WhatsApp announced on Monday that it will begin showing advertisements within the app as part of a broader effort by parent company Meta Platforms to monetize its vast user base.
The ads will appear exclusively in the app’s Updates tab, which is used by roughly 1.5 billion people daily. WhatsApp emphasized that ads will not be shown in personal chat areas, and that users’ private messages and calls will remain untouched.
“The personal messaging experience on WhatsApp isn’t changing,” the company said in a blog post. “Personal messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted and cannot be used to deliver ads.”
This marks a significant shift for the messaging platform. WhatsApp’s founders, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, had originally pledged to keep the app ad-free when they launched it in 2009. However, since Meta’s acquisition of WhatsApp in 2014, the company has been exploring ways to generate revenue from the platform. Koum and Acton eventually departed due to differences with Meta’s vision.
The new ad feature will use non-intrusive data—such as user age, location, language, followed channels, and ad engagement—to serve targeted ads. WhatsApp confirmed that personal chats, calls, and group memberships will not be used for ad targeting.
The introduction of ads is one of three monetization tools WhatsApp rolled out on Monday:
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Channels can now charge users for monthly subscriptions in exchange for exclusive content.
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Business accounts will have the option to pay for promotional tools that boost visibility to potential followers.
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Advertisements will be placed in the Updates tab to reach wider audiences.
Meta continues to rely heavily on advertising for revenue. In 2025, the company generated $164.5 billion, with $160.6 billion coming from ads.
