No More Annual Fees for WhatsApp Users (No Ads, Either)

The Facebook-owned cross-platform messaging application announced Monday that it would no longer collect its $0.99 annual subscription fee for users in their second years and beyond. The app had been free-of-charge for users in their first year.

WhatsApp also announced that it had no plans to add third-party ads, but it would begin testing tools for businesses to communicate with users via the app, similar to what Facebook Messenger has been doing.

WhatsApp said in a blog post announcing the move:

We’re happy to announce that WhatsApp will no longer charge subscription fees.