The WhatsApp app becomes free, there will no longer be any annual payment to make.
News has arrived from official sources within the WhatsApp staff: the very popular instant messaging app has become completely free.
The news spread across the internet within minutes of the post appearing on the official WhatsApp blog, delighting thousands of users who never accepted the previous move that mandated an annual payment for all.
Therefore, you will no longer have to pay 89 cents to continue using the messaging service, as announced by Jan Koum, one of WhatsApp’s founders.
The blog states that the decision was made after a study of user habits: it was realized that not everyone has a credit card or that a certain portion of users prefer not to use it for such transactions.
This eliminates a reliable source of income in favor of a new business model.
So, how will WhatsApp sustain itself?
The official blog also reveals that a funding model based on private companies is being explored.
It is reiterated that WhatsApp will not show advertisements, so no banners or ads will appear in chat screens.
A system is being considered whereby companies can reach WhatsApp to communicate directly with their customers, using the app as a vehicle for customer care or promotions.
Specifically, it reads “Starting this year, we will test new tools that will allow you to use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses and organizations. This could mean communicating with your bank about a recent fraudulent transaction; or with an airline about a delayed flight.
We receive all these messages elsewhere today – via SMS and phone calls – so we would like to test new tools to make this easier to do on WhatsApp, while still offering an experience free of third-party ads and spam“.
This is the theory, which, although only sketched out, still appears rather cryptic and vague but certainly interesting.
At the time of writing, nothing is known about a hypothetical and possible refund plan for all users who have already paid for a 3-year or 5-year subscription to the service. The WhatsApp staff will likely provide answers on these specific situations in the coming days.
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