<p>By AppleInsider Staff Popular cross-platform messaging app WhatsApp is planning to eschew its current one-time purchase fee for iOS users, and move to a subscription model akin to how the title is distributed on other platforms like Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone.In an interview on Monday, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum said the subscription model will be applicable to new users, who would be able to download and use the app free for one year before being subject to an annual fee, reports TechCrunch. No decision has been made regarding pricing, but the structure will likely follow the company's other apps, which carry a recurring cost of $1 per year.</p><p>Currently, iOS users are required to make a one-time payment of $0.99 for access to the app's ad-free services. Existing users are expected to be grandfathered in to the new pricing structure when the change takes place sometime this year.</p><p>Koum, who revealed the upcoming change to Dutch journalist Alexander Klopping, was unclear on when the pricing switch would occur, saying, Were relaxed on dates, but definitely this year. Its on the road map."</p><p>With the rise of smartphones and data-based messaging, WhatsApp has become enormously popular and transmits 17 billion messages a day. The publication noted that there are over 100 million account holders using Android devices alone.</p><p><a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/03/19/messaging-app-whatsapp-for-ios-to-become-subscription-based-by-years-end">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/17/messaging-service-whatsapp-to-extend-subscription-model-to-ios-this-year-but-dont-hold-your-breath-for-a-desktop-app/">Messaging Service WhatsApp To Extend Subscription Model To iOS This Year ...</a> (TechCrunch)</p><p><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/18/4121940/whatsapp-for-ios-moving-to-subscription-model-this-year">WhatsApp for iOS moving to a subscription model this year, says CEO</a> (The Verge)</p><p><a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/whatsapp-preps-for-change-to-subscription-model-on-ios">WhatsApp preps for change to subscription model on iOS</a> (Examiner.com)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=diUh5gZnADbBkOMsDt7X2uAAbSh0M&ned=us">33 additional articles.</a></p>