WhatsApp adds ads to the status screen
By ForGeeks After years of going ad-free, WhatsApp has officially confirmed: ads will be coming to the app. This is the first major step towards monetizing the service, which is used daily by billions of people around the world. But there’s a twist – the ads will be shown in the «Status» section, not in chats.
Advertising in «Status» and personalization by region
The mechanism for showing ads will be similar to what has long been used in Instagram* Stories. Users will see the ads after scrolling through a few «Status» updates. According to the company’s statement, targeting will be based on signals such as the user’s country or city, interface language, subscriptions to Channels, and history of interaction with other ads.
WhatsApp emphasizes that it will not use personal information such as phone numbers, messages, calls, and groups. However, if a WhatsApp account is linked to the Meta* Account Center, the user’s preferences from the center will be taken into account when selecting ads.
WhatsApp says it will not use personal information such as phone numbers, messages, calls, and groups when matching ads.
Channel monetization and paid subscriptions
In addition to displaying ads, WhatsApp allows companies and authors to promote their Channels – analogous to Telegram channels. The promoted content will start showing up in the Discover section. Moreover, select content creators and brands will be able to offer paid subscriptions to access exclusive updates on their Channels. Payment will be made through the app stores.
The move makes sense given the scale of usage of the new features: according to Meta*, more than 1.5 billion people use «Status» and «Channels» daily.
Continuing Meta*
Before that, WhatsApp generated revenue primarily through the WhatsApp Business platform and click-to-chat ads («click-to-WhatsApp»). In recent quarterly reports, Meta* has repeatedly emphasized that these areas are growing rapidly.
W WhatsApp’s vice president of product, Alice Newton Rex, commented on the changes:
“The new advertising tools and paid features were a natural extension, as businesses are already actively using WhatsApp to engage directly with users. We see that this is something that businesses themselves increasingly expect from us as well.”
When to expect innovation
Advertising and new features will start to gradually appear in all regions in the coming months. It’s a notable change in WhatsApp’s strategy that could affect the perception of the app as «clean and private» but will also open up new opportunities for businesses and content creators.
* Owned by Meta, it is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia and its activities are banned.
The story WhatsApp adds ads to status screen was first published on ITZine.ru.
