WhatsApp Unveils first major Ad Features

WhatsApp is introducing its most extensive advertising features to date, targeting the app’s “Updates” tab while keeping personal conversations untouched.

The Meta-owned messaging giant confirmed it will begin rolling out ads exclusively in the Updates tab, which includes “Channels” and “Status” features, used by 1.5 billion users daily. This move marks the first large-scale monetisation effort on WhatsApp, which has historically distanced itself from the advertising-heavy models of Facebook and Instagram.

Unlike traditional feed ads, these new monetisation tools will focus on three key offerings:

• Ads in Status updates (WhatsApp’s version of Instagram Stories)
• Promoted Channels in the discovery directory
• Paid Channel Subscriptions for exclusive content

Privacy Still at the Core

In a call with reporters, Nikila Srinivasan, Meta’s VP of Product Management, stressed that “personal messages, calls, and statuses will remain end-to-end encrypted.”

She added, “This means no one, not even us, can see or hear them, and they cannot be used for ads.”

WhatsApp also pledged not to sell or share phone numbers with advertisers and clarified that group memberships and chat content will not be factored into ad targeting.

Instead, ads will rely on minimal user data, such as:

• Country or city
• Device language
• Activity in the Updates tab
• Channels followed
• Interactions with ads

“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,” WhatsApp stated.

This rollout follows years of speculation and internal debate within Meta, especially since WhatsApp’s co-founders were firmly against ad-based revenue models. However, with WhatsApp’s 2 billion+ active users, Meta is now aiming to tap into a vast but previously unmonetised audience.

Industry experts view this as an inevitable evolution, given the platform’s unmatched engagement rates. WhatsApp leads globally in daily open rates and recently became the world’s most-used social media app, surpassing even Instagram and TikTok.

Mixed Industry Reactions

Experts believe the introduction of ads in the Updates section is a smart, non-intrusive start.

“It’s non-intrusive, fits naturally into the interface, and opens the door to rich, high-quality formats,”
— Ori Gold, CEO of Bench Media

Others, however, caution against undermining the trust users place in WhatsApp’s privacy.

“This shift may feel invasive and manipulative… Meta needs to be very careful,”
— Alberto Sanchez, Head of Media, Orange Line

The ad features will be introduced in phases over the coming months.

According to Meta, “they’re going to be rolling out slowly… so it might be a while until you see them in your countries.”

This calculated launch signals Meta’s cautious but determined step to transform WhatsApp from a private messaging tool into a revenue-generating ecosystem, without sacrificing its user promise of privacy-first communication.