WhatsApp Is No Longer Ad-Free, But Your Chats Still Are

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Meta is finally cashing in on WhatsApp, the world’s largest messaging platform, by introducing advertisements and paid subscription features for the first time.

The new ads will appear in WhatsApp’s Updates tab, a separate feed that houses Status posts (WhatsApp’s answer to Stories) and Channels, which are broadcast-style feeds from brands or creators. With 1.5 billion daily visitors, the Updates tab now becomes a ripe platform for non-intrusive ad placement away from the sacrosanct inbox.

Brands can promote their Channels directly within this space, gaining more visibility through paid placement. In addition, Channel owners can start offering exclusive content to paying subscribers. While Meta will not initially take a cut, it plans to collect 10 percent of subscription revenue once the system gains traction.

This revenue play comes as Meta invests heavily in AI, including a recent RM60.64 billion (USD14.3 billion) stake in Scale AI for 49 percent ownership. That level of spending needs to be funded, and WhatsApp, which was acquired for RM90.4 billion (USD19 billion) in 2014 and has remained mostly ad free, is now part of the plan.

Until now, WhatsApp has mostly functioned as a business tool, particularly in countries like India and Brazil where it dominates. Meta has experimented with digital payments, business messaging, and shopping features, with mixed success. It already earns billions from click-to-message ads on Facebook and Instagram that lead to WhatsApp chats, but this is the first time direct advertising will appear within the app.

Meta says the rollout balances monetisation with WhatsApp’s longstanding privacy promise. Messages remain end-to-end encrypted, and ad targeting will be limited to general signals such as language, location, and Channels followed. No data from Facebook or Instagram will be used unless accounts are explicitly linked.

Users who rely on WhatsApp purely for messaging and calls will not see ads. In short, if you ignore the Updates tab, you will barely notice the change.

The global rollout begins this week, but not everyone will see ads immediately. Meta appears to be moving carefully, fully aware that WhatsApp’s original founders walked away over this very issue.