The first features for Session Pro Beta have been selected! This initial feature set is designed to enable the release of Session Pro Beta on schedule in early Q4, together with in-app payments for Android and iOS, backed by a secure validation process that allows users to prove to the network that they have Pro, while still protecting their identity and privacy. Some features enable users to utilize additional network resources, while others introduce new limitations for regular users to create meaningful upgrade opportunities that naturally encourage Pro adoption throughout the user experience. Read on to learn more about what’s planned.
Feature 1: Higher Character Limits for Messages
Ever wished you could type longer messages on Session? Pro Beta users will be able to send messages with a significantly higher number of characters than regular users, with the exact character limits for regular and Pro users to be defined in the coming weeks. This is an ideal feature for Session Pro, as larger messages consume more bandwidth and storage when relayed and stored by Session Nodes. By gating this functionality behind Session Pro, a sustainable feedback loop is created: power users unlock these features via the in-app purchase of Session Pro, the fees are burnt, and an equivalent amount is made available for rewards to the Session Node network to help offset the increased infrastructure costs associated with higher resource usage.
Following the launch of Pro Beta, users who reach the character limit on their messages will see a call-to-action to explore Pro and consider upgrading. This is similar to other messaging apps who use character limits as an effective touchpoint to onboard users to premium offerings throughout their day-to-day user journey.
Feature 2: More Pinned Conversations
Pinning messages is a great way to keep chats on Session organised. Pro Beta users will be able to enjoy unlimited pinned conversations, ensuring they can keep all their most important chats easily accessible at the top of their conversation list. If you're someone who juggles multiple important conversations throughout the day, this feature will help you stay organized and never lose track of priority contacts.
This represents a change from Session's current approach to pinning, where all users can pin an unlimited number of conversations. However, pinned conversation limits are a common feature in premium messaging offerings across the industry. These upgrade touchpoints are essential for Session Pro Beta's success in driving meaningful contributions to the Session Network through network fees, which in turn supports node operators and network contributors who maintain Session's infrastructure. By creating compelling reasons for users to upgrade to Pro, features like pinned conversation limits help ensure Session's long-term sustainability and growth—even if they require changes to the default capabilities of regular users.
Feature 3: Higher Group Member Limits
Session Pro Beta will significantly expand group capabilities. Groups with at least one Pro administrator will be able to accommodate a significantly higher number of members than regular groups, with the exact member limits to be defined in the next few weeks. This makes Session Pro ideal for larger networks, organizations, and social groups who need secure, private communication at scale.
Larger groups represent one of the most network-intensive features, requiring substantial additional storage and bandwidth resources from the Session Network to handle increased message routing, member management, and synchronization across all participants. Like extended message lengths, this intensive functionality requires network fees to ensure sustainable operation, as Session's privacy-first approach means these costs cannot be offset through data monetization like traditional messaging platforms.
The Pro administrator requirement ensures that groups utilizing these expanded capabilities contribute appropriately to network maintenance and development through their network fee contributions.
Feature 4: Exclusive Access to Animated Profile Pictures
One of the most visually distinctive Pro features will be animated profile pictures. Pro users can set GIF or animated WebP images as their profile pictures, adding personality and flair to their Session presence. These animated avatars will display across all areas of the app - in conversation lists, message threads, group member lists, and profile screens.
Animated profile pictures offer a compelling visual upgrade that immediately distinguishes Pro users within the Session community. The ability to express personality through dynamic, eye-catching avatars creates a natural incentive for users to upgrade, as visual customization features have proven highly effective at driving premium adoption across messaging platforms.
This represents a change from Session's current system where animated profile pictures are available to all users, albeit with the ability to set them on Desktop only. With Session Pro Beta, animated profile pictures will become a Pro-exclusive feature that is available across all platforms - Android, iOS, and Desktop. Similar to pinned conversation limits, this creates an effective touchpoint for demonstrating Pro value while encouraging users to contribute network fees that support Session's infrastructure and add SESH tokens to the Staking Reward Pool.
