Meta has officially introduced advertisements to WhatsApp, a significant departure from the messaging app’s long-standing ad-free model. The change is part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s broader plan to transform WhatsApp into a major business pillar alongside Facebook and Instagram.
The company announced that status ads will now appear within WhatsApp’s Updates tab, allowing businesses to promote content that users can interact with directly through messaging. These ads, designed to blend seamlessly with the platform’s existing “Status” feature (similar to Instagram Stories), mark WhatsApp’s first native ad placements.
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Monetizing WhatsApp Channels Through Ads and Subscriptions
In addition to status ads, Meta will also begin monetizing WhatsApp Channels, a feature launched in 2023. The company plans to:
- Allow advertisers to boost Channel visibility via search ads
- Let Channel admins charge monthly subscriptions for exclusive content
- Take a 10% revenue share on subscriptions in the future
These monetization strategies aim to expand WhatsApp’s revenue base, which analysts estimate to be between $500 million and $1 billion, primarily from business tools.
Meta Treads Carefully with User Privacy
Meta has pledged to preserve end-to-end encryption for personal chats and calls. Ads will remain confined to the Updates section to minimize disruption. The company said it will use limited data like country, language, and device information — not private messages to personalize ad content.
“We really believe that the Updates tab is the right place for these new features,” said Nikila Srinivasan, Meta’s head of business messaging.
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Zuckerberg’s Vision: Messaging as the Next Growth Frontier
Zuckerberg previously called WhatsApp “the next chapter” in Meta’s growth story. With over 3 billion monthly users, including 100 million in the U.S., WhatsApp represents a massive untapped market for business engagement.
Until now, WhatsApp’s growth had largely been monetized through click-to-message ads on Facebook and Instagram. The move to native ads on WhatsApp is expected to deepen brand-consumer interactions directly within the app, aligning with Zuckerberg’s goal of making messaging “the next pillar of our business.”
About the author – Ayush Chaurasia is a postgraduate student passionate about cybersecurity, threat hunting, and global affairs. He explores the intersection of technology, psychology, national security, and geopolitics through insightful writing.