Meta Tests Instagram Plus: Paid Subscription with Advanced Features and New Story Options

Meta has launched the first tests of a new subscription service for Instagram, called Instagram Plus, marking a potential significant shift in the platform's business model. After months of speculation about premium features coming to other apps in the group, the company has confirmed the introduction of this new offering in select markets.

The service is currently being tested in countries like Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines, where users can access a range of advanced features by paying a monthly fee. In Mexico, for example, the cost is about 39 pesos (just over 2 dollars), making it relatively accessible to encourage initial adoption.

Instagram Plus offers several tools aimed at enhancing the user experience, particularly regarding stories. Among the most relevant updates is the ability to create multiple customized audiences, surpassing the limit of the single "Close Friends" list. This feature allows users to segment their audience more precisely.

Additional Details on Instagram Plus

Another distinguishing feature concerns advanced analytics: subscribers can see who has viewed a story multiple times, thus gaining more detailed insights into follower engagement. There are also practical tools such as the search within the viewer list, which avoids the need to scroll manually through hundreds of names.

The package also includes creative and control options, such as previewing stories before publishing and extending their duration from 24 to 48 hours. Users can also highlight a specific story to give it more visibility in their followers' feeds, in addition to sending animated "super hearts" to interact more expressively.

This move fits into a broader context of transformation in the digital sector. With Instagram Plus, Meta seems to be aiming to build a more stable and predictable revenue source, transforming the most active users into true subscribers.