WhatsApp rolls out ads in its Updates tab, a first for the app, and Meta will collect some data to target the ads, but says it has no plans to put ads in chats
here's where you'll see them (and where you won't) Capital Brief : Meta to roll out ads on WhatsApp and offer paid subscriptions Katie Hicks / Marketing Brew : Ads are coming to WhatsApp Colin Kirkland / MediaPost : Meta To Roll Out Ads In WhatsApp Updates Tab Nathan Drescher / Android Authority : Your WhatsApp Status view is about to get ads Kevin Okemwa / Windows Central : Ads and paywalls? WhatsApp might have just lost its unique selling point Geoff Desreumaux / WeRSM : WhatsApp Is Officially Getting Ads, But Not In Your Chats (Yet) Bradly Shankar / MobileSyrup : WhatsApp is officially rolling out ads Jonathan Vanian / CNBC : Meta is finally bringing ads to WhatsApp Andrew Hutchinson / Marketing Dive : Sociable: WhatsApp launches ads in status updates, channel subscriptions John Gruber / Daring Fireball : WhatsApp Introduces Ads in Its App Enacy Mapakame / Cryptopolitan : WhatsApp will finally get ads on the platform, 11 years after Meta acquired it The Stack : Meta looks to sweat WhatsApp with ads, price tweaks Yoona Wagener / Lifewire : WhatsApp's Ad-Free Days Are Officially Over Akshay Kumar / Android Headlines : Brace Yourself: WhatsApp on Android Is Finally Getting Ads Rick Findlay / Reclaim The Net : WhatsApp Shifts to Ad-Driven Model, Testing Limits of Privacy and Consent Under Meta Rani Molla / Sherwood News : Meta jumps on WhatsApp getting ads for the first time Matthew Keegan / CampaignUK : WhatsApp officially introduces ads in updates tab Macy Meyer / CNET : Meta's AI-Powered Ad Machine Is Coming for WhatsApp Next Nickolas Diaz / Android Central : WhatsApp unlocks new revenue streams, rolls out paid subscriptions, and more Mark Mwachiro / Adweek : Meta to Start Including Ads in WhatsApp Ben Kesslen / Quartz : Meta is introducing ads to WhatsApp's 2 billion users WABetaInfo : WhatsApp Launches Channel Subscriptions and Ads in Status, Keeping Your Chats Uninterrupted Cristina Criddle / Financial Times : Meta introduces advertising to WhatsApp in push for new revenues Pranav Dixit / Business Insider : Get ready for ads on WhatsApp Bluesky: Courtney Nguyen / @fortydeucetwits : why do these idiots insist on breaking the things that work. — www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/t... @goldstein : One more reason to ditch WhatsApp for Signal. Jon Wood / @jonwood : Ahhh, is *that* why Meta are suddenly running big ad campaigns about how they're not able [citation required] to read your messages. Meredith Whittaker / @meredithmeredith : Use Signal. We promise, no AI clutter, and no surveillance ads, whatever the rest of the industry does. <3 [image] @noyb.eu : 🚨 Meta announced today that it will introduce ads on WhatsApp, which will be based on personal data from Facebook and Instagram. This move further consolidates Meta's social networking monopoly. EU law was actually supposed to prevent this. — noyb.eu/en/whatsapp-... Emil Protalinski / @emilprotalinski : I've never opened the Updates tab, and I suspect my friends haven't either. — Which is honestly too bad, because this would have been a great opportunity to try for a mass switch to Signal. [embedded post] Threads: Chris Carley / @thatchriscarley : This is the darkest timeline. I've had so many people tell me they don't use WhatsApp because it's a good service, they use it because everyone else does and they have no choice. @documentingmeta : WhatsApp is one of the greatest products ever. It isn't free to run it. Ads continue to be the greatest leveler to ever exist for billions of people. High income people in rich countries will get on high horse about ads thinking everyone can and should afford subscriptions, but thankfully those are a vocal minority. X: @supbagholder : $META to introduce channel subscriptions, promoted channels and ads in status in WhatsApp updates tab. Let's fucking go. I've been waiting for this for the better part of a decade. Lukasz Olejnik / @lukolejnik : WhatsApp is getting ads. It's an end-to-end encrypted messenger, so the critical trust factor relies on the design and communication of such choices. Risky. It isn't clear how privacy is considered, but it sounds like profiled or contextual ads. #GDPR https://blog.whatsapp.com/... [image] Luke Tryl / @luketryl : Nothing is to be spared from enshittification @signulll : today meta finally put ads into whatsapp. jan's 2012 blog post about why we don't sell ads is still live which is kinda funny. this is exactly why i am an apple fanboi. it's certainly not perfect, but it's the last major company where there is roughly one clear customer. [image] @moreperfectus : WhatsApp says it will start showing ads inside the app for the first time. The ads will be in a part of the app called Updates, used by around 1.5 billion people a day. WhatsApp will collect data on users to target the ads, like location and your default language. Rihard Jarc / @rihardjarc : The era of $META WhatsApp monetization BEGINS. $META just introduced a wave of new products for WA monetization (ads & subs) In the end WA might be the biggest asset of them all when all is done. Sar Haribhakti / @sarthakgh : Great to see them finally rolling out ads Whatsapp is one of the greatest products ever. It isn't free to run it. Ads continue to be the greatest leveler to ever exist for billions of people High income people in rich countries will get on high horse about ads but who cares [image] @borrowed_ideas : Finally, some ads on WhatsApp. Important to note: “Last I checked, people share more stories on WhatsApp worldwide than they do on Instagram in a given day” (Adam Mosseri on Rick Rubin's podcast in February 2024) [image] Rat King / @mikeisaac : been on earnings calls for years where analysts asks meta “ads in whatsapp tonight queen? 