For the first time, Meta starts rolling out advertisements in WhatsApp
Meta has started rolling out advertising on WhatsApp for the first time, starting with its update tab. The move also includes channel subscriptions and promoted materials, all of the private chats.
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In short
- WhatsApp starts showing advertisements in its status feature
- New features are limited to update tab only
- Private messages and calls remain end-to-end encrypted
Meta has officially started showing advertisements in WhatsApp, which starts with the update tab. Rollouts are seen inside the advertising messaging app for the first time. Meta has started showing advertisements inside WhatsApp for the first time, introducing material sponsored through the “status” feature of the app within the update tab. This is a major change of how the app operates, as it gradually becomes a platform that supports mudification through advertising.
The company on Monday announced an update through the official WhatsApp blog, underlining three new features coming to the update tab: channel subscription, promoted channels and advertising positions. WhatsApp also revealed that the messaging app now has 1.5 billion daily users.
What is changing
The advertising status will appear inside the section – a feature similar to stories on Instagram or Facebook – which allows users to post photos, text or videos that disappear after 24 hours. These advertisements will be placed with individual updates users look at users from their contacts. Importantly, Meta clarified that advertisements would not appear in individual chats, messages or group conversations.
WhatsApp said in a blog post, “We have been talking about our plans for building a business that has not disrupted your personal chat over the years and we believe the update tab is the right place for these new features.”
Apart from advertisements, WhatsApp is also introducing a membership model for channels. Users will be able to pay monthly fees to reach exclusive updates from their favorite channels. Additionally, promoted channels will now be shown in the Explore section, allowing praise to improve the visibility of their content.
How will advertising targeting work
According to WhatsApp, advertisements will be individually individually using limited information, advertising your city or country, language, channels you follow. If you have connected WhatsApp to the Meta Accounts Center, then Facebook and Instagram can also affect your comprehensive advertising preferences that you see.
However, Meta insisted that it would not share or sell the phone number to the advertisers. In addition, it also states that individual messages, calls and group activity will not be used to target advertisements, and will be end-to-end encrypted.
Meta has considered advertising in WhatsApp for many years, although the plan was already stopped. In 2023, WhatsApp Head Cathcart confirmed that advertisements were still under development. Now, change is official. This step aligns WhatsApp with other meta platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, which already generates significant revenue from advertising. Meta reported over $ 160 billion in advertising revenue last year.
