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Snapchat is testing a "Friends & Family" subscription plan
- Code within the Snapchat app suggests Snapchat is working on a new “Friends & Family Plan.”
- This is likely to be a group subscription plan that extends the benefits of the Snapchat Plus subscription to selected friends.
- The plan is expected to be available under monthly and annual subscription packages.
Snapchat is one of the more popular instant messaging apps, especially with Gen Z. The disappearing messages aren’t a con; they’re actually a feature, letting users on the platform have free-flowing conversations that automatically fade away. The app is also credited with introducing Stories, which every other platform and its dog has gone on to copy. Snapchat also has its own ChatGPT-powered My AI bot. Now, we’ve found clues that the next innovation to come to Snapchat could be a family subscription plan.
Snapchat v12.61.0.45 Beta includes strings that indicate that the service is working on a “Friends & Family Plan.”
<string name="plus_family_plan_add_friend_alert_subtitle">This will add $0 to your Friends & Family Plan. This change takes effect immediately and they will be notified.</string>
<string name="plus_family_plan_failed_add_friend">Failed to Add Friend</string>
<string name="plus_family_plan_leave_plan">Leave Plan</string>
<string name="plus_family_plan_leave_plan_subtitle">This will remove you from the Friends & Family Plan. This change takes effect immediately and the owner will be notified.</string>
<string name="plus_family_plan_me">$0 (Me)</string>
<string name="plus_family_plan_owner">$0 (Plan Owner)</string>
<string name="plus_family_plan_pick_friend">Pick a Friend</string>
<string name="plus_family_plan_remove_friend_alert_subtitle">This will remove $0 from your Friends & Family Plan. This change takes effect immediately and they will be notified.</string>
<string name="plus_have_family_plan_subtitle">Choose the Friends who share this plan.</string>
<string name="plus_have_family_plan_title">You have a Friends & Family Plan!</string>
<string name="plus_manage_family_plan">Manage Family Plan</string>
<string name="plus_on_family_plan_title">"You're on a Friends & Family Plan!"</string>
<string name="plus_subscribe_v3_annual_family_plan_title">Friends & Family Plan</string>
<string name="plus_subscribe_v3_family_plan_badge_title">You and $0 Friends</string>
<string name="plus_learn_more_about_snapchat_plus">Learn more about Snapchat+</string>According to the strings, Snapchat’s “Friends & Family Plan” will be an extension of Snapchat Plus, letting you share your subscription with others, almost like a family plan but with friends included. We can spot mentions of a “Plan Owner” in the strings and the ability to add and remove friends from your plan. We can also spot mentions of an annual plan, indicating that you could pay for the entire year (and presumably get a discounted rate).
While we could not locate information regarding the exact pricing, we presume that it will be higher than the individual plan but cheaper than family members and friends buying the subscription individually. It’s also not immediately clear what the maximum number of participants in a single Friends & Family plan would be. Further, it remains to be seen which benefits will be shared between the participants.
In the US, individual subscribers can buy Snapchat Plus for $3.99 monthly. Alternatively, you can get it for $21.99 for six months and $39.99 for a year. Pricing for Snapchat Plus varies across regions.
Snapchat Plus offers features like pinning your best friend to the top of your contact list, letting you know who rewatched your stories, priority story replies on Community Stories, a free restore on Snapstreaks, and even custom icons.
Snapchat does let you gift 12 months of Snapchat Plus to friends that aren’t subscribed. However, gifts are a one-time purchase and not a recurring subscription, while the strings indicate that the Friends & Family Plan could be more like a traditional group subscription.
We’ve contacted Snapchat for more information about the Friends & Family Plan. We’ll update the article when we hear back from them.