Vero: Instagram rival changes plans to charge users because the app keeps crashing

(Vero)

Vero, the controversial app that hopes to take down Instagram, now has more than a million users.

The app has shot up the charts in recent days, amid excitement about its promise to avoid the problems of other apps like Facebook and Instagram. But it has run into problems, spending much of the time offline and attracting criticism over its terms and conditions.

Vero had initially said that all users after the first million would have to pay a subscription fee to use the app. But it said that restriction is no longer in place "until further notice".

Because of the wide array of technical problems – which have meant that many people have been entirely unable to use the app – it would allow people to still join for free.

Due to the large wave of new users joining over the last few days, we have encountered technical issues which have left many experiencing service interruptions," it said in a statement. "We thank you for your patience and encouragement as we work to make Vero available to everyone."

It said that it would "confirm the start date and pricing of Vero subscriptions soon".

The subscription fee is important to Vero, according to its own 'manifesto'. It has said that it will run without ads, intrusive data collection or other problems – meaning that it will need to be funded through a fee paid by users.

That subscription fee is just one of the many things that have attracted attention as the app has grown in popularity. Others have complained about the fact that it doesn't actually seem to work, and that its terms appeared to give it ownership of anything posted on the app.

It can also be confusing to use – a full guide to doing so can be found here.