John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 06.17.2022 07:Jun AM EDT

Snap Is Testing a Paid Subscription Tier for Snapchat Users — What Will It Feature?

Snap will soon add a paid subscription tier for Snapchat users.

The camera company is reportedly testing a subscription tier for Snapchat users that will give early access to new features to those willing to pay a subscription fee, according to a company spokesperson's statement to The Verge.

Once released, the subscription tier will be known as Snapchat Plus.

Snapchat Plus Details And Features

Snap's spokesperson mentioned that the company is doing internal tests on its new subscription tier called Snapchat Plus, which will give subscribers early access to new features and the app's other abilities, although the spokesperson didn't mention what those will be.

Snap is allegedly excited about the potential to share exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features with Snapchat Plus subscribers, according to the spokesperson. They also mentioned that they are eager to learn more about how it can best serve its community through the subscription tier.

However, app researcher Allesandro Paluzzi discovered that Snap is testing the ability to let a user pin someone as their no. 1 BFF as part of their subscription to Snapchat Plus. He also found that users who subscribe to Snapchat Plus can change the Snapchat icon with Snapchat Plus exclusive icons, allow the user to display a badge in their profile, and see their orbit with their BFF.

Additionally, Snapchat Plus subscribers can also know their friend's whereabouts in the last 24 hours and see who among their friends rewatches their stories. However, the ability to see the whereabouts of a friend on Snapchat is only available if that friend is sharing their location with the user.

Paluzzi posted screenshots of these abilities on their official Twitter account on June 16.

Paluzzi also found that Snap will charge interested users €4.59 a month or €45.99 a year. In US dollars, a monthly subscription will cost $4.83, while an annual subscription will cost $48.41 a year.

Engadget mentioned that Snapchat Plus' features, price, and the abilities it might offer could change when the subscription tier is ready to launch if the company ever decides to go through with its plan.

The Reason Why Snap Is Developing A Paid Subscription Tier

Snap is developing Snapchat Plus as a form of recuperating its losses since the day Apple introduced a privacy feature for advertisements with iOS 14.5, which allowed users to turn off ad tracking on an app-by-app basis, per Apple.

The privacy feature affected many companies that use targeted ads to create revenue, such as Meta, formerly known as Facebook, Inc., at the time. Twitter is also developing its own subscription-based service in the form of Twitter Blue.

CBS also reported in February 2022 that Google would also follow Apple's example and would add a similar feature to Android phones to strengthen privacy for consumers.