Ads Are Coming to WhatsApp Status
WhatsApp has announced a significant expansion of its monetisation strategy, introducing advertisements directly into the “Updates” tab, specifically within WhatsApp Status. This move is part of a broader effort to help users discover new channels and businesses, while also providing new growth opportunities for content creators and companies on the platform.
New Features to Enhance Discovery and Business Growth
The company revealed that 1.5 billion people now use the “Updates” tab, which combines Channels and Status features, every day. Building on this engagement, WhatsApp is rolling out three key features to enhance discovery and business growth:
- Channel Subscriptions: Users will soon be able to subscribe to their favourite channels for a monthly fee, gaining access to exclusive content.
- Promoted Channels: To boost visibility, channels will have the option to pay for promotion, helping users discover new and relevant content within the directory.
- Ads in Status: For the first time, businesses will be able to promote products and services directly within WhatsApp Status updates. These ads will allow users to easily initiate conversations with businesses about their offerings.
WhatsApp emphasises that it will confine these new features solely to the “Updates” tab, ensuring that personal chats, calls, and group interactions remain unaffected. “If you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones there is no change to your experience at all,” the company stated.
Privacy Remains a Priority, WhatsApp Assures Users
Addressing potential privacy concerns, WhatsApp reiterated its commitment to end-to-end encryption for personal messages, calls, and status updates, ensuring that “no one (not even us) can see or hear them.”
Regarding the new ads in Status and Channels, WhatsApp outlined its data usage policy:
“To show ads in Status or Channels you might care about, we’ll use limited info like your country or city, language, the Channels you’re following, and how you interact with the ads you see.” Meta may also utilise ad preferences and information from other Meta accounts for users who have linked WhatsApp to their Accounts Center.
Crucially, WhatsApp stressed that it “will never sell or share your phone number to advertisers.” Furthermore, personal messages, calls, and group affiliations will not be used to tailor the advertisements users see.
