Advertisements have arrived on WhatsApp for the first time since its launch in 2009. Known for its pristine interface free of the clutter of advertising, WhatsApp has now opened the door to ads — in a limited capacity and with a focus on its status pages.

This raises the question of what it means for the average user. If you’re one of the millions who only use WhatsApp for sending messages to friends and family, or use it for private chats and groups, you might not notice a difference. Meta is still promising that these ads will not be featured in your chats, and that conversational messages will remain ad-free.

The new status feature, where these ads will be featured, is a place where people view statuses or follow channels curated around their interests, news, or entertainment.

This is Meta’s way of balancing between ads and user privacy.

Not Breaking up Conversations for Ads

Meta wants to introduce ads without breaking up conversations for users. That’s why these will not appear in your chats. Meta has chosen to target the Updates tab — where you go to view status updates or follow channels based on interests, news, or entertainment. Instead of appearing within a message, ads will be a part of these updates.

“We want to do this in a way that feels less like ads,” said Alice Newton Rex, VP of Product at WhatsApp, during a product briefing. “We are not breaking up people’s conversations.”

To do this, WhatsApp is introducing two new ad types — Stories, which allow users to post on WhatsApp’s status like they would on Instagram or Twitter. These stories will appear alongside other status updates. In the future, users can reply to these stories and even chat with the advertiser on WhatsApp directly.

Then there are Promoted Channels, a new ad format that will allow the admin to amplify the reach of their channel. It’s a new feature that helps businesses and content creators reach an audience through the app.

Finally, WhatsApp is experimenting with a subscription model — yes, you read that right. Companies can ask users to pay a monthly fee to access exclusive content. Think a cooking channel selling recipes or alerts for paid subscribers.

The Big Catch — Targeting Without Giving Up Too Much Data?

Even if you’re excited about the new updates, the notion of ads appearing on WhatsApp, a platform that has long been revered for its privacy, might feel like a step back. Meta is saying that they’re going to be careful about it.

The platform says that ad targeting will only use general information — like country, city, language, age, and phone settings — as well as how you engage with content on status and channels. So if you follow certain channels, interact with them, and even how you respond to the ads.

Meta also says that they will not read your private messages and that your privacy and security remain protected.

However, it is important to note that you can opt in to see ads from other Meta platforms (like Facebook and Instagram) if you connect your WhatsApp account to the Accounts Center. This is off by default, but when enabled, you can allow Meta to use the data of your activity across all its platforms to target ads.

You’ll also be able to control your own preferences. WhatsApp will let you see why a specific ad is appearing for you, hide an ad, or report an ad, and also manage preferences around the topics of the ads or the advertiser.

The Business Behind This Decision

This isn’t surprising, especially for a platform that Meta (the company behind Facebook and Instagram) bought for $16 billion in 2014. Meta has been testing ways to bring value to WhatsApp beyond the $1.5 billion in revenue it made last year from the WhatsApp Business Platform and “Click-to-WhatsApp” ads on Facebook and Instagram. These ads allowed businesses to start conversations with potential customers directly through ads.

In April, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that the WhatsApp Business Platform is showing strong growth. However, he did indicate that there was intent to get more value out of WhatsApp’s 2 billion-plus users.

“It’s the next natural evolution. We are going to introduce this in a way that allows us to enable that type of discovery on WhatsApp,” Rex said during the product briefing.

There was also clear demand for this change. “That was what we were increasingly hearing from businesses,” she said.

A New Wave in Social Apps

WhatsApp isn’t alone in this decision. Other messaging platforms are also making this shift. Discord started showing ads in 2024. Even Reddit, a social forum, turned its first profit thanks to its ad presence. Apps that were designed for a more intimate experience are being pulled into the ad economy.

An economic climate that is unpredictable, and with dwindling ad spending, plays a role as well. “Ads” represent 98% of Meta’s revenue. So, it’s no surprise that WhatsApp — an untapped goldmine — is stepping up.

For now, the ad experience on WhatsApp is going to be subtle. But with Meta’s focus on advertising and finding ways to make the platform more useful, this is just the beginning.