Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp to trial premium subscriptions

Technology giant Meta is set to trial premium subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp users in the coming months in its latest experiment with paid services.The new offerings would give access to features including expanded artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.Under the plan, access to the platforms' core services would remain free to use.The firm also plans to test subscriptions for features, such as its Vibes video generation app, which the firm says "can bring your ideas to life with new AI visual creation tools".Meta announced Vibes in September as part of the latest version of the Meta AI app.It also aims to use Manus, a Chinese-founded AI firm it agreed to buy in December for a reported $2bn (£1.46bn), in its subscription plans, according to TechCrunch, which first reported the story.The company will also continue to offer standalone Manus subscriptions to businesses.At the time, Meta said the deal would help improve its own AI by giving people access to "agents" - tools which can do complex things with minimal user interaction such as planning trips or making presentations."Manus's exceptional talent will join Meta's team to deliver general-purpose agents across our consumer and business products, including Meta AI," it said in a blog post.Based in Singapore after relocating from China, Manus has sought to set itself apart from rival AI developers with what it claims can be a "truly autonomous" agent.Unlike many chatbots which need to be repeatedly asked for things before a user can get their desired response, Manus says its service can plan, execute and complete tasks independently in accordance with instructions.In January, Beijing said it would investigate the Meta deal to assess whether it broke China's technology export laws or national security regulations.Last year, Facebook tested placing a limit on how many links some users can share when they post on the social media platform.Notifications seen by some users based in the UK and US said they could only share a certain number of links in Facebook posts without a subscription.The company described it as "a limited test to understand whether the ability to publish an increased volume of posts with links adds additional value" for subscribers.In 2023, Meta started to roll out a paid verification service that gives Facebook and Instagram users a blue tick for a monthly fee.