After years without ads, WhatsApp has introduced ads for the first time.

WhatsApp, once known for its promise of an ad-free experience, is finally letting ads into the app — though they’ll be highly curated and placed in a specific section.

If you’re mostly using WhatsApp for private chats and group messages, you probably won’t notice anything different. Meta says the ad space will only appear in the Updates section, where people browse through Status updates or view Channels they follow for topics, news, or entertainment.

It’s a matter of reconciling two worlds: monetization and privacy.

The idea is to enable ads in a way that doesn’t feel intrusive, and that’s why you won’t see them in your chats. The entire focus is on non-conversational areas. When users browse Status updates, they’ll now see some from advertisers — which could look like any other status story, like a photo, video, or text — except that they’ll come from businesses. Users can respond to these ads and initiate a chat with the business directly on WhatsApp.

There are also Promoted Channels, a new ad format that allows admins to promote their channels. Essentially, it’s a new feature that lets businesses and content creators grow their audience on the app.

Finally, WhatsApp is experimenting with a paid subscription model. Yes, that’s right — businesses can now charge a fee to access exclusive content. It’s like a cooking channel offering exclusive recipes or notifications for paid subscribers.

Targeting Without Sacrificing Too Much Data?

For people who care about privacy, seeing ads pop up on WhatsApp, which has historically been known for protecting its users’ data, may feel like a step back. But Meta says it’s not.

The company says ad targeting will be based on broad information — such as your country, city, language, age range, and device phone settings. It will also factor in how you engage with content on Status and Channels. For example, what channels you follow, what content you engage with, and even how you respond to the ads.

But don’t worry, Meta says your private chats will remain end-to-end encrypted and won’t be seen.

There will likely be some data overlap with other Meta products (such as Facebook and Instagram) if you connect your WhatsApp account to Meta’s Accounts Center. The feature is turned off by default. If you do link it, Meta will use activity across its apps to further target the ads it shows you.

You’ll also have some control. WhatsApp will show you why a specific ad was shown to you, let you hide or report an ad, and even control what topics or advertisers you want to see.

The Business Behind the Change

The move wasn’t a total surprise. After all, Meta — which acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for a staggering $16 billion — has been trying to move WhatsApp away from being just a free chat app.

Most of its revenue has historically come from its Business Platform and “Click-to-WhatsApp” ads on Facebook and Instagram. It’s a way for businesses to start conversations with potential customers directly via ads.

In April, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg mentioned that the WhatsApp Business Platform was showing “really strong growth,” but there was clear desire to mine WhatsApp’s 2 billion-plus users for more revenue.

During a product briefing earlier this month, Alice Newton Rex, WhatsApp’s VP of Product, said that bringing ads to the Updates tab was “the next natural evolution” for the app. The business platform already lets users discover companies on WhatsApp — now ads will help them connect.

Rex added that “that was what we were increasingly hearing from businesses.”

WhatsApp isn’t alone in this shift. Other messaging platforms have done it, too. Discord started testing ads in 2024. Reddit, a social platform, just became profitable because of advertisers’ interest. Even social apps known for community-first features are getting pulled into the ad economy.

The broader economic context also plays a role. With an uncertain global economy and unpredictable ad spend, platforms are looking for more predictable streams of revenue. For Meta, 98% of its revenue last quarter came from advertising. So it’s no wonder WhatsApp — long considered a goldmine of data and a promising channel for engagement — is joining the ranks.

For now, the ad experience on WhatsApp will remain subdued. But given Meta’s deep commitment to advertising and maximizing platform utility, many expect this to be just the beginning.