Snapchat's Paid Subscription Is Already A Hit - The Verge

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Snapchat’s paid subscription is already a hit

Snapchat Plus has more than a million users in six weeks

by Mia SatoClose

Mia SatoFeatures Writer, The Verge

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Aug 15, 2022, 3:00 PM UTC

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is features writer with five years of experience covering the companies that shape technology and the people who use their tools.

Snap is finding early success with its paid subscription service Snapchat Plus. The company says it has amassed 1 million paid users since launching Snapchat Plus in late June.

A Snapchat Plus subscription gives users early and exclusive access to features for $3.99 a month, including changing the app icon and seeing who rewatched your story. In July, the company rolled out Snapchat for desktop to subscribers — the first major feature for paid users.

Screen captures of the Snapchat app showing story responses from subscribers at the top of a user’s activity page

New Snapchat Plus features include increased visibility when replying to Snap Stars.

Snapchat is also introducing a new set of features today for its more than 1 million Plus subscribers. Among the updates is priority story replies, which makes Plus subscribers’ responses more visible when replying to Snap Stars (public figures and other creators with a verified Snapchat presence).

Other features are cosmetic, like special backgrounds for users’ Bitmoji characters and new app icon designs. Subscribers will also be able to add an emoji that displays to friends after they’ve viewed a Snap.

A screen capture of the Snapchat app showing two screens: one with a grid of emoji to select from, and another showing a Snap from a friend with an emoji indicator.

Snapchat Plus subscribers can add an emoji sign-off.

Snap introduced its paid tier in an effort to establish additional sources of revenue. It’s among the many companies that have been affected by changes to Apple’s privacy settings introduced last year that blew a hole in its advertising business — a key way Snap makes money.

The initial success with Plus comes at a time when Snap is signaling dissatisfaction with its performance. In addition to the hit to advertising, the company is juggling broader economic problems, slowing growth at the company, and plans to lay off employees — and the message, at least to investors, is that Snap is working on turning things around.

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