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WhatsApp Now Free ($1 Annual Fee Being Dropped)

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WhatsApp Now Free ($1 Annual Fee Being Dropped)
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bonky on 18/01/2016 - 23:06 engadget.com (2268 clicks)
Last edited 18/01/2016 - 23:21 by 1 other user

Over the next few weeks, the popular chat app will become totally free.

WhatsApp, the $19 billion dollar messaging service is dropping its $1 annual fee. Founder Jan Koum revealed the news on stage at this year's DLD conference, explaining that the buck-a-year charge might not sound like much, but still prevents many people from using the service

Previously WhatsApp was free for the first year, then $0.99/year thereafter: "For all phone types, WhatsApp is free to download and try for the first year. After a year, you have the option of extending your subscription for $0.99 USD per year."

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closed Comments

    • bonky on 18/01/2016 - 23:09
      +102

      its like you picked up the phone without it ringing JV

  • eug on 18/01/2016 - 23:08
    +163

    I've never actually had to pay since I first installed it a few years ago. The free-use counter keeps resetting.

    • furythree on 19/01/2016 - 00:49
      +29

      Hijacking comment to warn everyone to turn back now

      about 1000 comments saying that whatsapp has never bugged them to pay

      …because we didnt get that already from the first 2000 comments saying the same thing

      • scud70 on 19/01/2016 - 07:42
        +6

        whatsapp never bugged me to pay…. :D

        • Bluewhisky on 19/01/2016 - 13:05
          +4

          Whatsapp never bugged me to pay either!

      • blahman on 19/01/2016 - 07:51
        +2

        I just checked my whatsapp account status. Says I my subscription status will never expire. Maybe back in the days there was a free forever deal?

        • scud70 on 19/01/2016 - 10:40
          +3

          no idea … i just know i've never paid or been asked to pay for it … lol

        • Devil on 20/01/2016 - 11:03

          If you signed up in the early days before they started charging, your subscription was a lifetime one.

    • hawkers8905 on 19/01/2016 - 08:11
      +4

      This app used to be free, with no subscription. Those who downloaded it back then should always have a life time subscription.

      • Lord Ra on 19/01/2016 - 09:50
        +1

        This is true, it does apply to me, I have a lifetime subscription! Yet, I have never paid for it.

    • ss207k on 19/01/2016 - 08:38
      +5

      FB is not a charity to offer WhatsApp or FB for free. The data they get in terms of demography and usage, that's worth a fortune. Probably why they're making it free to keep us using the service.
      If in doubt, google how does FB/WhatsApp earn money :)

      BTW I use WhatsApp to too and will probably pay if I have to.

      • Sweetnsour on 19/01/2016 - 13:38

        If whatsapp charges, then there is wechat, snap chat, messenger, viber etc etc

    • amanos on 19/01/2016 - 08:39
      +2

      I've been told it's related to the region you're in. My understanding is that the free-use counter always reset for Australian users. Not the same in other countries.

      • malouphix on 19/01/2016 - 09:41
        +20

        That's why many Chinese are moving here to get Free WhatsApp.

        • ss207k on 19/01/2016 - 11:34
          +1

          haha - gold!

      • [Deactivated] on 20/01/2016 - 12:20

        I uninstalled it because it used to bug me all the time to pay. Might be worth another try now.

    • exa on 19/01/2016 - 15:33
      +1

      You are the product https://blog.whatsapp.com/245/Why-we-dont-sell-ads?l=en&set=…

  • Twinkletoes Terry on 18/01/2016 - 23:09
    +32

    Its always been free

    • bonky on 18/01/2016 - 23:10
      +6

      Well.. this is TOTALLY free now

  • Turd on 18/01/2016 - 23:10
    +8

    Just like mIRC, it's free. What's mIRC you may ask.

    • Seisei on 18/01/2016 - 23:15
      +70

      Multiplayer notepad.

      • thirdwill on 19/01/2016 - 12:32
        +1

        clap clap clap

    • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2016 - 23:43
      +2

      Neh. ICQ, and MSN.

      [Deactivated] on 18/01/2016 - 23:43 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
      • eug on 18/01/2016 - 23:46
        +4

        You should tell all your friends on Friendster about it.

      • easternculture on 18/01/2016 - 23:48
        +5

        ICQ

        used to use ICQ to send free sms messages to vodafone numbers 10 years ago

        • MaccDogg on 18/01/2016 - 23:55
          +5

          And blueskyfrog!

