The next Instagram upgrade might not be something you unlock with an update… but with a subscription.
Meta is testing a paid Instagram subscription that could give everyday users extra Story perks, adding a new layer of paid features to one of the app’s most-used formats. TechCrunch reports that the test, called Instagram Plus, is separate from Meta Verified.
The early offering appears to focus on how people post, view, and manage Stories, hinting at a more premium version of everyday Instagram use without yet revealing the full shape of a broader rollout.
What comes with Instagram Plus
The first details make Instagram Plus look tightly centered on Stories. The subscription adds a set of tools for watching, reacting to, and managing Stories in more customized ways.
According to TechCrunch, Instagram Plus includes:
- View Stories without being seen. Subscribers can watch a Story without the poster knowing they viewed it.
- See rewatch counts. Users can check how many times people have watched their own Stories.
- Create more audience lists. Subscribers can create multiple Story groups rather than relying solely on Close Friends.
- Keep a Story up for another 24 hours. Stories can stay live for an extra day.
- Spotlight one Story each week. A selected Story can be moved closer to the front of the followers’ Story trays.
- Send Superlikes. Subscribers can react to Stories with an animated Superlike.
- Search the viewer list. Users can look for a specific name instead of scrolling through the full list of viewers.
Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines have appeared in social media reports about the test, but Meta has not officially named the countries. Screenshots shared by users show monthly prices of MX$39 in Mexico, ¥319 in Japan, and PHP 65 in the Philippines.
A new price tag for privacy, reach, and control
Paid social perks are nothing new:
- X charges for verification, editing posts, reduced ads, and longer content.
- Reddit Premium sells ad-free browsing and comment perks.
- Snapchat+ puts everyday app extras on a subscription too, including story rewatches, custom icons, priority replies, and location trails.
Meta is moving into a model users already know, but with a more personal set of perks. The features in testing are tied to the small things people notice in Stories every day: who saw what, who gets to see it, how long it stays up, and how much visibility it gets.
In short, users would be paying for more control inside the app’s social flow.
For people using Instagram for free, the rules are mostly shared. Stories expire, viewer lists are visible, and reach has limits. A paid layer begins to change that, giving some users more privacy, flexibility, and control over how they move through the app.
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