Instagram to test paid subscriptions for popular users

Instagram is going to conduct a test with paid subscriptions. This allows followers to receive ‘exclusive images’ of popular users for a fee. When the testing phase is over, the subscription feature will be released first in the United States.

With the subscriptions, fans of influencers can get monthly access to exclusive Stories, live streams and badges, writes Instagram in a blog post. Starting this week, the service will be tested on a small scale by ten popular American Instagram users. The platform wants to approach more influencers in the coming months to test the subscription function.

After the test phase, the feature will be available first in the US. According to TechCrunch users can determine the amount of their subscription themselves. The amount can vary between 1 dollar and 100 dollars per month. That is converted between 88 cents and 88 euros. It is not yet known when the subscription function will be rolled out in the Benelux.

It was already known that Instagram is working on releasing paid subscriptions. In July, reverse engineer Alessandro Peluzzi found the Exclusive Stories feature in the code of the Instagram app. Exclusive Stories are protected from normal users, but can be viewed for a fee. Instagram confirmed the feature’s existence to TechCrunch, but declined to provide more details at the time.