        • illumination on 18/01/2016 - 23:57
          +1

          Haha I remember that! I did that too. Was awesome.
          Actually if anyone still needs a website like this now, there's still freesmsmate.com.au (I think they do overseas too), yakedi.com (limited to 3/day I believe), smspup.com and smsfun.com.au.

        • bonky on 18/01/2016 - 23:59
          +2

          @illumination:

          http://smspup.com/

        • easternculture on 19/01/2016 - 00:04
          +1

          @illumination:

          Haha I remember that! I did that too. Was awesome.

          SMS used to be 25 cents and i used to send a few dozen texts per day. Saves me a few hundred per month

          Would have been a front page deal is ozbargain existed 10 years ago

        • j03 on 19/01/2016 - 00:17
          +7

          @EC

          then you discovered Ozbargain Amaysim referal system, now all your sms's and phone calls are free?

        • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2016 - 00:28

          @easternculture:

          Phone calls costing $1.x-$2.x per minute (not the BS cap rate)… and Voda-Voda 8pm-8am first 30 mins (or 20?) for free…

          And make sure you don't fall asleep on the phone… or the bill will add up…

        • easternculture on 19/01/2016 - 00:45
          +2

          @googleyahoo69:

          Phone calls costing $1.x-$2.x per minute (not the BS cap rate)… and Voda-Voda 8pm-8am first 30 mins (or 20?) for free…

          i used to be on the optus free first 10 minutes from 8pm to 6am or something

          Call for 10 minutes, hang up and call back again. Then kick myself if i went over the 10 min cap because it would charge me 45 cents per 30 sec with 25 cents flagfall

          oh those days ….

        • tim_geo on 19/01/2016 - 02:22
          +1

          @easternculture:

          Still have the $10 Samsung phone that can be configured to hang up after 9:50

      • bonky on 18/01/2016 - 23:52

        MSN has been dead for years!

        • Forfiet on 19/01/2016 - 01:44
          +2

          except in China I think…..

        • Agret on 19/01/2016 - 02:41
          +1

          @Forfiet: if you edit the version in hex editor to 99.99 then the client will let you login still but all my contacts are always offline :(

        • Forfiet on 19/01/2016 - 05:38

          @Agret: cool, dont use my old email anymore tho….

      • rendo on 19/01/2016 - 00:09
        +3

        "Uh oh"

    • shadowarrior on 19/01/2016 - 00:36

      My username in DalNet expired more often due to not using it regularly…than my IRC client expiring…even after that nice little pop up message by Mr Khaled.

    • douglasb on 19/01/2016 - 01:21
      +14

      It's IRC, not mIRC. IRC = "Internet Relay Chat". mIRC is one particular bit of software that you can (could) use to connect to IRC from Microsoft Windows.

      Still gobsmacked at the number of people who think 'mIRC' is the name of the medium!

      • skysky on 19/01/2016 - 06:29

        +1

        I think the same thing every time I see/hear someone refer to IRC as mIRC

        • Raq on 19/01/2016 - 06:50
          +5

          Brings back memories of Bot Wars to get the @ and reign over the channel.

    • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2016 - 07:02
      +3

      is that you QuizBot?

    • exa on 19/01/2016 - 10:02
      +1

      Better get Telegram

    • imcold on 19/01/2016 - 11:45
      +3

      Umm mirc is not free it is 30 day free trial. About 5 years ago I hit my 900th day trial. Still have it on trial..

  • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2016 - 23:11
    +5

    Well, if this is a deal then I'm Malcolm Turnbull.

    • bonky on 18/01/2016 - 23:12

      you can always change your name by Dee-poll

      • douglasb on 19/01/2016 - 01:26
        +13

        "deed poll" - a defunct (since 1 November 1986) mechanism for formally changing one's legal name.

        No longer used in Australia. Now you apply for a "Change of Name Certificate" with the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (with the usual array of paperwork and fees and (presumably) red tape) and, if it's approved, you then get said certificate and get to take it around to everyone you have some sort of account or license with to have them change their records.

  • ironworthy on 18/01/2016 - 23:12
    +5

    I've never had to pay for this

  • easternculture on 18/01/2016 - 23:13
    +3

    Never paid for the service and never will

    BTW this is an announcement and belongs in the forums

    • Jesmond on 19/01/2016 - 07:56
      +1

      Never say never.

  • blahman on 18/01/2016 - 23:13
    +3

    Since when was there a cost to Whatsapp?

    • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2016 - 23:13
      +2

      Since it began.

