WhatsApp is finally getting ads but there is a catch

After years of keeping the app ad-free, WhatsApp has officially announced that ads are coming to the popular messaging platform. But before you worry about seeing ads while chatting with your friends or family, you should know that ads will only appear in the Updates tab, not in your personal messages.

The Updates tab is where you currently find Status updates from your contacts and Channels you follow. WhatsApp says this section is now used by over 1.5 billion people every day. So, the company is introducing three new features to help businesses and creators grow on the platform:

• Channel subscriptions: Users will now be able to support their favourite channels by subscribing for a monthly fee. In return, subscribers will get access to exclusive updates. This move could help creators and organisations build a loyal fanbase right inside WhatsApp.
• Promoted channels: WhatsApp will now start showing promoted channels in the directory to help users discover new content. This also gives channel admins a way to increase their visibility and reach more followers.
• Ads in Status: WhatsApp will now display ads in the Status section. These ads will come from businesses promoting their products or services. Users can tap on the ad to start a conversation directly with the business. But here’s something important— if you don’t use the Status feature, you won’t see these ads at all.

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“Like everything we do at WhatsApp, we’ve built these features in the most private way possible. Your personal messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one (not even us) can see or hear them,” WhatsApp said in a blogpost.

The company says it won’t share your phone number with advertisers. To show relevant ads, WhatsApp will use only limited information like your country, language, followed Channels and ad interactions. If you’ve linked WhatsApp to your Meta account through the Accounts Center, Meta may also use your ad preferences from other apps like Facebook and Instagram.

“We’ve been talking about our plans to build a business that does not interrupt your personal chats for years and we believe the Updates tab is the right place for these new features to work,” the company said.