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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
WhatsApp to start showing more adverts in messaging app
WhatsApp is launching three new ad features in a global roll-out across the messaging app. The Meta-owned platform says the new ads will not be shown in the same place as people's private chats, nor will the contents of their messages - which are encrypted - be used to decide which ads to display. WhatsApp will instead use the country, city and language of the user, as well as how they interact with other ads and which channels they follow, to drive suggested content. But people who have chosen to link their WhatsApp account to Facebook or Instagram will see more personalised ads. The new ad features will appear in a section called Updates, which is a separate tab at the bottom of the app. WhatsApp claims to have 1.5 billion users globally. Businesses with channels will be able to choose to promote ads in the Updates section to attract new followers, and also charge a subscription to access extra content. WhatsApp will eventually take a 10% commission of that fee, and there may also be extra costs on top of that taken at the app store level depending on the size of the business. Firms will also be able to advertise in the form of a status update, which looks similar to an Instagram story and will link through to start a chat if clicked on. Social media expert Matt Navarra told the BBC that Meta is "laying the foundation for WhatsApp to finally become a monetisable platform at scale". But "monetising the periphery" of WhatsApp, while keeping personal chats private, would not be without risk for the company, he added. This could particularly be the case in markets like the UK and Europe, he said, where the app is viewed primarily as a messaging tool with less appetite for content feeds or adverts. "Any perception that the app is becoming noisy or Facebook-ified will spark backlash," he said. How does WhatsApp make money? It's no coincidence that the new features bring WhatsApp more in line with Meta's other platforms Facebook and Instagram. "Obviously there's overlap," said WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart. "We have stories on Instagram and stories on WhatsApp, and we now have a way for businesses to promote themselves in both, and we think that's a good thing." He said he believed the move was a "natural extension of messaging services" and not dissimilar to features of rival apps such as Snapchat and Telegram. For Mr Navarra, it also reflects a wider shift in the social media landscape. "The feed is dying, public sharing is down, people are retreating into DMs and Stories in small groups," he said. "Meta's trying to turn WhatsApp into a platform without users realising it and if they move too fast or it starts to feel like another ad network, people might disengage or maybe worse, distrust the app." WhatsApp angered users recently with the introduction of a permanent button for Meta's AI tool, which cannot be deactivated or deleted, and Mr Cathcart said users who did not want to see ads or follow channels would not be forced to. "I want to stress this won't affect your inbox," he said. "If you're only using WhatsApp for messaging, you're not going to see this." He said the Update section of the app was "not particularly popular" in the UK but was used more in other parts of the world, and the firm would "look at the feedback" about the unremovable AI tool - but there were many other features of the app which were also permanent. "You can't delete the channels button, you can't delete the Updates button, you can't delete the calls button," he said. "I mean, we also don't want to have a service that has lots of settings… that's complexity too." WhatsApp tells BBC it backs Apple in legal row with UK over user data Meta AI searches made public - but do all its users realise? Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
WhatsApp to start showing more adverts in messaging app
WhatsApp is launching three new ad features in a global roll-out across the messaging Meta-owned platform says the new ads will not be shown in the same place as people's private chats, nor will the contents of their messages - which are encrypted - be used to decide which ads to will instead use the country, city and language of the user, as well as how they interact with other ads and which channels they follow, to drive suggested people who have chosen to link their WhatsApp account to Facebook or Instagram will see more personalised new ad features will appear in a section called Updates, which is a separate tab at the bottom of the app. WhatsApp claims to have 1.5 billion users with channels will be able to choose to promote ads in the Updates section to attract new followers, and also charge a subscription to access extra will eventually take a 10% commission of that fee, and there may also be extra costs on top of that taken at the app store level depending on the size of the will also be able to advertise in the form of a status update, which looks similar to an Instagram story and will link through to start a chat if clicked media expert Matt Navarra told the BBC that Meta is "laying the foundation for WhatsApp to finally become a monetisable platform at scale". But "monetising the periphery" of WhatsApp, while keeping personal chats private, would not be without risk for the company, he could particularly be the case in markets like the UK and Europe, he said, where the app is viewed primarily as a messaging tool with less appetite for content feeds or adverts."Any perception that the app is becoming noisy or Facebook-ified will spark backlash," he does WhatsApp make money? 'Natural extension' It's no coincidence that the new features bring WhatsApp more in line with Meta's other platforms Facebook and Instagram."Obviously there's overlap," said WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart. "We have stories on Instagram and stories on WhatsApp, and we now have a way for businesses to promote themselves in both, and we think that's a good thing."He said he believed the move was a "natural extension of messaging services" and not dissimilar to features of rival apps such as Snapchat and Mr Navarra, it also reflects a wider shift in the social media landscape."The feed is dying, public sharing is down, people are retreating into DMs and Stories in small groups," he said."Meta's trying to turn WhatsApp into a platform without users realising it and if they move too fast or it starts to feel like another ad network, people might disengage or maybe worse, distrust the app."WhatsApp angered users recently with the introduction of a permanent button for Meta's AI tool, which cannot be deactivated or deleted, and Mr Cathcart said users who did not want to see ads or follow channels would not be forced to."I want to stress this won't affect your inbox," he said. "If you're only using WhatsApp for messaging, you're not going to see this."He said the Update section of the app was "not particularly popular" in the UK but was used more in other parts of the world, and the firm would "look at the feedback" about the unremovable AI tool - but there were many other features of the app which were also permanent."You can't delete the channels button, you can't delete the Updates button, you can't delete the calls button," he said. "I mean, we also don't want to have a service that has lots of settings… that's complexity too." Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.
TechCrunch
16 hours ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen
After years of providing free services without any bells attached, WhatsApp is now going to start showing ads on the popular chat app. To be clear, users will only see ads on the Status screen — the app's take on Instagram's Stories. So just like you see an ad after watching a few stories on Instagram, you will see ads on WhatsApp after you've scrolled through a few Status updates. The company said that its ad mechanism uses signals like users' country or city, language, and the channels they're following, as well as data from ads that users interact with. Meta said it is not using personally identifiable data, such as users' phone numbers, messages, calls, and groups to serve targeted ads. If a user has added their WhatsApp account to Meta's Account Center, the company will use their Account preferences to show ads. Image Credits: WhatsApp The company said it is allowing companies and users to promote their Channels, WhatsApp's broadcast feature, in the discovery section, and that it would allow select creators and businesses to charge users a subscription to unlock exclusive updates on Channels. The company said these subscription payments will be facilitated by app stores. Meta said that over 1.5 billion people use Status and Channels per day. So far, WhatsApp has generated revenue via its WhatsApp Business platform and click-to-WhatsApp ads. Meta has repeatedly mentioned these as growing channels of revenue in its last few quarterly earnings calls. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Alice Newton Rex, VP of product at WhatsApp, said in a briefing ads are a fitting extension of the app's revenue streams. '[The new ads and promotion products] felt like the next natural evolution, now that both those businesses have scaled to help people discover businesses directly within WhatsApp. And that was what we were increasingly hearing from businesses that they wanted to do as well,' she said. WhatsApp said ads and these features will roll out globally in the coming months.
