Back in June last year, WhatsApp had announced its intention to release, among other things, channel subscriptions. The idea is to allow users to support their favourite channels for a monthly fee, and maybe get exclusive content in return. More recently, it looks like the Meta subsidiary has begun testing the feature in earnest.
This comes via WABetaInfo, which has seen the feature in action in the Android 2.26.14.4 beta update. As part of this update, users can see the number of subscribers that a channel has. Per the shared screenshot under the channel name, potential visitors to the channel can see its follower numbers, as well as subscribers.
Per the report, paying subscribers will filter free content from the premium ones within the channel. Channel owners will be able to configure subscription prices from the the channel info screen. That being said, the report claims that “anyone will be able to see the number of subscribers” for channels offering premium subscriptions. This implies that the channel owner cannot hide the number, in the name of transparency.
As WhatsApp previously announced, these subscriber-exclusive updates will have a diamond-shaped icon marking them. They will also be subject to moderation to avoid the spread of harmful content. Naturally, it’s also optional, so channels don’t have to set up paid subscriptions if they don’t want to.
All that being said, the feature to let visitors see the number of subscribers a channel has is still being refined. With that in mind, there’s no indication as to when it will be released just yet.
(Source: WABetaInfo)
