On June 16, 2025, Meta officially announced a significant shift in WhatsApp's monetization strategy, introducing its first major advertising features. This marks a notable pivot for the messaging platform, which has largely remained ad-free since its acquisition by Meta in 2014. The new advertising initiatives will primarily be confined to the "Updates" tab, a section of the app that houses "Channels" and "Status" (WhatsApp's version of Instagram Stories), which is reportedly visited by 1.5 billion users daily.
Meta emphasizes that personal messages, calls, and group chats will remain end-to-end encrypted and will not be used for ad targeting. The new features will include paid channel subscriptions, promoted channels in the Discovery directory, and advertisements within Status updates. Ad targeting will rely on limited information such as country, city, language, followed channels, and interaction with ads, with an option to use ad preferences from linked Meta accounts. This gradual global rollout aims to provide new revenue streams for Meta while maintaining user privacy in personal conversations.
Key Points for Viewers:
New Revenue Stream: Marks a significant step towards monetizing WhatsApp's vast user base.
Updates Tab Focus: Ads and new features will be limited to the "Updates" tab (Status and Channels), not personal chats.
Privacy Assurances: Personal messages, calls, and groups remain end-to-end encrypted and will not be used for ad targeting.
Paid Subscriptions: Channel owners can now offer exclusive content for a monthly fee.
Promoted Channels: Businesses and creators can pay to increase the visibility of their channels in the directory.
Status Ads: Advertisements will appear within the 24-hour Status updates, similar to Instagram Stories.
Global Rollout: The features will be rolled out gradually to users worldwide over the coming months.
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