Is another Meta application becoming an online billboard?

The company says it will help users find more relevant channels and businesses.

WhatsApp is introducing ads to its application. The ads will appear in the “Updates” tab, which contains Status and Channels.

It’s been reported that the Updates tab receives 1.5 billion visitors daily, making it a good place for admins, businesses, and organizations to share information.

The company shares that it will do so in “three ways:” by introducing Channel subscriptions, promoted Channels, and ads in Status.

With Channel subscriptions, users will be able to see “exclusive updates for a monthly fee.” The “promoted channels” would allow users to find new channels, while “ads in Status” would give users the opportunity to contact businesses and have a conversation with them about certain products or services.

In its blog post, WhatsApp reports that this type of content will only appear in the Updates tab and be separated from users' personal chats.

Nothing much changes for users who use the application as a communication service, for calls and texts, as WhatsApp reports that such data will “remain end-to-end encrypted.”

Regarding security features, the company said it will use “limited info like your country or city, language, the Channels you’re following, and how you interact with the ads you see.”

It’s important to note that WhatsApp states that it will use ad preferences and information from across Meta accounts for people who added WhatsApp to their Account Center.