      • blahman on 18/01/2016 - 23:20
        +2

        I've had it for years now and I wasn't even aware there was a counter or anything and assumed free. I've been using my current phone for 2.5years now too.

    • easternculture on 18/01/2016 - 23:14
      +2

      was not aware there was

      ive always used it for free

    • SydStrand on 18/01/2016 - 23:37

      I've used it for years but every now and then, they'd nag me to pay a buck.

  • demere on 18/01/2016 - 23:18
    +1

    it has always been free since i started using it few years back…

  • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2016 - 23:23
    -2

    Always been free. Not a deal.

  • bonky on 18/01/2016 - 23:25
    +2

    https://www.whatsapp.com/faq/en/general/23014681

    What are WhatsApp's subscription fees?
    We want WhatsApp to be about communication with your friends and family, so we don't bother you with ads. Read more about our stance on advertisements here. We do have small subscription fees, however. Please note that WhatsApp will never automatically charge you for your subscription.

    For all phone types, WhatsApp is free to download and try for the first year. After a year, you have the option of extending your subscription for $0.99 USD per year.

    Subscriptions are cumulative. When you pay for an additional year of service, it is added to your current subscription or free year-long trial. There is no difference between the free and paid versions of WhatsApp other than the length of service.

  • mit on 18/01/2016 - 23:27
    +6

    let us continue to repeat ourselves in an orderly fashion as an ozbargain collective so others may see the real goal here and continue this short lived tradition

  • OldSchoolHarry on 18/01/2016 - 23:30
    +2

    Like many other users here, I've never had to pay anything for it.

  • Lancerx on 18/01/2016 - 23:30

    cant believe there are cheapskates in the world who won't even pay $1 to use such excellent app..

    • bonky on 18/01/2016 - 23:31
      +37

      someone take Droid11's ozbargain licence…. I'll hold him down!

      • ChillBro on 18/01/2016 - 23:46
        +20

        I feel a bit sick knowing I breathe the same air as him.

        • anonymous01 on 19/01/2016 - 00:15
          +13

          @ChillBro Chill Bro

      • anonymous01 on 19/01/2016 - 00:21
        +2

        @bonky Don't be silly, there is no such thing as a ozbargain license. License costs money.

        • bonky on 19/01/2016 - 00:30

          come in spinner!

      • Lancerx on 19/01/2016 - 16:06
        +2

        It's 1 dollar over a year, not per month FFS. Honestly Google reward would have given me far more credit to cover for that…

        I know a bargain when I see one, but not when it's a saving of FREAKING 1 DOLLAR OVER A YEAR!

        • Lancerx on 19/01/2016 - 19:30

          I might also add, we can't always just take, gotta give back sometimes. It's what makes the world goes around. Appreciate the savings when you get one, but give back when it's due..To me, that's the true virtue of an Ozbargainer. Just like don't just leech for BT, seeding is what keeping BT running..

        • [Deactivated] on 20/01/2016 - 00:06

          @Droid11

          Trust me, buddy. I konw someone who has stopped using whatsapp because they were gonna charge him $1.

    • Geewhizz on 19/01/2016 - 06:43
      +2

      cant believe there are cheapskates in the world who won't even pay $1 to use such excellent app..

      It's not about being cheapskates. In theory, you're supposed to be able to use the app for a year, then it asks for a 99cent payment. In reality it updates periodically, and what seems to happen is that the year then begins again, so for most people it never actually asks for that payment for them to be able to do so.

    • spaij on 19/01/2016 - 07:28

      There are many excellent chatting apps, most do not charge anything, except of you want certain extra emotions…

      • zond on 19/01/2016 - 08:59
        +1

        You meant 'emoticons'…

        • spaij on 19/01/2016 - 09:27

          Yes! I suspect no one will sell extra emotions…

    • TrendyTim on 19/01/2016 - 09:20

      I never even bothered to try it cause why pay anything (wasn't aware it was apparently technically free for some anyway) for something when when skype, facebook and iMessage do the same thing for free.

      The announcement made me have a look again but lack of non phone device support makes whatsapp virtually useless to me (skype and facebook have o such limitations), so its still not even worth free in my book.

      • eug on 19/01/2016 - 11:11
        -1

        but lack of non phone device support makes whatsapp virtually useless to me

        It's the reverse for me - the phone number-based signup makes it very easy for everyone to sign up, which makes it more useful as everyone is on it, including people I don't want to add as friends on facebook or Skype.

