Meta Announced Subscription for Using Facebook and Instagram
This historic decision was announced by Meta, the company that manages both social networks as well as WhatsApp, which unveiled new plans of €9.99/month on the web or €12.99/month on iOS and Android.
Meta's Announcement
A real revolution, much discussed and feared in the past but never implemented, is now close to coming. Meta, in fact, has made it known that a paid version of Facebook and Instagram will soon land in Europe, with the offer to registered users to be able to activate a monthly subscription to use the two social networks without advertising.
"To comply with evolving European regulations, we are introducing a new subscription option in the EU, EEA and Switzerland. In November, we will be offering people who use Facebook or Instagram and reside in these regions the choice to continue using these personalised services for free with ads, or subscribe to stop seeing ads. While people are subscribed, their information will not be used for ads."
"People in these countries will be able to subscribe for a fee to use our products without ads."- Meta wrote.
"We are committed to keeping people's information private and secure, in accordance with our regulations and the EU Data Protection Regulation," said the American giant, which moved with the paid option after several protests over too many personalized advertisements for which many feared the leak of personal data.
And Meta, which had already followed Twitter on the blue ticks, has decided to revolutionize its social offer after various unfavorable rulings and after the introduction of new EU regulations on the processing of user data. A squeeze so remarkable that Big Tech is reformulating its business plans
How much will Instagram and Facebook cost
From this month, Meta started offering users in Europe the option to pay a monthly subscription to use the two social networks without ads.
The monthly subscription plans for users in the EU, European Economic Area and Switzerland, will cost € 9.99 ($10.58) for web users, while iOS and Android users will have to shell out €12.99 a month. The difference is to account for the fees taken by Apple and Google for payments on its platforms, Meta said – a move that follows a similar price difference for Twitter’s premium offering.
No matter where you make your purchase, your subscription will still be valid for all Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to your Accounts Center.
Furthermore, Until March 1, 2024, your initial subscription will be valid for all accounts linked to your Account Center. From that date on, however, an additional cost of €6 per month will apply for each additional account entered in the user's Account Center for subscriptions taken out on the web, and €8 per month for those activated on iOS and Android.
Will there still be a free social network?
Once Facebook said, "Facebook is free and it will be forever", What about this statement?
For all users who are trembling and think they have to delete their accounts because they do not intend to pay the subscription to the platforms, there is a reassurance: both Facebook and Instagram will still have their free versions but with ads in the feeds.
"We strongly believe in a free ad-supported internet and will continue to offer free access to our products and services regardless of different budgets," Meta said, noting that the free versions will be with advertising. In short, a bit like Spotify or Netflix, which recently changed its subscription plans.
Meta was fined a historic penalty of $1.3 billion (€1.2 billion) from European Union authorities for its improper management of user data. The company was also directed to cease data transmission from EU users to the United States.
The substantial fine was imposed by the Data Protection Commission of Ireland, the primary regulatory body overseeing Facebook throughout the EU. The decision was prompted by Facebook's data transfer practices to the U.S., which were determined to fail to address threats to the "fundamental rights and freedoms" of EU users, in violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).