UPDATE 6/29: Snap Inc. officially launched Snapchat+ today in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The premium service costs $3.99/month and unlocks access to "a collection of exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features available in Snapchat." In order to sign-up, simply tap "Snapchat+" on your Snapchat profile (assuming you are located in one of the launch countries).
Snapchat said it will expand Snapchat+ to more countries "over time," but for now is looking for as much feedback as possible from users who sign up.
Original Story 6/17:Snap Inc. is testing a paid subscription plan that gives users early access to new and exclusive features.
First spotted by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, and confirmed in a statement to The Verge, Snapchat Plus offers access to exclusive perks like custom icons, the ability to pin conversations, and more. It will likely end up being called Snapchat+, but for now both Snapchat+ and Snapchat Plus are being used interchangeably.
"We're doing early internal testing of Snapchat Plus, a new subscription service for Snapchatters," a company spokesperson said in a statement. "We're excited about the potential to share exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features with our subscribers, and learn more about how we can best serve our community."
Details are scant, but a screenshot shared by Paluzzi tips membership prices for one month (€4.59/$4.83), six months (€24.99/$26.29), or 12 months (€45.99/$48.38). Costs are, of course, subject to change; it's entirely possible these numbers are just placeholders during Snap's trial.
Paluzzi also highlighted the ability to pin a friend as your "#1 BFF," display a badge on your profile, and see how many friends rewatch your stories. There's also a host of Snapchat icon options—from plain-colored backgrounds to country-supporting flags to neon ghost outlines.
Snap is not alone in launching a paid subscription plan. A number of social networks and messaging platforms are adding new ways to generate revenue—particularly after Apple started allowing users turn off ad tracking on an app-by-app basis. The change went into effect last year with the rollout of iOS 14.5.