WhatsApp on Monday revealed that users will soon begin to see advertisements in certain parts of the messaging app, marking a shift in Meta Platforms’ efforts to monetise the service’s massive user base. The new ads will be displayed exclusively in the Updates tab, which is accessed daily by up to 1.5 billion users.
Developers clarified that the ads will not appear in private chats. “The personal messaging experience on WhatsApp isn’t changing, and personal messages, calls and statuses are end-to-end encrypted and cannot be used to show ads,” the company said in a blog post.
The change signals a departure from the app’s original philosophy. WhatsApp’s founders, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, had pledged to keep the platform free of advertising when they launched it in 2009. Facebook acquired the platform in 2014, and both founders left the company in the following years. Since then, parent company Meta has made ongoing attempts to turn WhatsApp into a source of revenue.
The platform noted that ad targeting will be based on limited user information, such as age, location, language, followed channels, and interactions with existing ads. WhatsApp stressed that it will not use personal messages, calls, or group memberships to target users.
The move is one of three new advertising features unveiled by WhatsApp. In addition to displaying ads, channels on the platform will be able to charge users a monthly subscription fee for access to exclusive content. Business owners will also be allowed to pay to promote their channels for greater visibility.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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