Meta is setting out to enhance the user experience on its three biggest apps, but there's a caveat.
The Mark Zuckerberg-owned giant confirmed to TechCrunch that it is planning to test subscription tiers across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
A "premium experience"
According to the outlet, Meta wants to provide paying users with a "premium experience," which involves exclusive special features and "more control over how they share and connect."
The company also said that it will test a large variety of bundles and subscriptions across its platforms, with each subscription having its own set of exclusive features.
Reverse engineer Allesandro Paluzzi, in turn, has given us some insight into what these features might look like on Instagram in particular.
One feature appears to give subscribed users the option to watch people's stories without the original poster knowing, while others include unlimited audience lists and a list that reveals those pesky users you follow that don't return the favor.
The changes being made to Facebook and WhatsApp remain unclear.
AI's influence is all around
Naturally, AI is playing a role in all of this, too. Meta recently acquired AI agent Manus for $2 billion. The company, in turn, looks set to integrate Manus into its core social media offering, with Paluzzi sharing a screenshot that seems to confirm that Meta is trying to add a Manus AI shortcut to Instagram.
Moreover, TechCrunch reports that Meta is planning to test subscriptions for Vibes: Meta's AI video generator, which helps users to create their own short-form videos.
It should be noted that while Vibes has been free thus far, this won't be the case for long. Now, Meta is reportedly planning to give users "freemium access" to users by offering them the option to make more videos if they subscribe.
Additionally, Meta plans to test subscriptions for AI features, such as Vibes video generation. Vibes is Meta’s AI-powered short-form video experience built into the Meta AI app that lets people create and remix AI-generated videos.
Although Vibes has been free since its launch last year, Meta now plans to offer freemium access to Vibes' video creation, with the option to subscribe to unlock additional video creation opportunities each month.
While you might expect these packages to be part of Meta Verified, this is not actually the case. Still, Meta told TechCrunch that it will utilize what it has learned from Meta Verified as it navigates this new phase of subscriptions.
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