WhatsApp Plus may be expanding beyond themes and stickers with AI and storage perks, survey hints

A new survey showing up for some WhatsApp users (at least in India) suggests Meta is exploring a much broader version of its Plus subscription, one that could go well beyond themes and stickers to include AI features and encrypted cloud storage.

Screenshots posted to Reddit show WhatsApp walking users through a series of hypothetical paid feature bundles at different monthly price points. The range tested runs from ₹83 ($0.88) to ₹330 ($3.49) a month. For an app that has been free since the beginning, that is a noticeable ask.

We covered the first visible signs of the Plus rollout earlier this month, after a beta tester in Pakistan spotted the subscription tab inside the app. At that stage, Plus was fairly contained: premium stickers, custom themes, alternate app icons, and some chat management extras.

But it seems this survey describes a different level of ambition.

One set of questions asks users which features they would pay for from a bundle that includes Call Transcription & Notes, Scheduled Status Posts, Mute Individual Group Members, Auto Reply, and Scheduled Do-Not-Disturb for Chat Lists. These are productivity-oriented tools, not visual tweaks.

Another one asks users to pick two of three benefit categories: communication features like exclusive stickers and chat themes, AI features via Meta AI with access to advanced models for reasoning and image generation, and encrypted cloud storage for backing up messages and media. WhatsApp is directly asking its users to tell it which combination they would actually open their wallets for.

At ₹330 a month, the top-tier tested includes Group Activity Insights, Smart Exclusion Lists, Custom Group Reaction Emojis, and Scheduled Status Posts. Whether that sounds worth it probably depends on how much you use WhatsApp for managing groups or staying organised.

The survey appears inside the WhatsApp app itself, which is worth noting. It is not a leaked feature or a third-party poll. WhatsApp is actively mapping user appetite for where Plus goes next.

Reactions on the Reddit thread where this surfaced have been skeptical. Several users pointed out that many of the features on the list are already free on Telegram. Others were blunter, noting that most people are on WhatsApp not because they prefer it, but because their contacts are there.

Still, this pricing survey looks like the next piece of Meta figuring out how far a paid tier can realistically go.

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