Meta is introducing ads to WhatsApp as part of its push for more revenue. How can WhatsApp advertising potentially impact its users?
One of the world’s most popular messaging services, WhatsApp, is finally getting ads, marking its entry into direct ad revenue for the first time since Meta acquired them in 2014.
Announced at Cannes Lions 2025, the native ads will appear exclusively in the Status section of the Updates tab of WhatsApp, a format similar to Instagram Stories, where users share photos, videos, and disappearing messages.
In addition, Meta is expanding monetization options for WhatsApp Channels. Admins can now pay to promote their Channels in search results, much like App Store ads, and can offer paid monthly subscriptions for access to exclusive content. Meta plans to eventually take a 10% commission on these subscriptions. These updates move WhatsApp closer in line with other creator-focused platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Twitch.
WhatsApp ads take center stage
Meta released more information on the rollout of these upcoming updates over the coming months, including the introduction of three new features:
- Channel Subscriptions: Users can support their favorite channels or news sources by subscribing to them for a monthly fee, gaining access to exclusive updates.
- Promoted Channels: Users can also discover new and relevant channels more easily through the directory, as channel admins can now boost their visibility for the first time.
- Ads in Status: Users can explore new businesses and connect with them directly through ads placed in the Status feature, where they promote products or services.
Meta says that WhatsApp will be using limited user information such as their country or city, language, the Channels they are following and how they interact with the ads they see. For those who have chosen to add WhatsApp to their Meta Accounts Center settings, they will also use their ad preferences and information across their Meta accounts.
“This was a longtime request that we had from businesses, and they care about preserving people’s personal spaces,” said Nikila Srinivasan, VP of Business Messaging at WhatsApp.
In 2023, it was reported that Meta initially was exploring ways to bring advertising to WhatsApp. At the time, WhatsApp head Will Cathcart denied the claim, calling it “false” and stating, “We aren’t doing this.” Before its $19 billion acquisition by Facebook in 2014, WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton famously championed the motto: “No ads! No games! No gimmicks!”
The company now says its decision to shift away from that stance comes from identifying a space for advertising that doesn’t disrupt private messaging. Introducing ads on WhatsApp will allow Meta to further grow its revenue by monetizing one of the last major platforms in its portfolio that has remained ad-free until now.
Talks about privacy amid WhatsApp marketing rollout
It’s worth noting that these subscriptions, updates, and ads will only appear on the Updates tab. This means that it will be away from users’ chats, which are beneficial for those who only use WhatsApp for personal reasons (such as chatting with family and friends). Furthermore, Meta says their WhatsApp messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one can see or hear them (including Meta).
Long story short: users’ messages, calls, and groups they are in will not be used to determine the ads they may see.
“Thinking through the lens of privacy was incredibly important for how we thought about bringing these features to market.” Srinivasan added,
Meta has long faced the challenge of balancing its drive for revenue with its commitment to user privacy on WhatsApp. Unlike Meta’s other advertising platforms, which often use personal data and browsing history for precise targeting, WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted. Privacy was a core principle for co-founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton, who vowed never to include ads within the app. Both founders eventually left Meta—Acton in 2017 and Koum in 2018.
According to the VP and Head of Product at WhatsApp, Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp ads will rely on broad targeting criteria such as users’ location, language preferences, and the Channels they follow. Meta will not use a person’s Facebook or Instagram data to target ads on WhatsApp unless they’ve actively linked their accounts.
“We’re not putting ads into private messages. If you’re only using WhatsApp for chats and calls, you won’t see any ads.” Newton-Rex emphasized.
Final thoughts
eMarketer states that Meta is banking on its ability to monetize WhatsApp without alarming users, maintaining end-to-end encryption while quietly introducing promotions in the Updates tab. It’s a strategic move, but could trigger backlash as long-held expectations of an ad-free experience clash with this shift toward subtle commercialization. The timing is also challenging, coming on the heels of a privacy misstep involving Meta AI app publishing users’ private chats.
Evercore ISI analyst Mark Mahaney projects that if Meta earns just $6 in average ad revenue per daily user from this effort, a small portion compared to its broader business and grows the Updates tab’s daily user base from 1.5 billion to 1.7 billion, WhatsApp’s new features could generate around $10.2 billion in annual ad revenue by 2028. This could also contribute roughly $5 billion in additional operating income for Meta.
The global rollout of ads begins this week, but it will be gradual, so not all users will see them right away. We shall see what happens if Meta’s plans for WhatsApp advertising at the expense of extra ad profit don’t derail privacy-oriented users from completely using the app.
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