iWorld
Mumbai girls launch new premium online content channel Girliyapa
MUMBAI: A ‘bindass’ group of girls from Mumbai has created a premium online content channel Girliyapa about women that intends to create progressive content, but not only for women.
The all women team at Girliyapa aims at sharing fun, quirky stories from a woman’s perspective that will make one think beyond the clichés. The Girliyapa team of women want to say things women always ‘think of’, but never say perhaps because of their fear of being judged by society and thier peers
Announcing the launch, Girliyapa channel head Tracy Dsouza said, “Yes! We feel you. We hear you women. That’s why my gang of girls and I created ‘Girliyapa’ exclusively for you. We are going to try to make liberal content – content that tells stories and experiences about women, by women in an entertaining treatment. Come join us and explore womanhood with Girliyapa and share with us what you think! We would love to hear from you.”
Our country has progressed in so many was and in so many fields but yet women feel or are made to feel guilty for the most natural phenomenon of their life, menstruation. In an attempt to demystify the monthly ‘phenomenon’ the girls have decided to do something that has never been thought about in India by presenting the funny and quirky situations one experiences during their periods.
The first presentation by the team of girls was launched around International Women’s Day on addressing this issue through their popular #The Period Song. The song was created to celebrate menstruation and womanhood in general. The Girliyapa team took a popular party track and turned it into a ‘period’ anthem.
The lyrics and the video revolve around a teenage girl who as and when gets her first period, is transported to a surreal space called ‘The Period Club’. There, she goes through different experiences, and is offered solutions by more experienced women on how to deal with menstruation and its companions like cramps, cravings, mood swings, pimples etc. The video has a lot of laugh out loud moments, relatable insights and pop cultural references for example ‘daadi left the club but mama abhi baki hai’, ‘red wedding in my pants’, etc.
The video features celebrities and social influencers like Sandhya Mridul, Rukhsar Rehman, Pavleen Gujral, Rajshri Deshpande, Sumeet Vyas, Nidhi Singh, Naveen Kasturia, Maanvi Gagroo, Jitendra Kumar, Akanksha Thakur, Santushi Shetty, Sumukhi Suresh and other YouTubers like Rickshwali, etc.
In its second video presentation Why should Hot Girls have all the fun?, the Girliyapa team has showcased the exact opposite by showing a not so hot women confronting a guy who is staring at their hot friend and explain logically why he should look at them instead.
iWorld
WhatsApp tests ‘WhatsApp Plus’ paid subscription tier
€2.49 plan adds customisation tools, messaging and calls remain free.
MUMBAI: Your chats may soon get a glow-up at a small monthly price. WhatsApp is testing a new paid subscription tier called ‘WhatsApp Plus’, signalling a shift towards premium personalisation features while keeping its core services free. The feature is currently being rolled out to a limited set of Android beta users, with early reports from WABetaInfo indicating a price of €2.49 per month (approximately Rs 274). Meta has confirmed the test, stating that it is designed for users who want more control over how they customise and organise their app experience.
Importantly, the subscription remains optional. Core functionalities including messaging, voice calls and community features will continue to be available free of charge, ensuring that the platform’s primary use case remains unchanged.
Instead, WhatsApp Plus focuses on aesthetic and organisational upgrades. These include exclusive sticker packs, new themes, custom app icons and personalised notification tones. On the functional side, subscribers may be able to pin up to 20 chats significantly higher than the current limit of three along with access to custom chat lists and enhanced categorisation tools.
Industry observers suggest the offering is largely cosmetic. Social media consultant Matt Navarra noted that the features lean more towards visual and usability enhancements rather than altering the app’s core functionality.
While global pricing has not been finalised, the subscription is expected to remain a low-cost monthly plan, with reports indicating a possible one-month free trial for eligible users. The feature is still in beta, meaning the final set of offerings could evolve before a broader rollout. Support for iOS users is also anticipated in the coming weeks.
The move mirrors a broader trend in the social and messaging ecosystem, where platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram have introduced similar subscription layers adding premium features without placing core services behind a paywall.
For WhatsApp, the strategy appears clear, keep the conversation free, but charge for a little extra flair around it.
