WhatsApp for iPhone Moving to Subscription Model Later This Year

MacRumors · Mar 19, 2013, 07:47 AM

TechCrunch reports that WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum has revealed in an interview with Dutch journalist Alexander Klopping that WhatsApp Messenger for iPhone will be moving to a subscription model by the end of the year.

Quote:

The new subscription model would apply to new users, Koum said, and would likely follow the same pricing structure as its other apps, which are free for the first year and then cost $1/year, compared to the single, for-life $0.99 purchase that users make on iOS today. "We're relaxed on dates, but definitely this year. It's on the road map," Koum said.

When asked why the company was making the change, Koum responded that they wanted "to keep things simple," probably referring to wanting to have a standard pricing model across all platforms.

WhatsApp is an immensely popular cross-platform messaging app that sees 17 billion messages sent daily, which is over eight times as many as Apple's 2 billion messages sent daily on iMessage.

As of right now, WhatsApp for iPhone is still available for $0.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: WhatsApp for iPhone Moving to Subscription Model Later This Year

SmoMo · Mar 19, 2013, 07:50 AM

7x2=14
14 < 17

levitynyc · Mar 19, 2013, 07:51 AM

RIP WhatsAPP.

evil89 · Mar 19, 2013, 07:51 AM

Waiting for the first moron with an iPhone that cannot afford to spend .79$/y on such a great app.

Tankmaze · Mar 19, 2013, 07:53 AM

"To keep things simple" yeah right, the most simple things are : people pay 1 dollar and thats it, not a subscription based.

j_maddison · Mar 19, 2013, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evil89

Waiting for the first moron with an iPhone that cannot afford to spend .79$/y on such a great app.

You didn't have to wait long, look at the post above yours

tann · Mar 19, 2013, 07:54 AM

17 billion daily is crazy!! I never realised just how high that number is

Andy-V · Mar 19, 2013, 07:54 AM

Completely fair.

jace88 · Mar 19, 2013, 07:56 AM

It's not so much people who buy iPhones can't afford to pay $1 a year but rather, there's plenty of competing apps which are free and do the same thing. I appreciate Whatsapp not including advertisements and that it's cross platform, but I feel that if it essentially becomes closed to new users due to noone wanting to pay, it'll just become less relevant in the face of competition from FB Messaging, Skype, and the multitude of other free chat-with-friend apps.

I was astonished to see this happen on my BB the other day saying I needed to update but to do so would cost me money. The solution was simple- I uninstalled Whatsapp.

levitynyc · Mar 19, 2013, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evil89

Waiting for the first moron with an iPhone that cannot afford to spend .79$/y on such a great app.

You would be surprised what a 1 dollar paywall will do. Especially when rumors start about WhatsAPP being a subscription

samcraig · Mar 19, 2013, 08:04 AM

Very fair. The app has been out for awhile and has constant updates. The app was originally free - then they charged .99

On Android - first year is free and then .99 a year already.

It's a far more reliable service than iMessage (my experience) and I love not caring whether or not the person on the other end has the same phone as I do.

I am MORE than happy to support these developers. And .99 a year? Ridiculously cheap.

RIP WhatsApp? Hardly. People love it.

cmChimera · Mar 19, 2013, 08:10 AM

I'll just use iMessage.

Oui · 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmChimera

I'll just use iMessage.

Same here. WhatsApp is irrelevant.(to me)

samcraig · Mar 19, 2013, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oui

Same here. WhatsApp is irrelevant.

Just curious. All your friends and family have an iPhone? Or do you already pay for unlimited messaging on your carrier?

For me - paying .99 a year vs $20 for unlimited text messages a month is a no brainer.

Zunjine · Mar 19, 2013, 08:22 AM

I'm more than happy to pay a tiny yearly fee to use a service like Whatsapp. Anyone who'd choose a "free" service over a service provided at a low price which offers excellent value clearly hasn't learned a thing about what a "free" service really is. Just ask Google Reader users.

