Snapchat parent company Snap is currently testing a paid premium subscription. This is according to various reports. Snapchat Plus will give users access to exclusive features.
Snapchat Plus: developer unveils paid subscription
The instant messaging service Snapchat is apparently currently working on a paid subscription service. With Snapchat Plus, users will have access to exclusive features. A company spokeswoman confirmed the initial rumors to tech magazine The Verge.
Earlier, social media guru Alessandro Paluzzi revealed the paid subscription via Twitter. The software developer posted screenshots of Snapchat Plus and listed some possible features of the paid subscription.
According to the report, users will be able to use the feature to highlight contacts and change the Snap icon, among other things. Also, with the subscription, users would be able to see again who has viewed their Stories. Among the possible features are:
- a profile badge
- the location of friends
- exclusive icons
- tagging friends (BBF)
- the ability to see again who has viewed stories
Snap confirms tests on Snapchat Plus
According to Paluzzi, the price of the paid subscription could be €4.59 per month and €45.99 per year. However, it is also possible that these prices could still change and that these are just placeholders. Snap is currently testing its Plus subscription in-house. Company spokesperson Liz Markman explained:
We are internally testing Snapchat Plus, a new subscription service for Snapchatters. We’re excited about the opportunity to share exclusive, experimental and pre-release features with our subscribers and learn more about how we can best serve our community.
Other networks are also working on paid subscriptions
Snapchat is not the only social network currently working on a paid subscription model. Telegram founder Pavel Durov also already confirmed a paid subscription for the messaging app with Telegram Premium. The feature is also set to launch this month and will allow Telegram users to add “additional features, speed, and resources.”
Whether and when Snap’s premium subscription will start is still unclear. Like Telegram, the app has also been free of charge so far. However, the instant messaging service recently had to lower its revenue forecast for the current quarter. Snap said that the economy had deteriorated faster than it had expected.
As a result, Snapchat’s share price experienced a real slump of around 30 percent. With the new payment function, the group is now apparently also looking for additional sources of revenue.
