WhatsApp Monetization: Ads and Subscriptions Arrive

Meta is integrating ads and subscription options into WhatsApp. This monetization strategy, rolling out in the coming months, will primarily target businesses using the platform’s “Updates” tab—a feature allowing users to follow business channels for news and announcements.

Ads will appear within the “Updates” feed, allowing users to initiate conversations directly with advertisers. Crucially, Meta emphasizes that this will not affect the user experience for those solely using WhatsApp for personal communication. Personal chats and group messages will remain ad-free.

Businesses will also be able to offer paid subscriptions for exclusive content through their Channels. Paid promotion options will also be available, increasing channel visibility to WhatsApp’s 1.5 billion users. Channels themselves will remain free for users.

Targeted advertising will leverage limited user data, including location, language, followed channels, and ad interaction, but will exclude personal messages and group data. This represents a significant shift from the founders’ initial vision, which explicitly rejected advertising.

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