MacDawg · Mar 19, 2013, 08:24 AM

I installed it and checked my 837 contacts
Nobody I know is using this now, much less when it goes subscription

I know it is very popular among others, but it doesn't help me at all

nottooshabby · Mar 19, 2013, 08:25 AM

For me the biggest advantage of Whats app over iMessage is the ability to send a message with a map of your location. Instead of having to type "I'm at the corner of 5th and lincoln" to the question, where are you, in three touches you can send a map of your location. It used to be better when it was only two touches, but oh well.

iPusch · Mar 19, 2013, 08:26 AM

Wait! I don't get it...
I can keep on using Whatsapp for free because I bought it for 0.99$

Will they take the 0.99$ app off store & launch a new "free" one including the subscription thingy?

The article is a lil confusing :-//

OutSpoken · Mar 19, 2013, 08:30 AM

To be honest, I would prefer for them to just include banner ads if they need to generate revenue... I know many people won't like that, but ads in certain apps don't bother me.

I do think the $1 subscription will have a significant impact, and as more and more of my friends and family use iPhones I guess that we'll just end up using iMessage after all.

Lets put it in perspective, most people migrated to apps like Whatsapp due to the high cost of sending sms messages, i.e. overseas, and saw instant messaging apps as cost saving free alternatives. But nowadays sms services are bundle on for free with most carriers offering unlimited usage.

sagar4995 · Mar 19, 2013, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tankmaze

"To keep things simple" yeah right, the most simple things are : people pay 1 dollar and thats it, not a subscription based.

+1. lolll.. i was thinking the exact same thing when i read the article.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oui

WhatsApp is irrelevant.

-1. disagree. its EXTREMELY relevant and 1 of the most important apps on my phone, to communicate with non-iphone users.

mappyman · Mar 19, 2013, 08:33 AM

I already use an alternative: naver's LINE

youknome · Mar 19, 2013, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OutSpoken

To be honest, I would prefer for them to just include banner ads if they need to generate revenue... I know many people won't like that, but ads in certain apps don't bother me.

I do think the $1 subscription will have a significant impact, and as more and more of my friends and family use iPhones I guess that we'll just end up using iMessage after all.

Lets put it in perspective, most people migrated to apps like Whatsapp due to the high cost of sending sms messages, i.e. overseas, and saw instant messaging apps as cost saving free alternatives. But nowadays sms services are bundle on for free with most carriers offering unlimited usage.

Banner ads? I hope not, they're the bane of my life. I paid 59p for this app couple years ago, as a result of Whatsapp I hardly use my unlimited text allowance, it's amazing. Besides Whatsapp is always free around Christmas time.

ds2000 · Mar 19, 2013, 08:44 AM

A whole $1 a year for this simply superb cross-platform app.... no brainer for me

berehon · Mar 19, 2013, 08:44 AM

Viber is free alternative. Also Viber has voice calls.

samcraig · Mar 19, 2013, 08:46 AM

LOL - and some people on this forum insist Android users are cheap.

Mar 19, 2013, 07:51 AM	#4
evil89 macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2009	Waiting for the first moron with an iPhone that cannot afford to spend .79$/y on such a great app. __________________ 2009 13" Aluminium Macbook, 2.0 Ghz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD OSX 10.8.3 iPad with Retina Display Apple Sales Professional (16K)
	18

Mar 19, 2013, 07:53 AM	#5
Tankmaze macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2012	"To keep things simple" yeah right, the most simple things are : people pay 1 dollar and thats it, not a subscription based. __________________ Check out our game Tank Maze
	10

Mar 19, 2013, 07:54 AM	#7
tann macrumors 65816 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Oxford, England	17 billion daily is crazy!! I never realised just how high that number is __________________ 2010 15" MBP i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD \|\| Unlocked White 64GB iPhone 5 \|\| 64GB Black iPad 3 Follow me on Twitter!
	4

