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WhatsApp to drop subscription fees, no plans to launch ads

Published 2016-01-18, 07:06 a/m
© Reuters. WhatsApp to drop subscription fees, no plans to launch ads
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Jan 18 (Reuters) - Mobile messaging service WhatsApp, owned
by Facebook Inc FB.O , said it will no longer charge annual
subscription fees and plans to test tools to allow users to
communicate directly with businesses and organizations via the
app.
WhatsApp, which has 900 million users worldwide and works
across different types of phones, said it does not plan to
launch third-party advertising to generate revenue.
It only charges an annual subscription fee of 99 U.S. cents
or the equivalent, which is waived for the first year, and said
it would end its subscription fees over the next several weeks.
It will test tools that allow users to communicate with
businesses and organizations on WhatsApp, rather than through
text messages and phone calls.
"That could mean communicating with your bank about whether
a recent transaction was fraudulent, or with an airline about a
delayed flight," WhatsApp said on its blog on Monday.
WhatsApp was one of the first apps to let people send and
receive text messages on smartphones, bypassing network charges,
making it increasingly popular among younger users. It is facing
growing competition from messaging app services offered by
Google GOOGL.O among others.

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