Community and communications platform Discord announced a wide range of new features. Some are quality of life improvements while others are geared towards monetization and safety. Some of these features launch today while others will debut in the coming months.
Currently, Discord has more than 150 million active users each month.
Discords adds more value to Nitro
Discord’s primary monetization method is its monthly subscription program: Nitro. Many of the platform’s new features are providing more value to subscribers.
Many of Nitro’s new perks focus on customization. Recent, Discord launched an in-app shop where Nitro users had early access to buy avatar decorations. Prior to this, avatar decorations were seasonal and time limited.
Starting today, Nitro members have new options to personalize their presence on the platform. Subscribers can now customize their profile preview with animations and select an entrance sound that will play when they join a voice channel. Further, Nitro members will be able to customize the app icon for both mobile and desktop from 19 different styles.
Soon the shop will open up to all Discord users to purchase avatar decorations and profile effects. While they will lose exclusivity, Nitro members will get a discount on shop items. Notably, this is the first time Discord is monetizing one-off purchases, rather than subscriptions.
Additionally, Discord is doubling down on giving Nitro members early access to upcoming features. Since the summer, Discord has been experimenting with this functionality. Currently, Nitro members are testing Clips, which lets users capture and share exciting moments without leaving the app.
Added monetization for Discord and creators
Alongside adding value to Nitro, Discord is also giving third-party developers more ways to monetize directly on the platform. Currently, over 750,000 third-party apps are available on the platform which are used by around 45 million users monthly.
Recently, Discord enabled U.S. developers to launch Premium App Subscriptions. Users can unlock additional features for themselves or sever admins can buy a guild subscription to give an entire server access. This program is now rolling out to eligible developers in Europe and the U.K..
Discord will take a 30% cut of revenue subscriptions, with the remaining 70% going to developers. This cut is higher than the 10% cut Discord takes on server subscriptions. Moreover, Discord plans to add the option to make one-off purchases for apps in the future.
Moreover, Discord plans to make apps and activities more accessible and intuitive to users. Today, about 30% of monthly active users engage with apps.
To boost engagement, Discord plans to remove barriers to entry for bots and activities. Today, apps can only be used in servers after being added by an admin and activities can only be joined in voice channels. Discord is exploring ways to bypass these steps, letting users add apps themselves and join activities from group chats. Additionally, the platform is experimenting with new ways to launch and interact with apps.
Safety First
Safety is a major priority for the platform, so Discord is launching Teen Safety Assist to protect younger users. This initiative will enable a series of proactive filters and alerts that will be default enabled for teens.
The first feature is safety alerts on senders. When teens receive a DM from a new contact, Discord may send an alert encouraging the recipient to double check if they want to reply. This message will also provide links to block the sender or view more safety tips to safeguard themselves.
Additionally, Discord will begin automatically blurring potentially sensitive media in both direct messages and in servers. While this will be default enabled for teens, any Discord user can opt-into this feature.
Discord is also making an effort to be more transparent with users that violate its rules and community guidelines. This new Warning System will help users clearly understand rule violations and the consequences of their actions.
“These touchpoints provide more transparency into Discord interventions, letting users know how their violation may impact their overall account standing and gives information for them to learn from to be better digital citizens in the future,” Discord explained in its blog post. “Some violations are more serious than others, and we’ll take appropriate action depending on the severity of the violation. For example, we have and will continue to have a zero-tolerance policy towards violent extremism and content that sexualizes children.”
The Warning System will start with a DM letting users know that they received either a warning or a violation. Discord will clearly show users the rule-breaking post, the policy or guideline violated and the consequences.
Mobile gets some TLC
Over the last year, Discord has been prioritizing its mobile experience. The app’s launch time is now 55% faster on Android and 43% faster on iOS. The app also downloads less data on launch, syncs messages in the background and stores more recent messages.
Starting today, mobile users have more functionality with voice messages and better media uploads. Soon, the platform will roll out improved search features too. Moreover, the mobile experience will be more customizable including the battery saving midnight theme. There are a number of planned UI/UX and notification improvements.
Finally, the platform is adding Remix to mobile later this week. Over the summer, Discord Nitro users had early access to the meme-making feature.
Updated October 19, 2023 at 9am PT: Discord confirmed the 70/30 revenue split for premium app subscriptions. Additionally, the original article stated that mobile search improvements were available today when they are an upcoming feature.