WhatsApp Drops Annual Fee
Jan 18, 2016, 8:00 AM by Eric M. Zeman
WhatsApp today dropped its annual subscription fee. The messaging service has been offered to new users free for the first year, but then required a nominal payment each year after that. WhatsApp says it is removing fees from all the different versions of its app around the world so that people can remain in touch with one another without worrying about fees. WhatsApp said it will not turn to ads to generate revenue. Instead, WhatsApp will "test tools that allow you to use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses and organizations that you want to hear from," including banks, airlines, and others with which consumers regularly do business. WhatsApp has nearly one billion users around the world and is owned by Facebook.