Meta has officially begun rolling out ads in WhatsApp’s Updates tab, targeting sections like Status and Channels without touching your private messages. These ads function similarly to those seen on Instagram Stories—appearing in between updates from contacts or channels you follow. The data used to serve these ads is limited to basic profile info like language, country, and interests, along with whether you’ve connected to Meta’s Account Center. Importantly, personal messages, call logs, and phone numbers remain fully encrypted and are not accessible by Meta or advertisers.
Meta hopes to make WhatsApp a major money-maker, projecting up to $10 billion per year by 2028 through these ad placements and new features like channel promotions and subscriptions. With over 1.5 billion daily users on the Updates tab, WhatsApp is finally being brought into Meta’s broader advertising ecosystem. Businesses and content creators will be able to promote their channels, offer exclusive content, and gain visibility, while regular users continue to access most features for free.
For advertisers, this opens a goldmine—a vast mobile-first audience that has been mostly untouched by ads until now. For WhatsApp users, the promise is clear: ads will not intrude on your personal space. Your messages remain private and protected, but your experience in the Updates tab might start feeling more commercial. And for Meta, this is a strategic leap. After years of keeping WhatsApp ad-free, the company is finally tapping into its most-used messaging app to boost revenue without fully compromising user trust. It’s a delicate balance of business growth and privacy preservation, and how well it works will shape the future of ad-supported messaging platforms.
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