Meta launches Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp subscriptions

canyp

Seems absolutely unhinged. I don't know who'd pay to doomscroll AI-generated slop and fake news. $49.99 for the top plan, lol.

suddenlybananas

It's a real shame private messaging has ended up being almost exclusively closed-source without any kind of open API.

rossjudson

I think that subscribing to another person's life prevents you from living your own. Also, "Everything is Lies, I Guess".

YesBox

Discord subscriptions seem to be working. People like to customize their profile (ie express themselves), even though profiles are not something frequently interacted with (that's the surprising part!) I have a server (for my game) with about 1000 people. Out of the 300 people logged in, 50 of them have custom profiles. So, it seems like a good idea for Meta.

j45

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

Animats

"It's free and always will be" - Facebook

meta_ai_x

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

pj_mukh

I would pay $49.99/mo for an unlimited plan that brings me only my friends' status updates (not their hyper-political likes and comments), just their life updates. Daily stories are great too. But JUST that, no influencers, no ads. I realize Meta's data shows that our user revealed preferences tells them that we like all the dopamine hijacking garbage but that's like saying "Well users like drugs, so we gave them more". Let me pay you to give me just the vitamins, and none of the sugar.

qweiopqweiop

Those features sound so narcissistic to me

iLoveOncall

It's insane that those subscriptions don't remove ads. That's the only thing I would even remotely consider paying for on any meta product. In the current state those subscriptions will just show your friends that you're a huge loser who's willing to pay for custom backgrounds.

SilverElfin

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

princevegeta89

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.

shevy-java

> 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?

yokoprime

That's not happening

flufluflufluffy

> There are also other features like Super Heart animated reactions for Stories, custom app icons, customizable fonts for profile bios, and access to additional pins for your profile. Ahh, remember the days of livejournal/myspace, where we got all of those “features” for free because your profile is literally a fucking webpage

drnick1

Just stop using Meta products. It's really not as hard as it seems. Nobody needs FB to communicate with friends and family. Send texts or emails or use your phone.

CuriouslyC

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.

lolive

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

TZubiri

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

pioyi

Just use email...