A decade later, and ads are coming to WhatsApp.

Yes, the messaging platform built on privacy, simplicity, and an ad-free experience is finally bringing ads to its users. And no, your chat conversations aren’t about to be filled with promotions.

The ads will appear only in the “Updates” tab. This is the part of the app where you can share your status, post content, or follow channels on topics you care about. So yes, your chats will be ad-free. That’s not the plan.

“We are building ads in WhatsApp because we believe people use the Updates tab in WhatsApp to keep up with what’s happening around them, and there’s a ton of discovery value there,” says Miro Krummenkamp, head of WhatsApp Payments at Meta.

Meta’s VP of Product for WhatsApp, Alice Newton Rex, said that over 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab every day. And as for those of you who just want to send messages or voice notes to friends and family — well, you’ll never see these ads.

But this is a significant change.

The updates to WhatsApp will be rolled out over the coming weeks and months. Here’s what to expect.

First, you’ll see ads in the Status section. That’s the part of the app where you can share photos, videos, or text that disappear after 24 hours. Now, alongside your friends’ posts, you’ll also see advertisements.

Here’s the interesting part: you can reply to these status ads and start a chat with the business directly in WhatsApp.

The second ad format is the promoted channel. Channel admins — whether they’re a publisher, a brand, or a creator — can now pay to be discovered. This is an effort to help these businesses grow within WhatsApp’s ecosystem.

Then there’s the subscription option. You can now buy channels from businesses where you’ll receive exclusive content. This could be a channel where you can get paid recipes from a cooking channel. Another way for creators and businesses to make money on the platform.

Now, the real question is: how much data will be shared?

Meta said the targeting will be limited to general information. For example, your country code, age, device language, and your general location (city or region, not GPS). It will also look at how you use the Updates tab. What Channels you follow. The types of content you engage with. How you respond to ads you see.

But don’t worry — your chat content? Still encrypted. Still not for sale.

And while these ads are rolling out, you’ll have control over your data. You can turn off your connection between WhatsApp and its broader Accounts Center, which gathers data from Facebook and Instagram to serve more relevant ads. By default, this option is off. And you can also opt out at any time.

Meta will also give you more transparency. You’ll be able to see why a particular ad was shown to you. You can change your ad preferences. And you can block or report ads you don’t want to see. So yes, while ads are coming — you have some control.

Ultimately, there’s the power behind this decision. Meta’s latest move to monetize WhatsApp.

The company has made most of its money from WhatsApp through its Business Platform, a paid offering for brands to interact with customers. It also introduced click-to-chat ads on Facebook and Instagram that redirect to WhatsApp.

But during its most recent investor call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested that there’s still room to grow. Business Platform is doing well, but ads could go even further. So now, by bringing ads directly into the WhatsApp app, Meta’s taking its monetization strategy to the next level.

“This is really the natural evolution of our approach on WhatsApp,” said Newton Rex. “This is the way we’re going to provide more tools to these businesses to grow and connect.”

Meanwhile, others are also seeing similar changes. Discord introduced ads in 2021. Reddit recently reported its first-ever profitable quarter. And as the digital ad market continues to change, social platforms are following suit.

WhatsApp might have resisted ads for more than a decade. But with 98% of Meta’s revenue now coming from ads — and Meta’s quest to tap into WhatsApp’s full potential — this move isn’t surprising.

It’s possible these ads are only in the “Updates” tab for now. But this is likely just the start.

For now, the ad experience in WhatsApp looks pretty limited. But this is unlikely to be the case forever.

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