Meta Is Launching Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp Subscriptions for ‘Fun Features’

Sarah Perez, reporting for TechCrunch:

Meta is doubling down on its subscription offerings. On Wednesday, the social networking giant announced it’s now rolling out its consumer subscription plans globally for its flagship apps, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and beginning tests of new subscriptions for businesses, creators, and Meta AI users.

For a few dollars per month, consumers subscribing to Instagram Plus ($3.99/mo), Facebook Plus ($3.99/mo), or WhatsApp Plus ($2.99/mo) will gain access to extra features, like profile customization, super reactions, and story insights, among other things.

In an announcement, Meta’s head of product, Naomi Gleit, noted that “more fun features” will be added in the future.

My first question about this was whether Meta would be using IAP on iOS and Android. On the one hand, Zuckerberg really resents Meta’s subservient position to Apple and Google in the mobile ecosystem — that’s what drove him to make a big wrong bet on the “metaverse” as the Next Big Thing. But on the other hand, what else are they going to do? Most people only use Meta’s platforms via the phone apps, and if they’re going to allow subscriptions via the apps, they have to pay Apple and Google their commissions.

This point wasn’t addressed in Perez’s article, so I asked her on Mastodon, and she confirmed that they will be using IAP through both the App Store and Play Store. I’m curious how much they’ll try (and get away with) steering people to the web — both to avoid the store commissions and for direct control over the subscription relationship.

★ Saturday, 30 May 2026