WhatsApp has announced that it is scrapping its subscription fees. Hitherto, users were required to pay 99 cents per annum after their first year.
If you’ve been using WhatsApp for the six years it has been available then you’ve probably never experienced the subscription fees. Most original users were granted a free lifetime service, but in recent years the company introduced its subscription to new users.
But in a turnaround, the Facebook-owned company said in blog post today that
As we’ve grown, we’ve found that this approach hasn’t worked well. Many WhatsApp users don’t have a debit or credit card number and they worried they’d lose access to their friends and family after their first year. So over the next several weeks, we’ll remove fees from the different versions of our app and WhatsApp will no longer charge you for our service.
However , but subscription fees will cease immediately.
The company also promised that it will remain ad-free.
“Naturally, people might wonder how we plan to keep WhatsApp running without subscription fees and if today’s announcement means we’re introducing third-party ads. The answer is no.”
WhatsApp currently has nearly 1 billion users, so this act removes the barrier for millions more to join the messaging service.
