WhatsApp is finally bringing its paid subscription plan to people who use Apple devices. The messaging app has started rolling out a new premium tier that gives iPhone users fresh ways to change up how the application looks and feels. While the core experience of chatting and calling stays completely free, this optional upgrade unlocks access to custom colors, new app icons, and higher chat pinning limits for heavy users.
Premium stickers feature animated full-screen overlays in chats
One of the more visible perks is a new collection of premium stickers available inside the standard store menu. When a person with a subscription sends one of these, it plays a large animation right over the chat screen.
You do not need to pay to see these visual effects if a subscriber sends one to you. However, only people paying for the tier can actually download and use them in their own conversations.
Subscribers can replace the default green with new accent colors
The messaging service is known for its bright green look, but the premium plan lets you change that entirely. You can pick from eighteen different accent colors found within the general settings menu.
The options range from deep navy and royal purple to sandy beige and sunset orange. Once you pick a color, it completely replaces the standard green throughout the entire application.
The plan includes a large selection of alternative app icons
Along with internal color changes, the update lets you swap out the icon on your home screen. There are fourteen different choices available for anyone who subscribes to the plan.
Some options are simple black and white outlines, while others feature glittery or highly detailed artistic designs. This gives you a lot of room to match the icon to your specific wallpaper setup on iOS.
Users gain the ability to pin up to twenty conversations
Normally, the app limits you to pinning just three chats at the top of your screen. This forces people to be very selective about who stays at the top of their list.
The new tier bumps that limit up significantly to help with organization. Subscribers can pin up to twenty different chats, making it much easier to keep track of busy group threads and frequent contacts.
Upgraded chat lists offer bulk settings for specific contact groups
The regular app lets you filter chats into lists for work, family, or friends. The WhatsApp Plus subscription will soon launch with fresh upgrades that make managing these lists much easier.
If you put all your coworkers into one specific list, you can apply a single chat theme to that entire group at once. You can also assign a custom notification sound for the entire list rather than doing it one by one.
The subscription unlocks a collection of exclusive modern ringtones
To round out the personalization options, the plan introduces ten new ringtones. These audio alerts have a modern sound and include names like Flutter, Tempo, and Ripple. Using these exclusive tones makes it much easier to recognize an incoming call. You will immediately know it is from WhatsApp without needing to pick up your phone and look at the screen.
Right now, the premium plan is only available to a small group of people through the App Store. It runs on an automatic monthly billing cycle, with pricing varying slightly by region. While it is not an option for business accounts yet, the company expects to expand access to more regular users very soon.
