Starting this week, you’ll begin seeing ads on WhatsApp — but not in your private chats. Instead, Meta is introducing sponsored content through WhatsApp’s “Status” feature in the Updates tab. If you regularly check your friends’ photos, videos, or disappearing voice notes, you may now notice business ads mixed in alongside those familiar updates.
This new feature marks a major change for the messaging app, which has long been ad-free and focused on privacy. Meta says this shift won’t affect your conversations, and your messages will remain protected. The company insists it only places ads in spaces that don’t interfere with your private communications.
Ads appear in the Updates tab, not your chats
You’ll find the new ads inside WhatsApp’s “Status” section — Meta’s version of the Stories format made popular by Instagram and Snapchat. It allows users to share time-limited content that disappears after 24 hours. Now, between your friends’ updates, you might see advertisements from businesses looking to promote their services or products.
This update has been coming for a long time. Meta had initially paused its advertising plans for WhatsApp in 2020, but the company continued to explore how to introduce ads without compromising its user experience. In 2023, WhatsApp head Will Cathcart confirmed that they were still working on making it happen — and now, it’s finally rolling out.
Meta generated over US$160 billion in advertising revenue last year, and the company sees WhatsApp as a new frontier for growth. Though WhatsApp’s founders were firmly against in-app advertising, the app has evolved significantly since Meta acquired it in 2014.
Meta says your messages stay private
If you’re worried about your data being used for ads, Meta says it’s taking a careful approach. The company will only use “limited” information — such as your general location (country or city), language, the channels you follow, and how you interact with ads — to personalise the experience.
Importantly, your private content — including messages, calls, and group activity — won’t be used for advertising. Meta also promises not to sell or share your phone number with advertisers.
If you’d like to control your ad preferences, you can do so via Meta’s Accounts Centre, where you can manage how your data is used across all Meta-owned apps like Facebook and Instagram.
“We’ve been talking about our plans to build a business that does not interrupt your chats for years,” Meta shared in its announcement. “We believe the Updates tab is the right place for these new features to work.”
Promoted channels and exclusive content are also coming
This change isn’t just about status ads. Meta is also adding promoted channels to the Explore section in WhatsApp. When you search for new channels to follow, you’ll start seeing sponsored ones highlighted in the list.
Users can also subscribe to specific channels to get “exclusive updates.” This is part of WhatsApp’s growing effort to shift from being a private messenger to offering more content and connection tools similar to those found on other Meta platforms.
While the rollout of ads on WhatsApp may spark debate, Meta seems committed to keeping your personal chats untouched—at least for now. For many users, the balance between keeping conversations private and offering new ways to explore content will define how welcome these changes really are.
