Session Pro Beta: Development Update

Session Pro Beta was recently announced as a premium tier, designed to give users access to a more powerful messaging experience while supporting Session’s decentralized network and its global community of node operators. Pro Beta will be the first iteration of a larger suite of features with Session Pro, facilitating user testing of this new offering. 

Session contributors have been hard at work designing, developing and testing the five core features offered in Pro Beta. This progress update provides a detailed look at where each feature stands in the development pipeline—from those that have completed QA across all platforms to those just entering active development. For users eagerly awaiting the Beta launch, here's everything you need to know about the current state of Session Pro Beta.

Feature 1: Higher Character Limits for Messages

Pro Beta users will soon be able to send longer messages. Currently, Session users can send messages with up to 2000 characters. With the release of Pro Beta, users who sign up for Pro will be able to send messages with up to 10,000 characters. In preparation for this, a character counter has been added to the input box in Session on all platforms to indicate when limits are about to be reached. Additionally, All Session clients will support a limit on how many lines of text can appear in a message bubble. If a text exceeds this limit, a “Read more” button will appear in the message bubble, allowing users to expand the message. This ensures that longer messages don’t overwhelm the screen. 

✅ The full character limit feature has been built out and has now completed testing and quality assurance (QA) for all platforms. 

Feature 2: More Pinned Conversations

Pro Beta users will be able to enjoy unlimited pinned conversations. This represents a change from Session's current approach to pinning, where all users can pin an unlimited number of conversations. By creating compelling reasons for users to upgrade to Pro, features like pinned conversation limits help ensure Session's long-term sustainability and growth.  

✅ The full character limit feature has completed development and has successfully passed testing and quality assurance (QA) for all platforms. 

Feature 3: Higher Group Member Limits

Following the launch of Pro Beta, groups with at least one Pro administrator will be able to accommodate more members than regular groups. Right now, groups on Session are limited to 100 members. Pro groups are currently planned to be able to support up to 300 members (this number may be subject to change as development of this feature progresses). This makes Session Pro ideal for larger networks, organizations, and social groups who need secure, private communication at scale. 

🛠️ As one of the most network-intensive features, higher groups member limits are still subject to technical scoping processes, and will enter the development stage shortly, followed by extensive testing and QA. 

Feature 4: Animated Display Pictures

Pro users will be able to set GIF or animated WebP images as their display pictures following the beta release. Animated display pictures offer a compelling visual upgrade that immediately distinguishes Pro users within the Session community.These animated avatars will display across all areas of the app - in conversation lists, messages, group member lists, and profile screens. 

🔎 This feature has completed development, and recently entered the testing and QA phase.

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. 

🛠️ This feature has been designed and is currently being developed, before undergoing testing and QA.

Privacy-Preserving Pro Verification

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. 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. For users syncing across multiple devices, Session Pro status and proofs are synchronized through the existing encrypted configuration message system, ensuring a seamless experience across all platforms while maintaining the same privacy protections.

🛠️ Session Pro Proofs are currently under development, in tandem with the underlying payments infrastructure design. 

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 periodically 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.

➡️ The settings screen as well as underlying infrastructure necessary to validate in-app purchases are designed and scoped, and are commencing active development shortly.

External Payment Gateways

Following the completion and testing of in-app purchases, external payment gateways will commence scoping and development. External payment gateways will allow users to sign up for Session Pro without interacting with the Apple App Store or Google Play store. 

➡️ External payment gateways are planned to be released after the launch of the Session Pro Beta.

The Road Ahead

The development of Session Pro Beta continues to advance steadily, with features already completing their testing and QA phases while others progress through active development. As these features move through their final development stages and testing phases, the Session community can look forward to the first iteration of a premium tier that delivers an expanded private messaging experience while supporting the network's continued growth and sustainability.