Goal confirmed last January that it was working on adding new payment functions in instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. This is a premium subscription, different from the one already in force in Europe that allows you to avoid advertising in Meta apps, which offers advantages such as being able to view other users’ stories anonymously and tools to control followers on Instagram. Now, Meta has announced that this new premium subscription, called Instagram Plushas already been launched in some countries, according to TechCrunch.
The new service offers users ‘advanced controls’ and ‘exclusive features’ in exchange for a monthly fee. Meta has not said in which countries it has launched Instagram Plus, but, according to screenshots published on social networks, it is available, at least, in Mexico, Japan and Philippines.
The user who pays for Instagram Plus gets features such as the ability to create multiple audiences for storieswhich allows you to go beyond the ‘Best Friends’ list and create others for work, family, etc. Subscribers also receive story review statisticsa feature that shows who has viewed your story more than once.
Other advantages include the possibility of search for specific people in your story’s view listinstead of having to scroll through it forever to find them. You can also preview stories before publishing them, extend their expiration from 24 to 48 hours and ‘stand out’ one of your stories to bring it to the front of your followers’ feed. Finally, subscribing allows you to send animated ‘superhearts’ to other people’s stories.
Meta has not given reasons for launching this subscription, although if it works it will obtain a new source of income after its business model was affected by the system of App Tracking TransparencyATT, which Apple launched in 2021 and why applications must ask the user for permission before tracking their activity. In its first year alone, it cost Meta about $10 billion less in revenue. A subscription isn’t going to make up for those amounts, but it does create a predictable source of income.
Instagram Plus prices vary by country, depending on the screenshots shared by users. In Mexico It costs 39 Mexican pesos per month, approximately 1.92 eurosin Japan 319 yen per month, 1.74 eurosand in Philippines 65 Philippine pesos a month, about 0.93 euros.