On January 26, Meta announced that it was going to test premium subscriptions across its apps. The subscriptions will offer exclusive features and expanded AI tools, while ad-supported versions remain free.
Under the test, users are presented with a clear choice between two paths. People can subscribe to use Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp without ads, or continue using the services for free while agreeing to ongoing data use for advertising purposes.
Meta claims the subscriptions will “unlock productivity, creativity, and AI-powered features,” with each app receiving its own set of paid tools rather than a single bundled plan. The company isn’t committing to one configuration and plans in order to experiment with different feature sets and pricing models over time.
I also enjoy not being reachable for the majority of people in my life, but for different reasons.
That’s the point - you are not unreachable if you’re not hooked up to Meta’s products. Far from it - at least from a European perspective. Threema and Wire are good European alternatives to Messenger, that are actually private. But also, the telephone has been invented, and so has sms and e-mail. The important thing is the human relationship, which continues to exist regardless of the app or technology you use to speak to each other.
They are reachable though.