Main points
- Instagram is testing a paid Plus subscription, available in the Philippines, Mexico, and Japan, with additional features for Stories.
- Subscription allows you to create multiple audiences for stories, receive detailed analytics, and extend the validity of stories by 24 hours.
/ Unsplash / Souvik Banerjee
Instagram has begun testing a new subscription format called Plus in several countries. It offers users paid features for Stories, including advanced audience settings and the ability to extend their validity.
Meta has confirmed that it is testing Instagram Plus in select regions. It has been spotted in the Philippines, Mexico, and Japan so far. The cost varies by country: around $1 in the Philippines and around $2 in Mexico and Japan. GSMarena reports.
What does the new Plus subscription offer?
Subscriptions provide access to additional features that extend the functionality of Stories . In particular, users can create multiple audiences for viewing Stories, allowing for more granular control over who sees content.
Other features include detailed analytics on re-views of stories, search by viewer list, and preview before publishing. There's also the ability to extend the life of stories for another 24 hours, effectively doubling their standard lifespan.
Additionally, users can send so-called ” super hearts ” in response to stories and highlight their own posts to make them more visible.
As Androidauthority notes, the first month of the subscription is available for free in the countries where the test is being conducted. It is not yet known whether the test will expand to other markets or whether this feature will become global. There is also no confirmation whether the current set of features will remain unchanged after the test is completed.