WhatsApp scraps $0.99 annual subscription fee

Popular mobile messaging service WhatsApp has announced that it is doing away with the $0.99 annual subscription fee which was applicable to some of those using the service after their first year. The announcement was made by WhatsApp in an official blog post.

WhatsApp admitted that the approach of charging an annual subscription fee hasn't worked well for the company primarily because many of the service's users don't have a debit or credit card, which is required to pay the fee.

So, what would be the company's revenue model now? Third party ads? Well, WhatsApp says NO. The company is instead planning to earn money by offering services aimed at connecting businesses with individuals. "Starting this year, we will test tools that allow you to use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses and organizations that you want to hear from," WhatsApp said.

"That could mean communicating with your bank about whether a recent transaction was fraudulent, or with an airline about a delayed flight. We all get these messages elsewhere today – through text messages and phone calls – so we want to test new tools to make this easier to do on WhatsApp, while still giving you an experience without third-party ads and spam."

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