WhatsApp is set to roll out ads for the first time
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WhatsApp is set to roll out ads for the first time ever — marking a stunning reversal of one of its founding principles. The free messaging app said adverts will be rolled out to its global users in the next few months.
The new ads will appear in the 'status' section of the app under the 'updates' tab away from the main chat area. WhatsApp's co-founder Brian Acton made the company's mantra 'No ads! No games! No gimmicks!'. Even after its $19 billion acquisition by Meta in 2014, ads were kept at bay.
As recently as 2023 Meta's WhatsApp boss denied reports the messaging service was considering introducing adverts . 'False. We aren't doing this,' Will Cathcart told the Financial Times.
But now, the company is making a U-turn — as Meta looks to wring more revenue from one of its most widely used products. WhatsApp is the world's most popular messaging app, with 2.8 billion monthly users globally — though it trails Apple's iMessage in the US, where it has about 100 million users.
'People want to use WhatsApp for more than messaging close friends and family, and looking back a year and a half ago, that is part of the reason we introduced this Updates tab,' Srinivasan explained. 'If you're someone that uses WhatsApp for personal messaging and you never come to this tab, you won't see [advertising].'
WhatsApp insists its messages will remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning only those sending and receiving messages can see them. However, some user information - such as location, language and what channels they follow - will be used to determine which adverts they're pushed.
WhatsApp's updates tab attracts 1.5 billion daily users and its status section is the 'the world's most used stories product' according to the app. Other updates will include paid subscriptions to creator's channels and certain channels will be able to pay a fee to promote their content.
Other recent updates have left users furious with some claiming they are ditching the app altogether. In April Meta introduced an AI icon on WhatsApp for its British users. Like ChatGPT, the feature allows users to ask questions to the tech giant's digital chatbot.
Meta says the tool can be used for 'just about anything', from how-to tips, game ideas, lunch recipes and finding out the latest football scores. In the US, Apple's iMessage is dominant with 1.8 billion active devices compared to WhatsApp's 100 million users.
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