A few months back we had noted that WhatsApp will soon move to a subscription model on iOS to bring it in line with other platforms, where the app itself is free but users have to pay an annual fee. Today, the messaging company has put this into effect by making its iPhone app free.
Whatsapp has gone free on several occasions previously, but this time the change is very likely permanent. The app was earlier priced at $0.99, and had no other costs involved. While the subscription isn’t live yet, WhatsApp had earlier told that the new model would only be applicable to new users, and not ones who had already purchased the app.
On Android WhatsApp is available for free, and comes with a 1 year trial after which users have to pay an annual subscription fee of $0.99. Subscription fee on the iPhone would likely be the same, and be powered by Apple’s In-app purchase API, since the App Store doesn’t allow for other payment channels for digital content.
The app also received an update, with an option to attach multiple photos at once in chats, and a way to back up and restore your chats using iCloud. You can install WhatsApp for free from the download link below.
Download link:
