After years of preparation, the world’s largest messaging app is finally letting ads onto its platform. For the first time since its 2009 launch, ads will appear on WhatsApp.

The change is already happening. Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, announced this week that ads are rolling out inside the app’s Updates tab — where users post Status updates or follow Channels of interest. Importantly, Meta says that this won’t affect your private conversations. Normal chats and group messages will remain ad-free, as Meta said the placements are designed to not disrupt direct messages.

One billion-and-a-half people use the Updates tab every day, making it a powerful medium for ads. So if you’re one of the people who rarely opens that tab, you may never notice the change. But for those who frequently use Status and Channels, you’ll start seeing commercial content.

Three Different types of Ads — And a Subscription Option

WhatsApp’s new ad system has three formats.

First, the Status section — where you can post time-sensitive photos, videos, or texts — will now show ads from businesses. They’ll appear alongside your friends’ statuses, appearing as though they’re just another update. But instead of posts from friends, you’ll see product promotions. You can message the advertiser directly from the ad, creating a new business-to-consumer channel.

Next are Promoted Channels. These allow admins to pay to get their Channel higher in the app. Meta calls this a new way for organizations, content creators, and brands to grow their audiences without depending on off-platform promotion.

Finally, there’s a subscription option. Businesses can now post exclusive updates via paid Channels. So a cooking page might charge a small monthly fee for exclusive recipes and alerts. Meta says this is a new way for creators to monetize their content — and make money for WhatsApp, too.

These are all part of a larger strategy to make WhatsApp more business-friendly. In a briefing, Alice Newton Rex, VP of Product at WhatsApp, called this “a natural evolution” given the scale of the Business Platform and click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram.

That’s important, given WhatsApp’s reputation as a private, safe messaging platform. With ads coming to the app, there were bound to be questions about this.

Meta, though, insists that your privacy is protected. Ad targeting will be based on general user data — like your country, age, language settings, and city. WhatsApp will not use the content of your messages for ads. Instead, it’ll use your activity in Status and Channels. The kinds of Channels you follow, how you engage with content, and whether you click on ads — all of this will be used to determine what ads you see.

In addition, users who sign up for Meta’s Accounts Center — an optional feature — will be able to share their ad preferences across the service. This includes matching activity on Facebook or Instagram with your WhatsApp experience. This feature is off by default and can be turned off at any time.

What’s more, you’ll be able to manage your ad preferences. You’ll be able to see why a specific ad was shown to you, block them, or report them. You can also block advertisers entirely.

Until now, WhatsApp made money mostly from its WhatsApp Business Platform and ads on Facebook/Instagram that sent people to a WhatsApp thread. Last year, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said business messaging is “growing rapidly” — but said WhatsApp could make more money with its huge user base.

It’s not the only platform moving in this direction. Discord recently added ads in 2024. Reddit has ramped up its ad offerings as well — leading to its first-ever profitable quarter. With nearly every major platform reliant on advertising, WhatsApp’s move is a predictable one.

For most users, though, the experience won’t change that much — at least not yet. But the door is open. And with Meta deeply invested in making money off WhatsApp, these changes are just the beginning.