Tech Desk 
Jun 17, 2025
WhatsApp, the globally popular messaging app that has been mostly ad-free for years, is about to change, as it has revealed new tools for advertisers.
The range of new WhatsApp tools includes three new monetisation features, namely Channels, Status, and Updates, exclusively within its Updates tab.
Paid channel subscriptions, promoted channels in the Discovery directory, and Status ads that resemble Instagram Stories are some of the new features.
WhatsApp claimed that the new advertising features are developed with privacy protections in mind, ensuring that private calls, messages, and status updates stay end-to-end encrypted.
Nikila Srinivasan, vice president of product management at Meta, stated that the company will display advertisements in Status or Channels based on basic data such as country, city, device language, and activity in the Updates tab.
The messaging platform has also promised that calls, group memberships, and private messages won't affect ad targeting and has pledged to never sell or share phone numbers with advertisers.
The reason behind Meta rolling out these ad-oriented features is to generate revenue through WhatsApp's enormous user base, which has more than two billion monthly active users.
Over the course of the upcoming months, the features will be gradually introduced, with availability differing by nation.
Since all of the new features are limited to the Updates tab, which can be disabled in the settings, users who use WhatsApp only for personal messaging won't notice any changes to their experience.
