Will we have to pay to use WhatsApp?
Following Meta’s decision to start charging for gimmicks such as verifying Facebook accounts and “increased visibility” (whatever that means), it occurs to me that their biggest cash cow might be WhatsApp. A quick Google search tells me it has more than 2 billion users. Charge them all £1.99 a month to use it and you’ve suddenly made a lot of money.
There are no adverts in WhatsApp – or if there are, I’ve never seen them. So it makes me wonder how Meta even makes money from it. I use it every day to organise club events, stay in touch with family and gossip with neighbours. I’m grateful that it’s still free, but if push came to shove I’d probably accept having to pay for it – not that I want to give Meta any ideas!
Sharon Biggs
We think Matthew (see Star Letter) and Sharon are right: as their advertising revenue dwindles, the tech giants will start to charge for more ‘premium’ features – one of which will
