WhatsApp to introduce adverts as Meta pushes to monetise messaging app

WhatsApp, the most popular correspondence service in the world, will begin soon to display the ads paid for users for the first time-as it represents a major transformation of a platform that has proudly announced that it will remain free of ads.

The description -owned service, which includes about three billion active users per month, will offer advertising features worldwide in the coming months. However, WhatsApp insist that ads will not appear in the personal chats of users, but instead it will be displayed in the “Status” section of the application, a space used for fast -cord updates similar to Instagram stories.

This step approaches the WhatsApp jobs closer to its sister platforms, Facebook and Instagram, and Meta signals to generate revenues from the service, which I bought in 2014 for $ 19 billion-the biggest acquisition of the group is still the group.

WhatsApp said that companies that occupy “channels” on the statute will now be able to promote the content in the update tab, which also includes cases. Companies will also be allowed to direct a fee for users to access the distinguished content via subscriptions, as WhatsApp is expected to take 10 percent commission.

These new income features come as WhatsApp face the increasing audit of recent updates, including the controversial input of the “ASK META AI” button that cannot be removed. The platform appears to be keen to reassure users that their private conversations will remain outside the border.

“These new features will appear only in the update tab, away from personal chat,” said WhatsApp.
“Your personal messages and your calls and your position are encrypted from one side to the tip-no one, not even from us, can see or hear them.”

However, the application will share the limited user definition data with advertisers, including the person’s location, the language of the person, the used channels, and how they interact with ads. He emphasized that phone numbers and personal correspondence behavior will not be shared or seized.

The company also made it clear that users who do not participate with status updates or channels will not see ads in their inbox. “If you only use WhatsApp for messages, you will not see this,” said Will Kathcarte, head of WhatsApp, admitting that the update tab “is not particularly common in the UK but uses 1.5 billion people per day all over the world.

Despite the previous repeated assurances that WhatsApp will not adopt an advertisement form, this advertisement confirms a major shift in the Meta strategy. The original founders of WhatsApp, including Brian Acton, left the company after engaging with the Facebook administration on the direction of the application-the most prominent of which is its investment plan by advertising. Acton declared the famous “No advertisements, no games, no tricks” as part of the founding mission of WhatsApp.

WhatsApp denied reports in 2023 that he was considering providing advertisements, but it seems that Meta is now more aggressive to stir the platform. The changes reflect the increasing need for Meta to diversify revenue flows in a competitive digital scene dominated by Tiktok and YouTube and other fast content platforms.

Meta also continues to face pressure from the organizers. The Federal Trade Committee (FTC) in the United States is sued the company, claiming that it has acquired WhatsApp and Instagram illegally in an attempt to suppress the competition. The founder of Meta and CEO of Mark Zuckerberg retreated, arguing that the company is facing intense competition, especially from Tiktok, and cited an increase in traffic when Tiktok went shortly in January as a guide.

WhatsApp marketing is likely to divide users. Although the platform has become an indispensable communication tool around the world, especially in developing markets, its increasing rapprochement with the Meta ecosystem may alienate users who appreciate its simplicity and first cells.

However, for Meta, the unarpsed income capabilities of WhatsApp – with the wide user base and business integration – are too big to ignore it. With more than 200 million companies that use the customer service and participation platform, adding ads and subscriptions to the opportunity of new new revenues.

With the start of changes, the technology giant will closely monitor to see if users are tolerated with a commercial content – or if this step leads to a violent reaction to cross one of the most screaming limits in WhatsApp.