WhatsApp to drop subscription fees

California: Mobile messaging service WhatsApp, owned by Facebook Inc, said it will no longer charge annual subscription fees and plans to test tools to allow users to communicate directly with businesses and organizations via the app.

WhatsApp, which has 900 million users worldwide and works across different types of phones, said it does not plan to launch third-party advertising to generate revenue.

It only charges an annual subscription fee of 99 U.S. cents or the equivalent, which is waived for the first year, and said it would end its subscription fees over the next several weeks.