When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
After years of providing free services without any strings attached, WhatsApp will now start showing ads. These WhatsApp Status ads will display on the Status screen. It would be interesting to record that this is the app’s version of Instagram Stories.
In addition, the existence of ads on Instagram Stories will now take effect on WhatsApp Status ads after a few Status updates. The first step of the company was to make it known that its ad system depends on general signals. These could be the country, language, and followed channels. Moreover, it also considers data from ads users engage with.
Meta Promises Not To Use Personal Data
Furthermore, Meta insists it won’t use personal identifiers like phone numbers and messages. It claimed that it’d also not use group content for ad targeting. Meta added that if your WhatsApp is linked to Meta’s Account Center, your ad preferences will apply here equally.
Secondly, businesses and creators can also promote their channels through WhatsApp’s discovery section. Some will even charge subscriptions to share exclusive updates. According to Meta, the third development will be to process the payments through app stores.
For the record, over 1.5 billion people use Status and Channels daily, providing a massive reach for the WhatsApp Status ads rollout. Until now, WhatsApp has made money primarily through its business platform and click-to-WhatsApp ads.
Meta has frequently highlighted both as rising revenue sources during its recent earnings calls. The company sees WhatsApp Status ads as a natural next step.
Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s VP of Product, said the ads are an organic expansion of WhatsApp’s monetization model. She explained that businesses want tools to boost discoverability inside WhatsApp itself.
According to her, many companies already use WhatsApp Business. These new ad tools help those brands become more visible on the app. Rex emphasized that this isn’t a detour. It’s the next chapter for WhatsApp’s evolving role in commerce.
TechPolyp notes that WhatsApp is set to release WhatsApp Status ads globally over the next few months. Additionally, they are being introduced slowly to ensure a smooth experience for users and advertisers alike.
Users Express Mixed Reactions Over WhatsApp Status Ads
In addition, some WhatsApp users feel the Status feature should remain personal and ad-free. They opined that it was meant for updates, not ads. Conversely, others believe these changes are inevitable as Meta seeks more revenue. A few users worry that more ads might clutter the app’s straightforward interface and experience.
However, others say the placement is fair since the ads won’t invade chats. They believe that event preserves Whatsapp’s core. People also note that Meta already uses advertising across Instagram and Facebook. For them, WhatsApp Status ads are just a long-awaited shift.
Creators and businesses, on the other hand, welcome this update. It offers new ways to connect with audiences. Many small brands now consider WhatsApp an essential communication tool. This fourth new feature let them advertise where people already spend time.
Marketers see the 1.5 billion daily users as a goldmine. To them, WhatsApp Status ads are not a disruption. Instead, they’re an opportunity to grow. Some experts also believe this opens the door to further personalization. Ads based on channel activity could improve advertisers’ reach and effectiveness.
Lastly, Meta hasn’t stopped here; the company has also continued to create innovated approaches to solving the need of the users. One of those approaches that stand out is the Meta Edits App for creators. It recently introduced powerful video tools for users.
This development enables users to leverage another app, which is the Edits, for free. Notably, the Meta Edits app doesn’t offer a subscription. However, it’s also noteworthy that CapCut provides a free version, while some of its advanced tools are behind a paid subscription. Similarly, Meta Edits is free to use for now. Nevertheless, according to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, this will likely change in the future when he said later versions of Edits may include paid features.
