- calendar_today August 31, 2025
For years, we’ve known that the introduction of ads on WhatsApp was inevitable. But here we are in 2023, and for the first time in the app’s 14-year history, ads are coming. We’ll soon see promotions pop up in a new part of the app, the Updates tab. (Yes, there are a few ads appearing in WhatsApp today, but they’re mostly a result of deals the app offers with restaurants.) If you only use WhatsApp to message friends or participate in group chats, you might not notice a difference. But if you use the Updates tab, the experience is about to become more commercial.
More than 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab daily, and Meta (which owns WhatsApp) says the change will improve the platform. More than 80% of people that have opted in to the updates tab have used it in the last two weeks, and many use it daily. But for some users, changes will be noticeable, so Meta is taking things slowly.
There are three types of ads: Ads in Status, Promoted Channels, and Paid Subscriptions
So, what kind of ads are we talking about? There are three different formats. The first is ads in Status. These ads will appear alongside your friends’ 24-hour-disappearing stories — similar to ads in Instagram Stories. As you scroll through your contacts’ statuses, you might now see a photo, video, or message from a brand or company. When you see an ad, you can reply, kickstarting a direct conversation with the advertiser.
The second is Promoted Channels. This means admins and businesses can pay to boost their content within the app. This means that channels will appear higher in the feed and will reach more people inside WhatsApp, rather than depending on outside platforms. These are the posts with a blue line below them.
The third — and perhaps most exciting — is the ability for businesses and creators to offer subscribers exclusive updates for a monthly fee. This could be a recipe-only channel that provides a premium recipe or early access to drops. Businesses can monetize their presence in WhatsApp, and WhatsApp can make money.
That’s the key point. Before now, the only way WhatsApp made money was through the Business Platform, a paid tool for companies to connect with customers, and the click-to-WhatsApp ads that appear on Facebook and Instagram. But Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this year that the Business Platform is growing but there’s more opportunity. In an investor call earlier this year, Zuckerberg said the Business Platform is growing — but there’s room to expand.
This latest move is a part of that plan.
Newton Rex, WhatsApp’s VP of Product, said it’s the “next natural evolution.” She said businesses have been asking for more ways to expand their audience within WhatsApp, and this ad rollout is a response to that request.
Obviously, putting ads on a platform known for its privacy wasn’t going to be easy.
But Meta insists it’s being careful. The ads will not appear in your chat feed, and Meta will never use any content from your chats. Targeting will be limited to broad user information, such as age, country code, language settings, and general location (not exact address). WhatsApp will also look at how you use the Updates tab, such as which channels you follow and what types of content you engage with.
You can also connect your WhatsApp account to Meta’s Accounts Center, an optional setting that will allow more personalized ads based on your activity across Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta services. This is turned off by default and can be switched off at any time.
The company is also including transparency tools, so you can see why you’re seeing a particular ad, hide ads from specific advertisers, or report an ad that feels inappropriate. Meta says it’s doing its best to make this as user-controlled as possible.
Still, this isn’t the biggest surprise in the grand scheme of things. After all, with 98% of its revenue coming from ads, it was only a matter of time before WhatsApp would get in on the action. The company purchased WhatsApp in 2014 for $16 billion, and ads have been the next logical step.
Other platforms are doing the same. Discord added ads in 2024, and Reddit has also grown its ad business considerably, recently reporting its first profit ever. As the economy tightens, even platforms that were originally built around community and privacy are finding ways to bring in ad dollars.
For now, this change isn’t noticeable for most WhatsApp users. But it’s a new era for the app. Ads have arrived — and while they may be limited to the Updates tab for now, it’s clear that Meta is laying the groundwork for something much bigger.
