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, with options aimed at eliminating advertising and incorporating advanced AI functions. WhatsApp Plus is, apparently, the materialization of those plans for the messaging app.
What WhatsApp Plus will include
According to the leaked information, the bulk of the payment functions revolve around the visual customization. Subscribers will have access to 14 new app icons and color palettes to customize the interface. They will also have exclusive ringtones, designed to differentiate WhatsApp notifications from those of the rest of the apps installed on the mobile.
On a functional level, the most practical novelty is the extension of the limit of fixed conversations. The free plan allows you to pin up to three chats to the top of your inbox. WhatsApp Plus would raise that limit up to twenty conversationswhich can be useful for users who manage many active contacts or groups at once.
In the longer term, the plan includes exclusive stickers for subscribers and more elaborate and interactive reactions to messages. WhatsApp warns that these functions may be modified before the official launch, and at the moment it has not confirmed a price or availability date.
The company has been explicit on one point: all essential functions of the app will remain free. Messages, calls, video calls, groups, file sharing and privacy options will not be behind any paywall. WhatsApp Plus is strictly intended as an additional layer for those who want more customization options.
The drift of an app that was born simple
Even so, the arrival of a paid subscription is still a symptom of something broader. WhatsApp built its success on a very specific premise: doing one thing well, without advertising or complications. That model began to change after the purchase by Meta in 2014, with the progressive incorporation of functions that move away from that original mission: states, communities, channels, avatars.
The pattern was already seen with Instagram, which went from being a minimalist photography app to a platform loaded with layers and formats that many users find more difficult to use than years ago. Meta seems to apply the same logic to WhatsApp, and the subscription is the most visible step so far in that direction.
What remains to be known is how much WhatsApp Plus will cost and whether users will be willing to pay for features that, to a large extent, they had not asked for.
