WhatsApp Status, Channels May Show Ads Soon

To recall, earlier in September, WhatsApp had denied exploring adding ads to chats.

The head of WhatsApp has mentioned that the company has no intentions of displaying ads in the primary inbox.

Source : Getty

Meta-owned WhatsApp is exploring adding advertisements within its Status and Channels and also working on introducing new voice messaging and sticker functionalities. This is being seen as the world's most popular messaging platform's attempt to broaden its revenue streams and improve the overall user experience. It should be noted that WhatsApp does not intend to display advertisements in the primary inbox, it is likely to introduce ads within Status, which resembles the app's Stories, and in Channels, says a report by TechCrunch.

In an interview with Brazilian media, Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, mentioned that the company has no intentions of displaying ads in the primary inbox, but is considering the possibility of displaying ads in other sections of the messaging app.

To recall, earlier in September, WhatsApp had denied exploring adding ads to chats, after a report by Financial Times said that the firm is in the early stages of discussing whether ads should be shown on the platform. However, Cathcart, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the story is "false".

While speaking to the Brazilian media, Cathcart noted that introducing ads in the inbox is "not the right model".

“The reason I qualified [sic] the answer is that there could be ads in other places — channels or status. For example, channels might charge people to subscribe, they might be exclusive to paid members or the owners might want to promote the channel. But, no, we won’t put ads in your inbox,” Cathcart said, as per the report by TechCrunch.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp is bringing a significant enhancement in its latest stable update, currently being rolled out, for group calls.

As per WABetaInfo, the iOS update to WhatsApp introduces the capacity to start a group video call with more participants simultaneously. While the app previously permitted 32 participants in a video call, only 15 could initiate the call. However, the recent iOS stable update changes this limitation, marking a significant improvement from the prior limit of only 7 users.