Meta is Bringing Ads to WhatsApp — Here’s Why

After more than a decade of keeping WhatsApp free from advertising, Meta is finally flipping the switch. 

The tech giant has announced a sweeping monetization plan that will introduce ads and paid features to the app, a major shift for a platform whose original founders once swore off ads entirely.

But why now? And what exactly is changing?

This is a new chapter for WhatsApp

Since Facebook (now Meta) acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for a staggering $19 billion, the app has grown into one of the most used messaging platforms in the world, boasting over 3 billion users globally. 

Yet, it remained relatively untouched by Meta’s usual ad-driven business model, until now.

Meta has confirmed it will begin rolling out advertising and monetization features across WhatsApp globally. The decision is part of a broader push to turn the app into what CEO Mark Zuckerberg once called “the next chapter” in Meta’s business strategy.

What’s changing?

The major updates will appear within WhatsApp’s Updates tab, which houses Status (WhatsApp’s version of Stories) and Channels (a broadcast feature introduced in 2023). Here’s what’s coming:

• Ads in Status: Much like Instagram Stories, users will begin seeing ads in between their friends’ and contacts’ status updates. Businesses will be able to use this space to promote products, drive engagement, and connect directly with users via WhatsApp chat.
  
• Channel Subscriptions: WhatsApp users can now subscribe to certain Channels for a monthly fee, unlocking exclusive content from creators, media outlets, sports teams, and public figures.
  
• Promoted Channels: Businesses and organizations will be able to pay to boost their Channel visibility in the app’s search and discovery sections, similar to promoted posts or ads in app stores.
  

These updates represent the biggest shift in WhatsApp’s business model since its inception. More importantly, it marks the first time that Meta is allowing in-app advertising within WhatsApp itself, not just on Facebook and Instagram with links to WhatsApp.

Why now?

There are a few key drivers behind Meta’s move:

1. The Search for New Revenue: Meta is under growing pressure to find new ways to make money. With increased scrutiny over its dominance in social media and its costly investment in the metaverse, WhatsApp represents a largely untapped goldmine, until now.
   
2. Massive Audience: The Updates tab alone sees over 1.5 billion daily users. That’s a huge audience for businesses looking to reach customers in more private, conversational spaces.
   
3. Business Messaging Is Booming: Meta has long viewed private messaging as the future of business-customer interaction. This move simply deepens that commitment by allowing businesses to advertise and communicate directly within WhatsApp.
   
4. Shifting User Behavior: With more people relying on messaging apps for news, shopping, and entertainment, WhatsApp is evolving into more than just a chat app. Meta wants to own that transformation.
   

But what about privacy?

One of the biggest concerns is how this shift affects user privacy, something WhatsApp has long championed.

Meta insists that users’ personal messages, calls, and groups will remain end-to-end encrypted. Ads and recommendations will only be shown based on basic info such as language, location (city/country), and interaction patterns within the Updates tab.

“We’ll never sell or share your phone number with advertisers,” Meta said, adding that even status updates remain encrypted.

Will users accept it?

That’s the big question. WhatsApp’s original founders, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, were famously against advertising, and they eventually left Meta after clashing with executives over monetization plans. 

With this rollout, Meta is going directly against that founding philosophy. Still, by limiting ads to the Updates tab, and not personal conversations, Meta hopes the user experience won’t feel too disrupted.

For now, the new features are being gradually introduced, with global rollout expected over the coming months. Businesses and channel admins can already begin exploring how to leverage the tools through WhatsApp’s official business resources.