WhatsApp Plus subscriptions rolling out to iPhone, but you probably don’t need one
Source: 9to5Mac
A paid WhatsApp Plus subscription went live in the Android beta last month and is now slowly rolling out to iPhone users. It’s currently available to a small number of iOS accounts and is reportedly expanding over the next few weeks, according to WABetaInfo.
WhatsApp Plus is a subscription plan limited to a subset of iOS users. It does not yet appear to be available in the US. European pricing is €2.49 per month, suggesting a US price in the $2.49 – $2.99 range when it launches there.
What you get with WhatsApp Plus
All existing WhatsApp messaging functionality remains free. The subscription adds the following premium features:
- Send premium stickers (including animated overlay effects)
- Choose a custom app icon
- Change your app’s theme
- Get premium ringtones
- Upgrade your lists
- Pin extra chats (up to 20 chats, compared to the standard three)
The most practical upgrade is the ability to pin up to 20 chats. WABetaInfo also highlights the enhanced list features:
Subscribers can create lists (e.g., a “work colleagues” list) and apply a single chat theme, shared alert tone, and unified ringtone to all conversations in that list. This provides consistent settings across multiple chats.
Premium stickers are animated overlays that only paid subscribers can use, though free users will still see them.