Mar 19, 2013, 07:56 AM	#9
jace88 macrumors regular Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia	It's not so much people who buy iPhones can't afford to pay $1 a year but rather, there's plenty of competing apps which are free and do the same thing. I appreciate Whatsapp not including advertisements and that it's cross platform, but I feel that if it essentially becomes closed to new users due to noone wanting to pay, it'll just become less relevant in the face of competition from FB Messaging, Skype, and the multitude of other free chat-with-friend apps. I was astonished to see this happen on my BB the other day saying I needed to update but to do so would cost me money. The solution was simple- I uninstalled Whatsapp. __________________ Macbook Air 11" OSX(SL) + Win7 (BC+Parallels 6) \| Macbook 13" OSX(SL) + WXP(BC) \| Alum. iMac 20" iPhone 4S 16gb \| iPhone 4 32gb \| Mini \| iPod 4G \| iPod 5G \| Shuffle 2G \| Touch 1G \| Shuffle 3G
	10

Mar 19, 2013, 08:10 AM	#12
cmChimera macrumors 65816 Join Date: Feb 2010	I'll just use iMessage.
	12

Mar 19, 2013, 07:50 AM	#2
SmoMo macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2011	7x2=14 14 < 17
	0

Mar 19, 2013, 07:51 AM	#3
levitynyc macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2006	RIP WhatsAPP.
	17

Mar 19, 2013, 07:54 AM	#8
Andy-V macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2007	Completely fair.
	1

Mar 19, 2013, 08:04 AM	#11
samcraig macrumors G4 Join Date: Jun 2009	Very fair. The app has been out for awhile and has constant updates. The app was originally free - then they charged .99 On Android - first year is free and then .99 a year already. It's a far more reliable service than iMessage (my experience) and I love not caring whether or not the person on the other end has the same phone as I do. I am MORE than happy to support these developers. And .99 a year? Ridiculously cheap. RIP WhatsApp? Hardly. People love it.
	5

Mar 19, 2013, 08:22 AM	#15
Zunjine macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2009	I'm more than happy to pay a tiny yearly fee to use a service like Whatsapp. Anyone who'd choose a "free" service over a service provided at a low price which offers excellent value clearly hasn't learned a thing about what a "free" service really is. Just ask Google Reader users.
	3

Mar 19, 2013, 08:24 AM	#16
MacDawg Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: "Between the Hedges"	I installed it and checked my 837 contacts Nobody I know is using this now, much less when it goes subscription I know it is very popular among others, but it doesn't help me at all
	4

Mar 19, 2013, 08:25 AM	#17
nottooshabby macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2008	For me the biggest advantage of Whats app over iMessage is the ability to send a message with a map of your location. Instead of having to type "I'm at the corner of 5th and lincoln" to the question, where are you, in three touches you can send a map of your location. It used to be better when it was only two touches, but oh well.
	0

Mar 19, 2013, 08:26 AM	#18
iPusch macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Manhattan, New York	Wait! I don't get it... I can keep on using Whatsapp for free because I bought it for 0.99$ Will they take the 0.99$ app off store & launch a new "free" one including the subscription thingy? The article is a lil confusing :-// __________________ Gooooooooo Yankees^^
	1

Mar 19, 2013, 08:30 AM	#19
OutSpoken macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: UK	To be honest, I would prefer for them to just include banner ads if they need to generate revenue... I know many people won't like that, but ads in certain apps don't bother me. I do think the $1 subscription will have a significant impact, and as more and more of my friends and family use iPhones I guess that we'll just end up using iMessage after all. Lets put it in perspective, most people migrated to apps like Whatsapp due to the high cost of sending sms messages, i.e. overseas, and saw instant messaging apps as cost saving free alternatives. But nowadays sms services are bundle on for free with most carriers offering unlimited usage. __________________
	1

Mar 19, 2013, 08:33 AM	#21
mappyman macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: UK	I already use an alternative: naver's LINE
	3

Mar 19, 2013, 08:44 AM	#23
ds2000 macrumors member Join Date: May 2012	A whole $1 a year for this simply superb cross-platform app.... no brainer for me
	5

Mar 19, 2013, 08:44 AM	#24
berehon macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2012	Viber is free alternative. Also Viber has voice calls.
	7

Mar 19, 2013, 08:46 AM	#25
samcraig macrumors G4 Join Date: Jun 2009	LOL - and some people on this forum insist Android users are cheap.
	4

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