Facebook tests making you PAY for parts of Instagram in surprise update

INSTAGRAM is taking a leaf out of OnlyFans’ book by making users PAY if they want to access special content.

Influencers will be able to charge people to see some of their content with a subscription.

InstagramTen influencers are testing the new feature[/caption]

@kelseylynncook/InstagramModel Kelsey Cook reveals subscriptions to her fans[/caption]

The app has started testing the feature in the US today with a handful of creators.

Several price tiers have been unveiled, going from 99c/73p, all the way up to an eye-watering $99.99/£73.34.

In return, fans get to see stuff no one else can, with limited Instagram Lives and Stories.

They’ll also be given a purple badge by their username to show off their status to influencers.

Only ten creators have been signed up for the initial test, including basketball player Sedona Prince who will share lives with special guests, Olympic silver medallist Jordan Chiles with behind the scenes videos, and astrologer Aliza Kelly who’ll do weekly live horoscopes.

The new feature will stamp on OnlyFans’ parade – though Instagram doesn’t allow nudity.

Twitter recently made its own subscription-based idea Super Followers, as social networks look for new ways to make money.

But Instagram isn’t going to take a cut from influencer subscriptions just yet.

They will hold off “until at least 2023” to lure people on board.

Tech titan and owner Mark Zuckerberg said: “This will help creators earn more by offering benefits to their most engaged followers like access to exclusive Lives and Stories.

“I’m excited to keep building tools for creators to make a living doing creative work and to put these tools in more creators’ hands soon.”

Meta’s main beast, Facebook, launched subscriptions back in 2020.

Others testing it out first include Alan Chikin Chow, Elliott Norris, Jack Jerry, Bunny Michael, Don Allen Stevenson III, Lonnie IIV and Kelsey Cook.

Instagram said it plans to expand access to more creators “over the next few months”.

“Having subscriptions on Instagram makes building a more intimate relationship with my followers and fans possible,” said Bunny Michael.

“I am so excited to nurture those connections and make a lasting impact that will help keep my work sustainable.”

@jordanchiles/InstagramAmerican gymnast and silver Olympic medallist announces she is also on board[/caption]

InstagramInstagram Subscriptions is being tested in the US first[/caption]

In other news, personalised smart guns, which can be fired only by verified users, may finally become available to U.S. consumers this year.

Tech giant Microsoft is trying to make the world more woke by rolling out an “inclusiveness” checker in its Word software.

And a federal anti-trust case against Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has been given the go-ahead.

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