WhatsApp has had a very interesting relationship with money. If you used the app way back in the day, you'll remember that it was free for the first year, but after that, you'd have to pay a very reasonable 99-cent charge each subsequent year. After a point, though, the company announced that the app was going to be free for good.
Having no cost attached certainly helped the messaging app become the most-used in the world. However, WhatsApp is a business at the end of the day, and it's no surprise that the company needs to figure out how to bring in revenue. Your ad-free experience in WhatsApp is about to come to an end, after well over a decade.
The WhatsApp Updates Section Is Getting Three New Features, All Focused on Money
WhatsApp might be the biggest app in the world that doesn't make money in any obvious ways. There are no ads, no subscription fees, and no options to purchase themes or special add-ons of any kind. However, profit is the real driver for a business, so it shouldn't be too surprising to see the company looking for means to increase how much it brings in for Meta.
| Year | Event |
| 2009 | WhatsApp launched on iOS for $0.99 |
| 2013 | WhatsApp free for first year, with $0.99 annual subscription fee afterward |
| 2016 | WhatsApp goes entirely free |
| 2018 | WhatsApp Business API charges for messages sent |
| 2025 | WhatsApp introudces ads in Updates tab |
WhatsApp is going to be bringing three new features to its Updates tab, and interestingly, all three are almost entirely business-focused.
- You'll see ads when scrolling through the Status section. You know how you get hit with the occasional ad when scrolling through stories on Snapchat or Instagram? That's about to happen in WhatsApp.
- Sponsored channels will now show up when looking through the channel directory. I barely use the Channels section in WhatsApp, but if you do, you're now going to see channels tagged as “Sponsored” scattered within the list.
- Channel admins can now enable monthly subscriptions for exclusive content. If you have a channel on WhatsApp, instead of just following, superfans will be able to pay a monthly fee to subscribe and receive exclusive updates.
Each of these updates puts money at the center. Businesses will pay WhatsApp for ads, people will pay WhatsApp to promote their channel, and fans will pay channels for subscriptions and WhatsApp will likely take a cut of that. Ads in status updates will be extremely annoying for most people, especially after getting so used to the ad-free experience. The other features will be less obtrusive, at the very least.
With Ads in the Mix Now, WhatsApp Promises to Keep Your Private Data Safe
Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to the privacy of its users. Because of that, WhatsApp is making it very clear that it is doing everything it can to ensure your privacy with this update.
Ads will be chosen for you based on a limited set of information, including:
- Your country or city
- Your language
- Channels that you currently follow
- How you interact with ads.
If WhatsApp is connected to Meta Accounts Center, ad preferences from other Meta apps will be shared. The company vows that it won't sell or share your phone number, and your personal communications won't be used in personalizing ads.
