Session Pro Beta: September Development Update

In July, Session Pro Beta was announced—a premium tier that enhances the messaging experience while supporting Session’s decentralized network and node operators worldwide. As the first step toward a comprehensive Session Pro feature suite, the Beta allows users to test-drive these new capabilities.

Session contributors have made significant strides in developing Pro Beta features, as well as the overall Pro user experience. This update will walk you through the latest developments as Pro Beta approaches its launch. 

Progress across Platforms 

As of the last update, two features had completed development and quality assurance (QA) cycles: Higher character limits for messages (up to 10,000 characters for Pro users), and unlimited pinned conversations. Since then, more features have concluded development and are now in the final stages of QA across Android, iOS and Desktop.

This includes animated display pictures, which will allow Pro users to upload GIFs and animated WebP images as their avatar on Session. This feature has completed QA on Android, and is in the final stages of QA on iOS and Desktop. Another completed feature is Pro badges, where Pro users can opt to display a small “Pro” icon next to their display name throughout the app. This feature has also completed QA on Android, and is nearing completion on iOS and Desktop. 

Pro Management

In addition to work on specific features, Session’s developers have been fine-tuning the Pro experience, from first signing up for Pro, to managing your access over time. Session Pro is designed to work with a simple auto-renewal model. Users can choose between one month, three month and twelve months of Pro access, with longer periods available at a discounted rate compared to shorter durations. After this period, your access to Session Pro will automatically renew unless you change your access period or cancel.

While Pro is active, users can keep track of all their Pro benefits, with a dedicated settings page showing Pro stats. These stats give users a clearer idea of how Pro adds to their overall Session experience. 

Upgrading To Pro 

Session Pro Beta introduces major upgrades to the Session experience. But if users aren’t aware of these enhanced features, they could be missing out on the best that Session has to offer. That’s why a core focus of the Session Pro Beta development has been finding natural, non-intrusive ways to highlight Pro without coming across as spammy. The most effective approach is the use of contextual Calls to Action (CTAs). These appear when free users encounter parts of the app where their experience could be improved with Pro.

Every Pro feature introduces at least one associated contextual CTA in Session. For example, the message input field has been updated to display a live character count that indicates the maximum message length, along with a Pro badge which links to a CTA when tapped.

Ongoing Features

Larger group sizes (up to 300 members for groups with at least one Pro admin) were planned as another feature for Pro Beta. However, due to the complexity of Session’s groups architecture and the resource-intensive nature of this feature for the Session Network, it is anticipated that larger group sizes will require more time in development and QA to ensure that upgrading groups to Pro works flawlessly.

With Q4 approaching, it is now planned to launch Pro Beta first with higher character limits, unlimited pinned conversations, animated display pictures and Pro badges first. Larger group sizes would then be introduced afterwards, as the second Beta release, before the full version of Pro with more features is released. This will allow Session contributors to release Session Pro Beta to users sooner, and start gathering their feedback on the published features from Q4 onwards.

Future Features

In the past weeks, more user feedback on potential Pro features has been collected, both informally and via a survey that was shared via this blog, on social media and in a newsletter. So far, the results from this survey have validated initial assumptions about desirable features for Pro that Session users would like to see, as well as highlighted community interest in specific features. 

Based on current survey results, the most desired feature is the ability to upload files larger than 10MB, followed closely by peer-to-peer file transfer capabilities. Onion-routed voice and video calling was also a popular feature.

Other features that users expressed interest in included multi-account functionality, faster upload and download speeds, and backups and account restoration. Features that were still of interest, but prioritised less by respondents so far, included message storage on the swarm beyond 14 days, onion routing country selection, gifting Pro access, and translation/transcription features. 

Together with the launch of Pro Beta, a Session Pro roadmap will be published, outlining the features planned for future Beta releases, as well as what’s in store for the full version of Pro. If you haven’t shared your opinion on which features you’d like to see for Pro, it’s not too late to do so here! 

Getting Ready for Launch

Session Pro Beta is taking shape. With four core features nearly ready to go—higher character limits, unlimited pinned conversations, animated display pictures, and Pro badges—the finishing touches are now being added to a premium experience that enhances private messaging while supporting the decentralized network.

Community feedback has been invaluable in shaping what comes next. From larger file uploads to voice and video calling, a roadmap is emerging that reflects what matters most to Session users. 

Session Pro represents a sustainable future for private, decentralized messaging—one where enhanced features and network support go hand in hand. The Beta phase will be an exciting opportunity to experience these new capabilities and help shape the full version of Session Pro.