Meta has officially begun testing an optional premium subscription called WhatsApp Plus, offering users additional personalisation features for a monthly fee. The rollout, confirmed by Meta to TechCrunch in April 2026, is currently limited to a small group of beta testers on Android, with iOS support planned for a later date.
A Meta spokesperson described the subscription as “designed for users who want more ways to organise and personalise their experience,” adding that the company is gathering feedback before a broader release.
WhatsApp Plus includes several features not available on the free tier. Subscribers can pin up to 20 chats, compared to the current limit of three. The plan also offers 18 custom accent colour themes, 14 alternative app icons, and 10 exclusive ringtones. Premium stickers with animated screen-expanding overlay effects are included, and those overlays will be visible to recipients even if they do not have an active subscription. Users can also apply custom themes, alert tones, and ringtones in bulk across grouped chat lists.
Despite the new paid tier, Meta has stated that core messaging features — including voice calls and end-to-end encryption — will remain free for all users. The subscription is restricted to the consumer version of WhatsApp and does not extend to WhatsApp Business. It also does not remove ads from the Status feature, a monetisation tool Meta announced previously.
Meta has not officially confirmed pricing. However, according to WABetaInfo, the subscription is expected to cost €2.49 per month in Europe, PKR 229.00 per month in Pakistan, and $29.00 per month in Mexico.
The move suggests Meta is exploring direct consumer revenue from WhatsApp beyond advertising, though the company has not disclosed a timeline for a full public launch.
Source: mint – technology