this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2026
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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.

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[–] xcjs@programming.dev -1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

Honestly, if this reduces user-hostile UI changes for paid accounts, and I can get a chronological feed of just friend activity with original content, I'd pay it at this point.

(I know there is supposed to be a friends-only feed now, but it's not even close to being friends-only still.)

It's a big if, and I don't think it will be what I want, but I'm just putting it out there that I would pay if the experience is valuable enough.

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