{"id":654863,"date":"2026-06-19T10:28:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=654863"},"modified":"2026-06-19T10:31:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:31:37","slug":"whatsapp-launches-r29-subscription-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/smartphones\/654863-whatsapp-launches-r29-subscription-in-south-africa.html","title":{"rendered":"WhatsApp launches R29 subscription in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Meta Platforms has launched its WhatsApp Plus subscription in South Africa, giving users of the popular chat app several additional features for a monthly fee of R28.99. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US social media giant began testing the subscription<\/a> in April 2026, explaining that it was designed for users seeking more ways to organise and personalise their experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WhatsApp Plus subscription is part of a broader effort from Meta Platforms to diversify its revenue streams beyond its main advertising business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meta Platforms said it did not plan to start charging for private messaging or other core features on WhatsApp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WhatsApp Plus membership is free for the first month, although users are required to add a payment method to test it out. At launch, it adds six features to WhatsApp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of customisation, WhatsApp Plus users can choose a custom app icon and new themes with more colour options for messages, icons, and backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The subscription also adds enhanced chat lists, each of which can have its own settings for alerts, ringtones, and themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WhatsApp Plus subscribers can also pin up to 20 chats to the top of their home screen, compared to just three for non-paying users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other extra features include “exclusive” sticker packs and a variety of ringtones for WhatsApp notifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To sign up for WhatsApp Plus, Android users must tap the three-dot button at the top right of their WhatsApp home screen, then select “Settings,” then “Subscriptions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On iPhone, the Subscription section is also available under the settings page, which can be accessed by tapping on their profile icon in the bottom-right corner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The subscription price of R28.99 is substantially lower than in the US, where WhatsApp Plus costs $2.99 (R49.33). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The screenshots below show some of the features available to WhatsApp Plus subscribers in South Africa at the time of the subscription’s launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Plethora of subscriptions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meta Platforms recently began selling consumer subscriptions to its Meta AI chatbot in late May 2026<\/a>, although these are not yet available in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first countries to get the subscription are Bolivia, Guatemala, and Singapore. The subscriptions come in two tiers \u2014 Meta One Plus and Meta One Premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more affordable Plus plan is intended for people who frequently use Meta AI to generate images and videos or require extended reasoning capabilities from the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Premium plan offers the same capabilities but with more tokens. While the Meta AI chatbot remains free, it has stricter limits on image and video generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is unclear exactly what the difference in limits is between free, Plus, and Premium, as Meta has declined to share this information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Facebook and Messenger users, the company’s Facebook Plus subscription is priced at R37.99 per month and adds five features: <\/p>\n\n\n\n