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- WhatsApp to Start Showing Ads;
WhatsApp announced that users will start seeing ads in parts of the app, as owner Meta Platforms moves to cultivate a new revenue stream by tapping the billions of people who use the messaging service.
The change, made by Meta,will insert promotional content only in the Updates tab—where users visit to view status updates and subscribe to channels—but not individual chats.
While message app ads have been raising eyebrows for years, Meta appears to be taking care.
The company stated that the plan has been in development for years, noting, “We’ve been talking about our concepts for building a company that doesn’t interrupt your one-on-one conversations for years and we believe the Updates tab is the right place for these new features to function.”
Instagram’s Story ad strategy will be familiar to users.WhatsApp will now insert ads between status updates, duplicating that formula but confining their appearance to the Updates tab.
“Only on the Updates tab, away from your own conversations. So if you’re only talking to friends and family on WhatsApp there’s no difference at all to your experience,” Meta promised.
Apart from advertisements, WhatsApp is also launching a dual monetization approach—subscribed channels and sponsored content in channels.Subscription payments will be processed via the app stores.
Additionally,WhatsApp will use some information about users, such as region, language, and subscribed channels, to tailor ads.
The developer said that for users who have linked their WhatsApp with Meta’s Accounts Center, more ad interests will be used.
“For people that have chosen to add WhatsApp to Accounts Center, we’ll also use your ad preferences and information from across your Meta accounts,” Meta clarified.
WhatsApp, launched in 2009 and acquired by Meta (then Facebook) in 2014, has largely resisted ads in its core messaging features.
However, with the exponential expansion of its features like Channels and Status, it appears that Meta has learned how to monetize without laying hands on its most sacred ground—the chat screen.