👀” today, the answer is yes w/ @elitanjourno https://www.nytimes.com/... @wabetainfo : WhatsApp Launches Channel Subscriptions and Ads in Status, Keeping Your Chats Uninterrupted! WhatsApp has expanded the Updates tab with new tools, including Channel Subscriptions, Promoted Channels, and Ads in Status. https://wabetainfo.com/... [image] Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia : Everything's an ad network. Surprised it took this long for Meta to open up a massive channel like WhatsApp to its clients. I guess the cost of opening a giant AI data center outweighs the integrity of not having a public communications utility (essentially) inundated with ads. Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller : Meta is putting ads in WhatsApp, aka raising prices. https://www.nytimes.com/... @metanewsroom : Today, @WhatsApp is introducing new features in the Updates tab (like channel subscriptions, promoted channels and ads in Status) without changing anything about your personal chats (they remain end to end encrypted). https://about.fb.com/... LinkedIn: Itxaso Domínguez de Olazábal, PhD : Meta just confirmed it: ads are coming to WhatsApp, and it seems many will be personalised using data from Facebook and Instagram. … Forums: Hacker News : WhatsApp introduces ads in its app r/BetterOffline : Is it me or is the growth of these companies directly tied with how much they can subject their users to and get away with? r/worldnews : WhatsApp just launched ads for all users, here are the details r/indotech : WhatsApp is officially getting ads r/signal : WhatsApp is officially getting ads r/privacy : WhatsApp just launched ads for all users r/Android : WhatsApp just launched ads for all users r/stocks : WhatsApp to Show Ads, Offer Paid Subscriptions for First Time r/LightPhone : WhatsApp is officially getting ads. r/UniversalProfile : WhatsApp will have ads. Can't wait to have RCS in my carrier. r/technology : WhatsApp is officially getting ads. r/india : WhatsApp is officially getting ads r/BuyFromEU : Meta trying to give us a hand (ads coming to WhatsApp) r/indotech : WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen r/signal : TechCrunch: WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen r/Telegram : WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen r/technews : WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen r/whatsapp : WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen Msmash / Slashdot : WhatsApp Introduces Ads in Its App
Context & Ripple Effects
WhatsApp’s move follows an earlier period in which Meta was reported to be weighing ads and an ad-free subscription, while WhatsApp was already being repositioned as a paid business-messaging platform. The Updates tab creates a distinct surface for that commercial model rather than altering personal conversations.
The rollout also extends a broader product split: private chats retain end-to-end encryption, while Status and Channels become places for discovery, promotion, and subscriptions. That boundary is central to whether WhatsApp can monetize without undermining its messaging proposition.
First-order effects
- Users of Updates will begin encountering ads, promoted channels, and subscription offers; users who stay in personal chats are not directly exposed to chat ads under Meta’s stated plan.
- Meta gains a new ad inventory surface and can target it using specified account signals, including location, language, and potentially Facebook and Instagram data.
Second-order effects
- Businesses and channel operators have a clearer paid route to reach WhatsApp audiences, complementing the company’s prior push into paid business messaging.
- The separation between chats and Updates makes the quality of that boundary a product and trust issue: any expansion of data use or ad placement beyond it would face sharper user scrutiny.
Third-order effects
- WhatsApp is evolving from a single-purpose messenger toward a layered communications platform, with private messaging alongside ad-supported and subscription-based discovery surfaces.
- If this model proves durable, Meta’s monetization strategy will increasingly depend on turning attention outside encrypted conversations into commercial inventory while preserving privacy claims inside them.
The trend: Messaging platforms are seeking revenue through adjacent discovery and business layers rather than immediately monetizing the private chat itself.