WhatsApp has been teasing us with its long-awaited advertising push for years. The world’s most popular messaging app is finally rolling out ads to users — for the first time since it launched in 2009. Don’t expect them to start popping up in your one-on-one chats though. The ads will be contained to one section of the app — the Updates tab, where users post temporary status updates and follow interest-specific Channels.

“Over the past 13 years, people have relied on WhatsApp for important moments in their lives,” Newton Rex said in a blog post announcing the new feature. “That hasn’t changed — and our private and secure messaging experience will remain the same.”

For those who only use WhatsApp to message friends and chat in group conversations, you might not even notice the change. But for those who often use the Updates tab, the future is starting to look a bit more commercial.

That’s because more than 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab every day, according to Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company. That’s a massive audience — and one that advertisers want to reach. So naturally, Meta is moving cautiously with this new feature.

Ads in Status, Promoted Channels, and Paid Subscriptions

So what exactly are these ads?

There are three different ad formats. First, ads in Status. Those will appear alongside your friends’ 24-hour disappearing stories — just like how ads appear in Instagram Stories. As you scroll through your contacts’ statuses, you might now see a photo, video, or message from a brand or company. Users will also be able to reply to these ads, kicking off a conversation directly with the advertiser.

Second, WhatsApp is introducing Promoted Channels. This gives Channel admins and businesses the ability to boost their content within the app. Promoted Channels will be more prominent, and they’ll appear in search results and recommendations, helping them gain traction inside WhatsApp — without needing to rely on outside platforms.

Third, and perhaps most interestingly, WhatsApp is introducing a subscription feature. Businesses and creators will now be able to sell exclusive updates for a monthly fee. For example, a user could subscribe to a cooking Channel for access to premium recipes or early drops. It’s a new way for businesses to make money — and for WhatsApp to bring in more revenue.

That last part is the key. Up until now, WhatsApp made money by selling its Business Platform, a paid product that helps companies connect with customers, and click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram. But Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said the company wants to go even further. On an investor call earlier this year, he said the Business Platform is growing — but there’s still room to expand.

This is part of that larger vision.

Newton Rex, WhatsApp’s VP of Product, called this the “next natural evolution.” She said that businesses have been asking for more tools to help them grow their audience within WhatsApp, and this new ad rollout is a direct response to that request.

Of course, this wasn’t an easy decision. Introducing ads to a platform long built on privacy was never going to be easy.

But Meta insists it’s doing this carefully. The ads won’t use any content from your chats. Instead, targeting will be based on general user information — things like age, country code, language settings, and general location (not your exact address). WhatsApp will also consider how you interact with the Updates tab — for example, which Channels you follow and what types of content you engage with.

You’ll also be able to connect your WhatsApp account to Meta’s Accounts Center — an optional setting that allows for more personalized ads based on activity across Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta services. That feature is turned off by default and can be turned off at any time.

WhatsApp is also adding in transparency features. You’ll be able to see why you’re seeing a particular ad, hide ads from specific advertisers, or report ads that you think are inappropriate. The company says it’s trying to make this experience as user-controlled as possible.

The move isn’t shocking in the grand scheme of things. With Meta making 98% of its revenue from advertising, and having bought WhatsApp in 2014 for $16 billion, it was only a matter of time before the platform was used to bring in more ad dollars.

And it’s not just Meta. Other platforms are doing the same. Discord introduced ads in 2020. Reddit has also seen its ad business grow substantially in recent years, reporting its first profit ever last quarter. With the economy in the toilet, even platforms built on community and privacy are finding ways to bring in advertisers.

For now, the impact on WhatsApp users is minimal. But this marks the start of a new era for the app. Ads have arrived — and while they’re currently limited to the Updates tab for now, it’s clear that Meta is laying the groundwork for something much bigger.