        • TrendyTim on 23/01/2016 - 10:52

          And if you live on your phone thats fine, but when your at a PC for 8+ hours a day, why would you want to have to message on your phone instead of on a desktop. They could at least have it so once you setup an account on your phone, you can use it on desktop, but no they don't support it, which is stupid. Skype may be rubbish but its still the best truly universal messaging service.

          I agree FB Messenger is has the FB friend limitation, i'm very selective about people i add to FB.

        • eug on 23/01/2016 - 11:41

          @TrendyTim: WhatsApp was not designed for people to use on their PC - it was designed to be a phone-to-phone app that's really easy to set up. It definitely succeeded at that. It probably wouldn't be anywhere as popular if a traditional computer-type signup was required.

          They could at least have it so once you setup an account on your phone, you can use it on desktop, but no they don't support it, which is stupid.

          https://web.whatsapp.com/

        • TrendyTim on 26/01/2016 - 11:35

          @eug:

          That must be newish, even so still a shitty experience, there are some apps that really benefit from a full blown app instead of a website based approach, chat is one of them, but i suppose that at least puts them on par with facebook messaging and you have to use your phone to login that is gimmiky but i prefer the old fashioned way.

          Would it kill them to make a mac and windows version ?

        • eug on 26/01/2016 - 13:14

          @TrendyTim:

          WhatsApp Web was launched in January last year.

          WhatsApp obviously isn't suited for you, so just delete it and enjoy whatever else works for you. Keep in mind that different people have different requirements and needs - not everything has to be created to suit your needs specifically. And looking at the popularity of WhatsApp along with its US$19 billion sale, clearly a lot of other people have different requirements to you.

          you have to use your phone to login that is gimmiky but i prefer the old fashioned way.

          The very easy, low-friction phone login method that doesn't require any personal information is very likely the reason why WhatsApp is so successful. No need to remember passwords, no need to enter in your name, even.

          I'm sure they could create a desktop app, but seeing as they're already so successful, it's probably not a priority.

          Official stats shows that 44% of Facebook's active user base (Jul 2015) access FB only via mobile - up from ~18% in Q2 2013. That's a lot of people who don't care about a desktop app at all.

    • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2016 - 09:39
      +1

      Hardly an excellent app. It's been prone to security flaws. One of which was the infamous MITM due to the lack of SSL.

      Poor design, and poor implementation. Yet people still paid for it… Hilarious!

      • Dr Techno on 19/01/2016 - 10:04

        Yep, I've uninstalled it a long time ago due to security concerns..

      • eug on 19/01/2016 - 11:11

        Poor design, and poor implementation. Yet people still paid for it… Hilarious!

        …because no other paid software has ever had security flaws, right?

  • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2016 - 23:32
    +13

    Now free because they are recording & selling the contents of the messages / calls to advertisers!

    • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2016 - 23:37
      +2

      More like to the NSA…

      • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2016 - 08:08

        Good one…

    • cycleri3 on 19/01/2016 - 00:12
      +5

      Hey have been owned by Facebook for a while now so this was a given anyway,

    • Charity on 19/01/2016 - 14:02

      the zombies know, yet still keep using it

  • Needles on 18/01/2016 - 23:37
    +1

    hoestly it doesn't bother me Cz I use wechat which is far more better

    • anonymous01 on 19/01/2016 - 00:18
      +2

      wechat is Chinese. Their government is hacking every thing that can be hacked. They probably have full direct access to everything that happens on wechat. If you think your chat is private and secure, think again. They are probably on the par with NSA, if not worse.

      • belongsinforums on 19/01/2016 - 01:09
        +9

        Yea..China is the only government monitoring world citizens

        • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2016 - 09:08

          You're comparing one of the world's "champion" of freedom (whether you agree or not), vs a country where one party rules and opposition is not tolerated. Human rights? …Well, hey now look at our neighbour North Korea… See! We can't be thaaat bad! We are doing well!

          FYI China has a "citizen score" that affects their peoples everyday lives -credit ratings, job opportunities, social memberships etc. Now don't tell me that the US is as bad as this.

          http://www.computerworld.com/article/2990203/security/aclu-o…

        • belongsinforums on 19/01/2016 - 09:59
          -3

          @OZBargain Police: never heard of it.the American website claims that it will be in effect in 2020. Despite what you may have read, my personal experience living in China showed me that many Chinese people live a very similar life to modern western society. But do believe everything you read without hearing every side of the story, you'll go far.

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