It's currently available to a very limited number of users, but will expand in the future. Back in early March, it emerged that WhatsApp would be launching...
You still get all the same free stuff.
They’re charging for some new additional features.
This is standard enshittification.
Introduce a new premium tier, with “cool shit”, whatever that might be. Free tier still allows you to do all the stuff you did before.
Wait a period of time, about 6 to 12 months usually, to get the users used to the fact that the free tier is still the same as usual. Tinker with the premium tier a little to make it sound like awesome shit is happening there and everyone should get on it.
Degrade the free tier, usually by adding “sponsored content” i.e. ads, or dropping features so that genuinely useful stuff only becomes available in premium tier. Pitch this as “maintaining quality for our increasing user base” or some bullshit.
Ratchet up pricing for the premium tier, reduce/enshittify features in the free tier.
Repeat from step 3 until your userbase migrates to the Next Hot Thing and your product sinks into irrelevancy.
You still get all the same free stuff.
They’re charging for some new additional features.
Did you read the article?
This is standard enshittification.
Introduce a new premium tier, with “cool shit”, whatever that might be. Free tier still allows you to do all the stuff you did before.
Wait a period of time, about 6 to 12 months usually, to get the users used to the fact that the free tier is still the same as usual. Tinker with the premium tier a little to make it sound like awesome shit is happening there and everyone should get on it.
Degrade the free tier, usually by adding “sponsored content” i.e. ads, or dropping features so that genuinely useful stuff only becomes available in premium tier. Pitch this as “maintaining quality for our increasing user base” or some bullshit.
Ratchet up pricing for the premium tier, reduce/enshittify features in the free tier.
Repeat from step 3 until your userbase migrates to the Next Hot Thing and your product sinks into irrelevancy.
Exactly.
Step 3 is where you have cause to get upset, and complain. Not there yet.