Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has announced that it will start rolling out advertisements on the messaging app, marking a significant shift from the platform’s long-standing ad-free model.
Announced on Monday, 16 June, the ads will not show up in personal or group chats but will instead be introduced in the app’s Updates tab, which hosts Status updates and Channels. The company says this move is part of a broader strategy to monetise WhatsApp’s massive global user base, which exceeds 3 billion monthly active users.
“We’ve been talking for years about how to build a business on WhatsApp in a way that doesn’t interrupt personal chats,” WhatsApp said in a statement. “We believe the Updates tab is the right place to introduce that.”
The Updates tab is already used by 1.5 billion people each day, according to the company. By focusing ads in this space, WhatsApp says it can preserve the private and encrypted messaging experience that has defined the app since its launch in 2009.
In addition to Status ads, WhatsApp is launching two other monetisation tools: channel subscriptions, where users can pay monthly to access exclusive content from creators and businesses; and promoted channels, which give admins the ability to boost visibility within the platform’s directory.
To address privacy concerns, WhatsApp reiterated that end-to-end encryption remains intact for all personal chats, calls, and group messages. Ad targeting will be limited to non-sensitive information such as location (city or country), language, followed channels, and how users interact with updates.
Users who have linked WhatsApp to Meta’s Accounts Centre may receive more personalised ads, drawing on preferences across Facebook and Instagram.
“We will never sell or share your phone number with advertisers,” the company added.
The new features will roll out gradually over the coming months, as Meta positions WhatsApp to play a more prominent role in its broader business messaging and advertising ecosystem.
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