One of WhatsApp’s biggest flexes has always been its simplicity. It has been free since it launched in 2009. Ironically, several of its competitors that arrived later were the ones that embraced paid tiers.
Telegram and Discord introduced Premium (later renamed Discord Nitro), which added higher limits and customization, though the core messaging experience remained free for everyone. WhatsApp is about to join them, as it's reportedly testing a paid tier.
Pay a monthly fee to access premium WhatsApp perks
Last year in September, Meta Platforms officially announced a subscription option for Facebook and Instagram users in the United Kingdom, allowing people to pay a monthly fee to remove ads entirely. The plan costs £2.99 (≈$4) per month on the web or £3.99 (≈$5.37) on mobile.
Earlier this year, the company told TechCrunch and other blogs that paid plans are becoming a bigger part of its strategy. It's now been confirmed in WABetaInfo’s latest post. The WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.9.9 revealed a new premium feature that lets you pin up to 20 chats in the chat list.
If you didn't already know, WhatsApp only allows three pinned conversations at the top of the Chats tab. Earlier beta discoveries already suggest that the plan may include customization tools such as 14 different app icons and 19 accent color options for the interface.
There's no official word on pricing yet. But if we had to take a guess, costs could land around $2 to $5 per month. The features are mostly organizational or cosmetic, so you're not missing out on much without them. If you want to try new features before the public release, join the beta testing program.
You may not even need the new features
Compared to the newly released Group Message History feature, pinning an additional 17 chats to WhatsApp may not seem useful. But it’s mainly intended for people who rely on WhatsApp for more than casual messaging.
There are those who manage dozens of conversations every day, including small business owners handling customer orders, community organizers coordinating groups, project teams juggling multiple discussions, or students managing several class chats at once.
Advertising already exists on WhatsApp, though many users don’t notice it because it appears there. You'll find them occasionally in the Updates section, such as full-screen cards you can interact with. It's unlikely that the app will receive more intrusive ads on the free plan after this update.
It ultimately comes down to choice. The core WhatsApp experience is not going away. If the new features don't feel necessary to you, stick with the basic version of the app and continue using it the way millions of people do.
After all, you still have access to Lists. Lists are categories that let you group chats under labels like family, work, school, or projects. You can quickly filter your conversations and focus on a specific set of chats when needed.
