Official announcement! WeChat paid subscriptions are here, up to 208 yuan for a single article

I should have published an article on the future of knowledge payment a long time ago, this is not January 15, WeChat team announced that the WeChat public number platform is carrying out gray-scale testing of the paid function. This also accidentally, after several years of rumors, WeChat public number of paid subscription is really coming.

According to WeChat, subscription numbers that have been registered for more than 3 months, have no serious violations in the last 3 months, and have published at least 3 original articles can open the paid function. Moreover, the paid content of the subscription number supports the purchase of iOS and Android users - iOS users pay through Apple IAP, and Android users pay through WeChat Pay.

WeChat also explained its initial intention of launching this feature while announcing the news, officially stating that good content creators, deserve better benefits, and the WeChat platform endeavors to provide quality content creators with more capabilities, so that those who create value can reflect their value.

In addition, the WeChat team has answered the details of the subscription number's ability to pay:

1. What content can be set up for payment?

Subscription numbers that have been registered for more than 3 months, have not had any serious violations in the last 3 months, and have published at least 3 original articles can open the paid feature. Currently, the paid function is being tested in gray scale, and subscription numbers that meet the above opening conditions will have the chance to be grayed out.

After successfully opening a paid subscription, the operator can set a fee for some or all of the original articles, and users need to purchase the content to read it. After purchase, users can enter "My Paid Content" through "..." in the upper right corner of the list of subscription numbers, to view the subscription numbers they have paid for and the corresponding paid content.

2. How is the price of paid articles regulated?

Currently, operators can choose the appropriate pricing from 35 price slots between $1 and $208, and operators' customized pricing is not supported for the time being.

3. How do I set the percentage of paid reading?

Operators can select "Paid Graphic" in the "Graphic Type" at the bottom of the editor in the background of the public number, and set the percentage of articles that can be read on a trial basis according to the guidelines, as well as the purchase price.

4. Which accounts are currently eligible for the gray test?

Currently, the paid feature is only grayed out for some eligible individual subscription numbers, and applications are not open for the time being. The ability will be available for more accounts in the future, so stay tuned.

5. Are purchases supported on both iOS and Android?

The paid content of the subscription number supports iOS and Android users to purchase. iOS users pay through Apple IAP, while Android users pay through WeChat Pay.

6. Does the income go entirely to the operator?Does the platform take a cut?

According to the terms and conditions of Apple Developer Program, WeChat will settle with Apple first, and the rest of the payment will be provided to the operator in line with Apple's settlement cycle. For the time being, no channel costs are incurred on the Android side, and the payments are settled to the operator every month. The platform will not take any commission during the gray-scale period.

7. Can paid-to-read articles be deleted?

Operators can delete paid reading articles by themselves. If the article violates the Code of Practice for WeChat Public Platform, the platform will impose relevant penalties according to the regulations.

Paying for an article is the user's trust in the subscription number. The WeChat platform suggests operators to strictly check the quality of paid reading articles and be responsible for users. If the operator deletes the article on his own, resulting in user complaints or disputes, the platform will impose relevant penalties depending on the situation.

8. Can I still use the Appreciation function after setting the article as paid?

Paid articles do not support the use of the appreciation function for the time being.

9. Can media and government and corporate accounts be opened for pay-per-read?

Temporarily unsupported during grayscale.

10. Can users forward articles they have paid for to their friends?

Paid articles can only be viewed by paid subscribers; all other users will need to purchase the article to read it, regardless of how they got it.

11. Are there options such as annual/monthly subscriptions?

The ability to pay to read is currently only available for single articles.