Meta has officially taken the first step in monetizing WhatsApp by introducing advertisements into the app’s “Status” section — a feature used by over 1.5 billion people daily. Similar to Instagram Stories, these sponsored posts now appear among your friends’ statuses in the Updates tab. It’s a calculated move that keeps private messages untouched while opening a new revenue stream for the messaging giant.
If you’re scrolling through WhatsApp’s Updates tab, you may notice an occasional sponsored Status appearing between those of your contacts. These ads won’t appear right away but may surface after you view several updates from your friends. For now, Meta has restricted ad placements to the Status screen, deliberately avoiding any intrusion into personal or group chats.
This placement strategy highlights Meta’s intention: monetize WhatsApp’s vast user base without triggering privacy concerns. WhatsApp, long known for its end-to-end encryption and ad-free experience, is entering new territory — but cautiously.
Meta emphasizes that the new ads will not be based on personal chat content or your phone number. Instead, they’ll be targeted using broader data signals, including:
By relying on general behavior instead of private data, Meta aims to maintain trust while unlocking new advertising potential.
In a blog post, WhatsApp clarified the broader vision behind these changes:
“We’ve worked over the last two years to make this tab the place for you to discover something new on WhatsApp and it’s now used by 1.5 billion people a day. We’re encouraged by the enthusiasm and also want to help admins, organizations, and businesses grow on WhatsApp.”
This statement hints at more than just ads. WhatsApp is evolving from a private messaging app into a richer ecosystem with business tools, discovery features, and creator support.
Alongside the Status ads, Meta is launching additional monetization options for business and content creators, including:
Interestingly, Meta has chosen not to take a cut from Subscription Channels during the first year — likely an incentive to attract early adopters and boost engagement quickly.
For most users, nothing much will change — unless you frequently browse Status updates. Chats remain untouched, and the core messaging experience is still ad-free. The decision to limit ads to a semi-public part of the app is smart: it respects user expectations while enabling revenue generation.
With over 3 billion users globally and 1.5 billion daily views in the Updates tab, WhatsApp offers Meta a massive, previously untapped advertising market. Yet, Meta is aware of the fine line it must walk. The company’s cautious rollout suggests it understands that WhatsApp’s growth has been rooted in its clean, private experience.
WhatsApp is no longer just a messaging app — and that’s by design. With the arrival of ads and creator tools, Meta is shaping it into a broader platform for communication, content, and commerce — not unlike China’s WeChat.
Still, there’s a delicate balance to maintain. Users may accept ads in a public-facing tab like Status, but any hint of commercialization inside chats could spark backlash. For now, Meta seems to be threading the needle well — keeping WhatsApp useful, private, and free, while finally giving it a monetization model.
Via: (Source), Image Credits: Created by ChatGPT with DALL·E, OpenAI
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