Snapchat Launches Paid Version With Extra Features
For a few dollars a month, you can elevate your Snap game.
- Though Kourtnee hasn't won any journalism awards yet, she's been a Netflix streaming subscriber since 2012 and knows the magic of its hidden codes.
Upgrade your Snapchat account to become a power user.
Snapchat is inviting is 330 million-plus users to try out its new features -- via subscription. On Wednesday, the social media company announced the launch of Snapchat Plus, which grants access to "a collection of exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features available in Snapchat."
The cost is $4 per month, and while the paid tier doesn't eliminate the stream of ads you see on Snap's platform, you can at least alter the Snapchat logo on your account. The subscription will only be available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but there are plans to expand the rollout of Snapchat Plus.
Per Snapchat, six features will be available at launch, including special badges and Ghost Trails on Snap Maps, which reveals where your friends have moved if they shared their location. In addition to remixing the app's icon, users can pin a Snapchat friend at the top of their chat window as a "BFF" or see who rewatched their stories. To sign up for the subscription, you'll only have to tap Snapchat Plus on your profile.
Snap has reportedly been testing out the paid tier for weeks as an offering for its "most passionate members" and to generate more revenue. The move echoes what Twitter did last year when it debuted Twitter Blue, a subscription plan that provides extra features such as the ability to undo tweets. It is unclear what other perks come with the paid option, but Snapchat encourages users to provide feedback.
