Associated Press
LONDON (AP) – WhatsApp said Monday that users will start displaying ads in some parts of the app. Owner meta platforms move to grow new revenue streams by tapping billions of people using messaging services.
Ads are only visible in the app updates tab. This tab uses 1.5 billion people every day. But they don’t show up where there’s personal chat, the developer said.
“The personal messaging experience on WhatsApp has not been changed, personal messages, calls and status are encrypted end-to-end and cannot be used to display ads,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.
It’s a major change for the company that founders Jan Karm and Brian Acton when they were created in 2009 to free the platform from advertising.
Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014, and the pair left a few years later. Parent company Meta has long been trying to make money from WhatsApp.
WhatsApp said the ads will target users based on information such as the user’s age, country or city in which they are located, the language they use, the channels they follow on the app, and how they interact with the ads they see.
WhatsApp said it would not use personal messages, phone calls or groups that users are members who target ads to users.
This is one of three advertising features announced by WhatsApp on Monday as it seeks to monetize the app’s user base. Channels allow users to charge monthly subscription fees, allowing them to get exclusive renewals. Additionally, business owners can pay to promote visibility to new users of the channel.
Original issue: June 16, 2025, 1:52pm
