WhatsApp, the world’s largest messaging app, will soon show ads for the first time. On June 16, Meta confirmed that ads will begin appearing in the Updates tab—the section that hosts Status updates and Channels—while also rolling out paid channel subscriptions and promotional tools for creators and businesses.

This marks the most significant monetization shift in WhatsApp’s history. The platform, which has long avoided ads to preserve its privacy-first identity, will now generate revenue through a model that blends digital advertising with creator economy features—similar to monetization models on Instagram and Telegram.

“We will be introducing ads in the Updates tab, but not in your chats,” said Nikila Srinivasan, VP of Product at WhatsApp, in a media briefing reported by Business Insider and Bloomberg. “Ads will appear alongside Status and Channel recommendations, not in private messages.” 

The new features include:

• Ads in Updates: Businesses can place ads that appear within the Updates tab, between user-generated Status updates and recommended Channels. Ads will be targeted using basic, non-encrypted data such as language settings, city-level location, and engagement history with channels.
• Paid Channel Subscriptions: Channel owners will soon be able to charge followers for access to exclusive content, features, or privileges. This opens a recurring revenue stream for influencers, publishers, and brands.
• Promoted Channels: Channels will also be able to pay to appear more prominently in discovery results, similar to sponsored placements in other Meta products.

According to Financial Times, Meta described the update as part of its larger push to turn messaging into a core business vertical, noting that WhatsApp and Messenger currently make up just a small fraction of the company’s revenue compared to Instagram and Facebook. 

Importantly, WhatsApp emphasized that end-to-end encryption remains untouched, and the content of private messages will not be used for ad targeting.

The rollout will begin in select markets and expand globally “over the coming months,” according to reports from Bloomberg, AFP, and others. Meta has not yet published an official press release on its newsroom, but the company confirmed the details in multiple briefings with global news outlets.

INSIDER TAKE

WhatsApp’s entry into ad-supported and paid-subscription models signals a long-awaited pivot for the platform—and a meaningful expansion of Meta’s subscription strategy. While the app will not display ads in chats or charge for its core messaging features, the introduction of optional paid channels moves WhatsApp into new territory: creator-driven recurring revenue.

For subscription businesses, this raises key considerations:

• Distribution: Channels could become a viable way to deliver premium content, offers, or customer support, particularly in regions where WhatsApp dominates mobile communication.
• Monetization Trends: Meta continues to blend ads and subscriptions, not choosing one over the other. Expect similar hybrid monetization in Messenger and possibly Threads.
• Privacy Tradeoffs: The limited use of data for ad targeting respects WhatsApp’s encryption ethos, but it may also limit ad performance. Businesses using promoted channels will need to experiment to see what drives ROI.

Ultimately, this is another step toward turning WhatsApp into a monetizable platform without compromising its core user experience. But it also places Meta in more direct competition with Telegram and WeChat, both of which have already embraced subscription and promotional features for content creators.