Yes, WhatsApp Will Show Ads - No, They Won’t Be in Your Chats

WhatsApp ads: After years of speculations and whispers around, WhatsApp has finally decided to go ahead with ads. The Meta-owned chat company has officially announced ads for WhatsApp, but don’t worry, they won’t show up in your chats or calls. These ads will appear under the Updates tab and not your own space. 

Meta is putting them in a different section called the Updates page, where you may see WhatsApp Status posts.  So no, ads for shoes or shampoo are not interrupting your private chats. These sponsored posts will show up in between your friends' Status updates, like Instagram Stories with a promo now and again.

“These new features will appear only on the Updates tab, away from your personal chats. This means if you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones there is no change to your experience at all,” WhatsApp specified in an official blog post. 

Why now?

This is not some newly thought-out idea that WhatsApp has suddenly implemented. Ever since taking over WhatsApp, Meta has been thinking about monetising the platform and bringing ads to generate revenue. Even if the original inventors of WhatsApp were against having ads in the chat service, Meta always had a different idea.  They put off advertising ambitions in 2020, but now they're back with an approach that claims to respect your privacy. 

Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, said in 2023 that the company was still working on ways to add adverts to the app without interrupting messages.  And now we know how. These sponsored posts will be shown through the Status feature hidden in the Updates tab.

How Much Data is Being Watched?

Meta says that the ad targeting is going to be limited. Ads will be dependent on things like: Your city or region, the language your app employs, the channels you follow, and how you engage with ads in Meta applications. 

The company emphasises that it does not read your messages or listen in on your calls to maintain your privacy but it should be advisable to wait for some time, watch the update closely and then come to any conclusion on its privacy approach. 

Alongside ads, Meta is also introducing promoted channels and channel subscriptions on the platform. When you look for new channels to follow, you'll start to see promoted ones also now. You can also subscribe to channels for "exclusive updates” in exchange for a monthly fee. 

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