Meta launches Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp subscriptions

is meta low on $? why would they do this?

Interesting. Instagram and Facebook both seem to be filled with AI-generated fake crap today. Even the so-called news items that I see there seem to be fake. I don't even know who would be subscribing. Especially to Facebook as of today.... It is filled with pretty low quality content overall. On the other side, WhatsApp has been getting filled with a lot of bloat. And even today, I find it confusing to use communities in WhatsApp. The entire navigation and experience around that feature confused me a few times. There's been more and more push towards the AI crap on WhatsApp as well.

The only good thing about WhatsApp is, it is used by everyone that I know, so I can connect with them pretty easily and make calls, etc. I hope they don't enshittify it too much to the point where I'll go and use Signal full time.

I'd have been happy to pay for a WhatsApp-like service if they had not been acquired. Flawless service for like a decade, no complains. Only issue was the difficulty of moving between Android and iOS.

Meta? Fuck off. We all know they're already doing awful stuff with our data, they've had more bugs last year than all of whatsapps previous history combined, and whatever price they request now is step one for enshittification.

Those features sound so narcissistic to me

I can't imagine paying for Facebook but I can imagine paying for WhatsApp. It's a great app that's for free and has no ads.

I cannot imagine that students, kids, or half the world where paying 3 usd a month is impossible, will keep using whatsapp when they have to pay a fee. They will look for alternatives immediately. Telegram?

But actually this is a good move. I tried to convince my family and friends to use alternatives, without success. But now I see hope.

Have stopped using FB and IG years ago, was stuck with WhatsApp because of half the world using it.

Maybe they could sell privacy/encrypted messages in the subscription after removing it.

I barely use all those services. But I wonder how i would react if Reddit became a paywall.

That's not happening

A link to the mirror that doesn’t force you to disable adblocker: https://archive.is/xGwsz

Friendly reminder: HN opinion about this will be completely-out-of-touch with reality

It's time for that EPS to turn into BV baby!

> In an announcement, Meta’s head of product, Naomi Gleit, noted that “more fun features” will be added in the future.

Thank you - I don't want any of that.

What exactly are "fun" features, anyway? Do they take away from my time?

Who is this for? Is it just a way to monetize dying platforms before they inevitably become worthless?

Honestly don't know how Meta keeps customers. Facebook is hanging on for dear life with geriatrics and marketplace. Insta is a cesspool of fake content that needs to die in a dumpster fire. Not sure why you'd use WhatsApp over alternatives like Signal now.

It's almost like the people still using Meta services are metaphorical bots or low agency human beings.

Wait, I'm paying and I still get targeted ads shown to me? But I do get "super reactions"? Come on.

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Do you know of any successful business without a Meta presence? Is that really possible in this age? Really interested to know.

They have a stranglehold on everything. It's inescapable.