Feature 5: Pro Badges
Pro Beta users will be able to display an optional Session Pro badge next to their display name throughout the app. This badge serves as a visual indicator of Pro status and appears in conversations, group member lists, settings screens, and anywhere else user names are displayed. The badge is enabled by default when users purchase Pro, but can be toggled off in the Session Pro settings for users who prefer to keep their Pro status private.
Like animated profile pictures, Pro badges create a visible status symbol that can effectively motivate upgrades by allowing users to showcase their support for the Session network. The social recognition aspect of badges has proven successful across many platforms as a driver of premium adoption.
Pro badges represent an entirely new feature for Session, introducing a badge system that has significant potential for future expansion. Future iterations of Session Pro could potentially include badges for various achievements while exploring the app, badges recognizing membership in specific communities, or other creative ways to utilize the badge framework to enhance user engagement and recognition within the Session ecosystem.
Pro Verification
Session Pro maintains Session's commitment to privacy through a secure cryptographic proof system. When Pro users send messages that utilize Pro features—such as messages exceeding the standard character limit, animated profile pictures, or Pro badges—they automatically include a cryptographic "Session Pro Proof" with their message. This proof serves as a tamper-resistant digital certificate that validates their Pro status without revealing any personal information about the user or their payment details.
Other Session clients receiving these messages can verify the authenticity of the Pro proof through cryptographic validation before rendering Pro-specific features. This verification process is designed to be efficient and secure, with validation results cached for a period of time to optimize performance.
The system is designed to be privacy-preserving from the ground up. Session Pro Proofs contain no identifying information about the user, their payment method, or their real-world identity. The proofs simply demonstrate that the sender has an active Pro status without revealing who they are or how they paid for it. This approach ensures that even as Session introduces premium features, the fundamental privacy guarantees that users rely on remain intact.
For users syncing across multiple devices, Session Pro status and proofs are synchronized through the existing encrypted configuration system, ensuring a seamless experience across all platforms while maintaining the same privacy protections.
In-App Purchases and Pro Membership Management
Session Pro Beta will launch with native in-app purchase support for Android (via Google Play) and iOS (via the App Store), making it easy to upgrade directly within the app. When you tap the upgrade button in Session's settings, all payment processing is handled seamlessly through your device's native payment system. While in-app payments are necessarily made in fiat, these payments will be converted to SESH on the backend, with this SESH burned as network fees and then re-minted into the Staking Reward Pool, adding to rewards for node operators and contributors.
A dedicated Session Pro settings screen will provide a central hub for managing your Pro membership and customizing your Pro features. From this screen, you can toggle Pro features like badges on or off and manage your Pro access through your platform's native in-app purchase system.
For users who installed Session from alternative sources like F-Droid or direct APK downloads, Session Pro information will be displayed, but upgrade options won't be available initially. These users will be directed to switch to the Google Play version to purchase Pro or can wait for external payment gateway support in the future.
Desktop users will see Session Pro information but won't be able to upgrade directly. Instead, they'll be informed that upgrading on a linked mobile device will also upgrade their Desktop client. External payment gateway support in the Desktop client is planned for a future release. .
What about other features?
This initial feature set was designed with Session Pro Beta's accelerated timeline in mind. Because of these features' relatively lower technical complexity, Session Pro will be faster to implement, allowing Session contributors to achieve their goal of releasing Session Pro Beta in early Q4. These features were also selected based on their likelihood to drive increased adoption of Session Pro, ensuring frequent, tangible and visual touchpoints throughout the app that make users aware of the benefits of upgrading and providing additional support for the network in exchange for enhanced features and capabilities.
For future iterations, and ultimately for the full version of Session Pro, more significant feature upgrades are currently subject to ongoing discussions and scoping efforts, including increased file sizes and multi-account capabilities, among other features based on contributor and community feedback. Stay tuned for further updates on features planned for future iterations of Session Pro.
You are warmly welcomed share feedback on the proposed feature set above, and suggest additional features for future versions of Pro, via the #feedback channel in Discord, or through the Session Token community on Session!