Social Items

Well, it came as no surprise that WhatsApp has announced a completely free service, instead of the initial plan to charge users $1 per year on subscription. While, the company boasting of over 900 Million users could not arrive at a better monetization option, given that competitors are ready to give anything for that sheer number.

The reversal is fueled by the Facebook acquisition, which means the instant messaging platform is definitely in a better footing, financially.

Albeit, the company claims the reason for removing the subscription option was because many users, especially in developing markets, could not afford to pay the $1 fee and unavailability of credit cards payment processing is also a factor.

But, as the need to make money for any business is paramount, the company may now have to explore other monetization options.

And many users, nonetheless, are disturbed about privacy issues as the introduction of in-app advertisement will invariably means more tracking of users' online activities for targeted ads serving.

However, since in-app ads serving could infuriate users, the company may want to explore the introduction of premium (and of course, paid) accounts that allows businesses to leverage the service for a fee.

WhatsApp: Was Anyone really going to Pay $1 Subscription fee?

Well, it came as no surprise that WhatsApp has announced a completely free service, instead of the initial plan to charge users $1 per year on subscription. While, the company boasting of over 900 Million users could not arrive at a better monetization option, given that competitors are ready to give anything for that sheer number.

The reversal is fueled by the Facebook acquisition, which means the instant messaging platform is definitely in a better footing, financially.

Albeit, the company claims the reason for removing the subscription option was because many users, especially in developing markets, could not afford to pay the $1 fee and unavailability of credit cards payment processing is also a factor.

But, as the need to make money for any business is paramount, the company may now have to explore other monetization options.

And many users, nonetheless, are disturbed about privacy issues as the introduction of in-app advertisement will invariably means more tracking of users' online activities for targeted ads serving.

However, since in-app ads serving could infuriate users, the company may want to explore the introduction of premium (and of course, paid) accounts that allows businesses to leverage the service for a fee.
Messaging System