Instagram's new optional subscription plan is rolling out today, starting at $3.99 a month. Instagram Plus comes with "exclusive" features, which the social media platform says are for people who want "more control, deeper insights, and premium features."
In a blog post, Instagram announced that its Plus plan will be available globally.
The subscription plan is part of a trio of new paid offerings that include Facebook Plus and WhatsApp Plus. Instagram's Adam Mosseri posted a video saying you can sign up for it via your profile right now. He promised that the free version of the app will not change.
The plan gives you 11 new features. Here's what they are and how they work:
Sharing
For sharing, Plus gives your stories a higher priority to your friends. It also adds "Super Hearts," which are vibrant, animated hearts to cheer on your friends' stories.
You can make different Story audiences, meaning that you can share specific stories with specific groups of people. This is in addition to lists like the "close friends" tag that already exists.
Finally, you can extend your stories to last 48 hours and not just 24.
Insights
For those who care about the data, Plus gives you some very specific analytics. You can preview Stories without the need to react. You'll also be able to see how many times your stories were rewatched.
And if you need to, you can search through the list of people who viewed your stories.
Customization
With Plus, you can get a custom app icon from a curated selection designed by Instagram and some Instagram creators. Plus lets you customize the font in your profile bio.
On your profile, you can pin up to six posts, double the current amount for free accounts. Finally, you can post directly to your profile or highlights without them appearing in your friends' feeds if that's something you want.
Instagram says that all of these features are available at launch and promises that more features will come to Plus in the coming months.
Will you sign up for Instagram Plus? Let us know in the comments.
