WhatsApp has announced that it will introduce advertisements in certain areas of the app, as its parent company Meta Platforms seeks to create a new source of income by reaching the billions of users of the messaging platform.
These ads will only be displayed in the Updates tab, which sees daily usage from approximately 1.5 billion individuals.
Importantly, ads will not be featured in the personal chat sections, according to the developers.
WhatsApp reassured users in a blog post, stating, “The personal messaging experience on WhatsApp remains unchanged, and personal messages, calls, and statuses are encrypted end-to-end, which means they cannot be utilized to display ads.”
This marks a significant shift for the company, as its founders, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, had promised to maintain an ad-free experience when they launched the app in 2009.
After Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014, both founders departed a few years later.
Meta has been looking for ways to monetize WhatsApp for quite some time.
According to WhatsApp, ads will be tailored for users based on various factors, such as their age, geographic location, language, the channels they follow in the app, and their interactions with the ads.
The platform confirmed that it will not use personal messages, calls, or group memberships to target ads.
This is one of three new advertising features rolled out by WhatsApp on Monday, as the company seeks to monetize its user base.
Additionally, channels will have the option to charge users a monthly fee for subscription services, providing them with exclusive updates.
Moreover, business owners will have the opportunity to pay for increased visibility of their channels to attract new users.
