WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram to Get ‘Plus’ Versions—Subscription Fees Apply: Stories Won’t Disappear After 24 Hours; Users Can Create Multiple Lists of Favorite Contacts

Social media giant Meta has introduced new subscription plans for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Under this initiative, ‘Plus’ versions of these apps are being rolled out. Users who opt for these plans will gain access to special tools and customization options.

This move is part of Meta’s broader strategy to create new revenue streams beyond advertising. These new ‘Plus’ plans will not replace the company’s existing ‘Meta Verified’ subscription service.

While Meta has announced the global rollout of these new ‘Plus’ subscription plans, the company has not yet disclosed a specific launch date for India.

Given that India represents Meta’s largest user base globally, the company typically implements a phased rollout strategy for any major new features introduced in the region.

What Exclusive Features Will Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus Offer?

Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus have been designed with a primary focus on social expression and content creators. These versions will provide users with the ability to track the total number of times their Stories have been re-watched. In addition to this, users will enjoy the following five benefits:

Multiple ‘Favorites’ Lists: Currently, users can only create a single ‘Close Friends’ list. With this new feature, you will be able to create multiple distinct lists tailored to your preferences, allowing you to control exactly which photos or videos are visible to specific groups of people.

Stories Won’t Expire After 24 Hours: Currently, Stories automatically disappear after 24 hours. Now, you will be able to keep them on your profile for longer than 24 hours. Additionally, once a week, you can choose to ‘Spotlight’ one of your Stories, ensuring it reaches a wider audience.

View Others’ Stories Anonymously: You will be able to view other users’ Stories without them knowing, as your name will not appear in their list of viewers. Furthermore, you will also be able to search for specific names within the list of people who have viewed your own Stories. Profile Updates Without Disturbing Others: You can save any photo or video directly to your profile or Highlights. Consequently, no notifications or new posts will appear on your friends’ home feeds.

New Customization Options: To beautify your profile, you will have access to new fonts, ‘Super Heart’ reactions that float across the screen, and customizable app icons.

What Makes WhatsApp Plus Special?

It focuses entirely on personalization and messaging. Users will find features such as app themes, custom ringtones, additional pinned chats, list customization, and premium stickers.

Two Plans Also Being Tested for Meta AI Users

Meta One Plus: $7.99 (approx. ₹770) per month.

Meta One Premium: $19.99 (approx. ₹1,900) per month.

Both plans offer similar features; however, the Premium plan unlocks capabilities for deeper reasoning and high-compute queries required for complex tasks. This will enable superior video and image generation within Meta apps. For general users, Meta AI will remain free.

Higher-Tier Advanced Plans for Creators and Businesses

Two plans for creators and businesses are being tested this week:

Meta One Essential ($14.99/mo – approx. ₹1,450): This includes a verified badge, protection against fake accounts, and an enhanced Linksheet. This allows users to consolidate links to all their social channels in one place.

Meta One Advanced ($49.99/mo – approx. ₹4,800): In addition to the benefits of the Essential plan, this tier offers features such as being highlighted in the Facebook Feed, appearing higher in search results, a prominent ‘Follow’ button on Reels, and the ability to automatically send follow invitations to people who engage with your content.

This plan will help businesses drive traffic to their websites or online shops. It will offer analytics tools—such as deeper competitive insights—optimized scheduling tools, and the ability to grant access to other moderators without sharing passwords.

Additionally, if another user reuses their content, they will receive a notification, enabling them to request a credit label for the original Reel.