WhatsApp messenger, one of the most popular instant messaging apps on Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone will be revising its service to a subscription-based model sometime in 2013
Well what does this mean for you the consumer?
In an interview with WhatsApp’s CEO Jan Koum, quite a bit was revealed concerning the change. He mentioned:
- $1/year subscription fee
- Estimated dates for the change in service as opposed to fixed dates but “definitely this year.”
- Definitely not adding live video streaming to WhatsApp this year.
- The lack of a desktop version anytime soon.
As it is now, WhatsApp messenger requires a one-time payment of $0.99. ‘New’ users will be subject to the annual fee when the new subscription model is released. Personally, I think it isn’t very clear what is defined by a ‘new’ user and how existing users will be affected. One can simply deduce that all existing users will remain unaffected and only new users from any point after the model is introduced will utilize it.
For those of you who have no desire to pay $1/year to use WhatsApp (if it is applicable that you must pay for it), there are many 3rd party alternatives. Other apps such as Viber, BitSMS, Groupme, Tango, Hookt, and many more; offer similar (and sometimes better) messaging services.
I would personally recommend Line messenger. It is arguably the best cross-platform instant messenger application around.
Source – TechCrunch
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