WhatsApp Breaks Its No-Ads Pledge: Status Screen To Get Advertisements. How They'll Work
For years, WhatsApp resisted the advertising model even as its parent company heavily monetised its other platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
WhatsApp, the Meta-owned instant messenger with more than two billion active users globally, is finally opening its doors to advertisements — a move that marks a significant pivot from its long-standing ad-free promise. The company, which has been owned by Meta since 2014, announced on June 16, 2025, that ads will soon be visible within the app’s ‘Updates’ tab, which includes both ‘Channels’ and ‘Status’ sections.
For years, WhatsApp resisted the advertising model even as its parent company heavily monetised its other platforms like Facebook and Instagram. But with this new change, WhatsApp is aligning itself more closely with Meta’s broader business model, seeking fresh revenue streams from its enormous user base.
“Like everything we do at WhatsApp, we’ve built these features in the most private way possible. Your personal messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one (not even us) can see or hear them,” WhatsApp emphasised in its official blog post.
Three New Revenue Avenues
The upcoming advertising rollout will take multiple forms, all aimed at keeping the user experience intact while creating new monetisation opportunities:
- Paid Channel Subscriptions: Users will be able to subscribe to select channels for exclusive content by paying a monthly fee.
- Promoted Channels: Certain channels will receive boosted exposure within the Discovery directory, helping them attract more followers.
- Ads in Status: The popular Status feature — WhatsApp’s version of Instagram Stories — will now display ads to users.
Despite the introduction of ads, WhatsApp is trying to reassure its user base that its core chatting experience will remain unaffected. “These new features will appear only on the Updates tab, away from your personal chats. This means if you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones there is no change to your experience at all,” the company stated.
Privacy Promises Amid Monetisation Push
Naturally, the prospect of ads raises concerns about data privacy. To this, WhatsApp has offered several reassurances about how user data will be handled. According to the company, ad targeting will rely on limited information such as the user’s location (country or city), language, the Channels followed, and interactions with ads. For those who integrate WhatsApp with Meta’s Accounts Center, ad preferences from across Meta platforms may also influence the ads shown.
“To show ads in Status or Channels you might care about, we’ll use limited info like your country or city, language, the Channels you’re following, and how you interact with the ads you see. For people who have chosen to add WhatsApp to Accounts Center, we’ll also use your ad preferences and info from across your Meta accounts,” the company detailed.
At the same time, WhatsApp reiterated its stance against selling personal data. “We will never sell or share your phone number to advertisers. Your personal messages, calls and groups you are in will not be used to determine the ads you may see,” it assured.
A Calculated Risk
While the move could unlock significant revenue potential for Meta, it also risks alienating users who have long valued WhatsApp for its simplicity and privacy-first approach. Whether the new strategy will pay off without denting user trust remains to be seen.
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