WhatsApp has officially started showing ads in Status updates and Promoted Channels, officially in the first steps to monetization. The feature was first announced in June and is now being unveiled to a limited range of Android users who are using beta version 2.25.21.11.
While Meta promises personal chats to be ad-free, this decision makes WhatsApp more commercial-oriented (like Instagram and Facebook), letting companies and influencers gain more visibility on the platform.
According to WABetaInfo, with the latest update, some beta testers are now seeing sponsored status updates similar to Instagram insertes ads between Stories. However, this rollout seems to be gradual since not everyone enrolled in the beta program has access yet.
The platform is rolling out three ad formats include Status update ads, Promoted Channels and Channel Subscription promotions. Status ads are most visible, exploiting the services popularity.
WhatsApp states that it will never insert ads in personal conversations and that all messages are always end-to-end encrypted, but some users continue to be doubtful of future privacy issues.
Meta claims that phone numbers are not going to be sold or shared with advertisers. Instead, non-sensitive data like country and language will be used for basic ad targeting. This will also be able to be monetized without directly compromising private conversations, at least till the current time.
As WhatsApp becomes a more business-oriented platform than a simple personal messenger, users will have a choice to make regarding how far they are ready to go allowing the ads to creep into their messaging experience.
