Meta to launch monthly subscription service priced at US$11.99

Meta Platforms on Sunday (Feb 19) announced that it is testing a monthly subscription service, called Meta Verified, which will let users verify their accounts using a government ID and get a blue badge, as it looks to help content creators grow and build communities.

The subscription bundle for Instagram and Facebook, to be launched later this week, also includes extra protection against impersonation and will be priced starting at US$11.99 per month on the web or US$14.99 a month on Apple's iOS system and Android.

Meta Verified will be rolled out in Australia and New Zealand this week, with gradual launches in other countries to follow.

Meta's foray into subscription services follows Twitter, which announced last month that Twitter Blue will be priced at US$11 per month.

Other social media apps, like Snap Inc's Snapchat and messaging app Telegram launched paid subscription services last year, as a new source of revenue.

Facebook Meta

At its Big Connect event, Facebook Meta unveiled a number of new developments that it has been hoarding for some time. The eagerly awaited Quest Pro headset for working professionals made its premiere. The business also disclosed a number of new alliances with digital giants like Microsoft, Adobe, Zoom, and others, as well as its entry into the AR, VR, and metaverse domains to provide services to both private individuals and businesses.

1. Meta Quest Pro Has Arrived

In recent years, Facebook Meta has revealed a few facts regarding our upcoming VR gadget, Project Cambria. They’ve dropped the codename and replaced it with Meta Quest Pro. This high-end headset will be on sale on October 25 for $1,499.99 USD. Meta Quest Pro can be pre-ordered at meta.com.

The Meta Quest Pro is the first in a new line of powerful headsets designed to broaden the capabilities of virtual and mixed reality in the metaverse. Its pancake lenses bend light over many times, lowering headset size while providing crisper views. A redesigned, curved battery on the rear contributes to Meta Quest Pro being a more balanced and ergonomic headset in general.

High-resolution outward-facing cameras capture 4X the pixels of Meta Quest 2, making Meta Quest Pro the company’s first full-color mixed-reality gadget. Consider the potential of the physical and digital worlds can connect without you craning your neck to gaze down at your phone.

It’s also the first headset with inward-facing sensors for capturing authentic facial expressions and eye tracking. Raising a brow, smiling, or simply making eye contact with someone will cause your avatar to do the same. All of this contributes to increased social presence, the sense that you are right there with someone, no matter where you are in the globe.

2. Microsoft Games

The launch of Microsoft games by Facebook Meta was one of the most intriguing aspects of the Big Connect Event in 2022. Microsoft previously announced that its Xbox Cloud Gaming service will be accessible shortly on Meta’s Oculus Quest 2. This means that customers will be able to attach an Xbox controller and use it to connect to the VR world to play their cloud gaming titles on the massive, virtual screens while sitting at home.

3. Meta Horizon World

When Meta Quest 2 first came out two years ago, most people spent their time in VR alone. The majority of time is now spent on multiplayer and social apps.

Now, Facebook Meta has announced the development of Meta Horizon Worlds in the web’s metaverse segment, so you can ultimately pick up your phone or laptop and visit pals who are hanging out in VR, and vice versa. We also revealed new social ideas we’re developing with the YouTube VR team. If you’re in Meta Horizon Home with pals, you’ll soon be able to view YouTube videos together.

Facebook Meta revealed their new generation of Meta Avatars for the metaverse, which will be more expressive and detailed as well as full-body avatars in VR, which will begin in Meta Horizon Worlds. Aside from VR, the Facebook Meta is introducing avatars to video chat, beginning with Messenger and WhatsApp, to allow you to express yourself and react without turning on your camera.

4. XR Start-up Program in India

The Facebook Meta is launching their XR Start-up Program to assist improve India’s extended reality ecosystem and provide the groundwork for the metaverse. This programme will help develop the country’s environment for emerging technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

According to a recent Facebook Meta Analysis Group report, the metaverse is expected to add $240 billion or 4.6% to India’s GDP by 2031, potentially altering existing economic factors such as employment possibilities, specialised sectors, infrastructure, and more.

The Facebook Meta’s XR Programs and Research Fund, a two-year $50 million investment in programmes and external research with corporate partners, human rights groups, governments, nonprofits, and academic institutions, is supporting the XR Startup Program.