WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, has announced plans to introduce advertising in parts of the messaging app in a bid to generate new revenue streams.
The big picture: The ads will be strategically placed in the app’s Updates tab, which is frequented by approximately 1.5 billion users daily, while personal chats will remain ad-free due to the company’s commitment to maintaining the privacy of user communications.
- This move represents a departure from WhatsApp’s initial ad-free pledge made by its founders, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, when the platform was established in 2009.
Go deeper: After acquiring WhatsApp in 2014, Facebook, now Meta Platforms, has been exploring ways to monetize the messaging service, with the introduction of targeted ads being a key milestone in this effort.
- The ads displayed on WhatsApp will be tailored to users based on various factors such as age, location, language preference, channels followed, and user interactions with ads, ensuring a personalized advertising experience while safeguarding the privacy of personal messages and calls through end-to-end encryption.
- In addition to targeted ads, WhatsApp has unveiled two other advertising features: subscription-based channels that offer exclusive updates for a monthly fee and promotional options for business owners seeking to boost their channel’s visibility to new users.
- Meta Platforms heavily relies on advertising revenue, with a substantial portion of its total revenue, amounting to $164.5 billion in 2025, attributed to advertising sales.