WhatsApp's paid 'Plus' subscription is seemingly rolling out gradually

After months of speculation, WhatsApp’s rumored Plus subscription is seemingly seeing the light of day. A new user report suggests the premium tier is quietly rolling out to select beta testers.

It’s worth noting that this is the only report available online right now about the beta actually rolling out. Earlier posts were drawing information from tests and leaks, but it’s official now.

In the screenshots shared by u/elle-hacen on Reddit, WhatsApp Plus is under a new “Subscriptions” tab within the app. WhatsApp Plus is advertised to “upgrade your messaging experience.” It says you’ll “Get more from WhatsApp.”

For one month, Meta is also offering the subscription for free. It costs PKR 229 (Pakistani Rupee) for a month, which is about $0.8. However, pricing may be adjusted for purchasing power in other regions. With the subscription, you can:

1. Send premium stickers.
2. Change the theme of the app.
3. Pick a different app icon.
4. You can pin more chats.
5. There are “Premium ringtones.”
6. Upgrades to chat lists.

Users have noted that several of these paid features on WhatsApp already exist for free on Telegram, questioning the worth of this subscription.

The main Reddit post also claims that the subscription appears to those who have signed up for the Beta. If you want to sign up for the Beta yourself, you can check the public Testflight link for WhatsApp Beta. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they’re accepting invites as of now. For Android, you can directly become a tester after signing up for it on the Google Play Store.

If the name “WhatsApp Plus” rings alarm bells, you aren’t alone. Some users initially assumed this was the infamous third-party mod from years ago, but this is a legitimate subscription tested within the beta.

At the moment, it’s too early to tell where the subscription is live and where it isn’t. We still don’t see it on our devices running WhatsApp beta.

In other WhatsApp news, if you’re still rocking an Android 5 device, WhatsApp has announced the dates for support closure. You can read about that here.

Featured image credit: u/elly-hacen/Reddit

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