Ads are coming to WhatsApp — here's where you'll see them (and where you won't)

WhatsApp users will begin seeing advertisements on the app, thanks to a new global update.

As per Meta's Newsroom, advertisements will appear only in the "Updates" tab — a separate tab at the bottom of the app, which showcases both "Channels" and "Status" features. Users can subscribe to friends and other public channels, and post statuses of their own, akin to Instagram's subscription and "Stories" features.

"The Updates tab is where you discover something new on WhatsApp – whether that’s a friend’s status from their wedding day or a creator’s entertaining channel – and it’s now used by 1.5 billion people per day globally," Meta stated.

"Now the Updates tab is going to be able to help Channel admins, organizations and businesses build and grow."

WhatsApp will introduce ads in three ways on the Updates tab: via channel subscriptions, promoted channels and ads in Status. Channel subscriptions will work similarly to paid content on Instagram, allowing users to subscribe to their favorite public channels and receive exclusive updates for a monthly fee. In terms of promoted channels, businesses will be able to pay to boost their visibility to new users.

Businesses can also advertise products and services in Status updates, linking viewers to a chat when clicked.

How will ads actually work on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp will target ads in a similar way to Facebook and Instagram; however, it seems these third-party advertisements will be less intrusive to user experience. Meta notes that users' messages, calls and statuses "remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one can see or hear them" — including the platform — and if you don’t use the Updates tab, you won’t even see ads.

WhatsApp ads will be targeted towards users based on their age, country or city that they're located in, and language. Ads will also be targeted based on the channels they're following in the app and how they interact with ads.

Users who have chosen to link their WhatsApp account to Meta's Account Center hub will have their ad preferences and information fed from their Meta accounts.

Meta will be rolling out these features over the coming months and is already calling on businesses and channel admins to become early adopters of the new features. As always, we will keep you updated on how this pans out for WhatsApp users — and whether these ads will remain non-invasive in the long run.