The launch of WhatsApp's ads begins when the destination breaks for the promise without advertising -

Telegram Group Join Now

The global implementation of WhatsApp ads officially started, marking the end of an era for the most popular messaging platform in the world, which remained without advertising from the acquisition of $ 19 billion in 2014. The announcement It represents a significant change in the monetization strategy of Meta and reports a deviation from the founding principles of WhatsApp.

The three -front monetization strategy

The Meta approach to the monetization of the three billion of WhatsApp monthly users focuses on three features, each limited to the App updates tab to avoid interrupting personal conversations. The company has announced that these changes will influence users of 1.5 billion daily that commit themselves to the updates section.

The advertisements on the state form the corner stone of the launch of the ads of WhatsApp. Users will now meet promotional content between state updates from friends and family, similar to advertising on Instagram stories.

The announcements allow users to “find a new activity and easily start a conversation with them on a product or service they are promoting in the state”, according to the official announcement of WhatsApp.

The promoted channels represent a mechanism of discovery in which channel administrators can pay to increase their visibility in the directory. The functionality deals with the requests of the companies of a greater discovery in WhatsApp’s ecosystem, providing “administrators a way to increase the visibility of their channel”, says the company.

Canale subscriptions introduce a creator economy model, allowing users to “support your favorite channel by registering to receive exclusive updates for a monthly commission”. The subscription -based approach reflects successful models on platforms such as Patreon and YouTube, although Meta has not disclosed revenue sharing agreements.

Privacy insurance between data concerns

Whatsapp stressed that implementation gives priority to user privacy, stating that “personal messages, calls and states remain end-to-end encrypting, which means that no one (not even us) can see or listen to them”. The company has outlined specific data limits for ads targeting.

The platform will use “limited information such as your country or the city, the language, the channels you are following and the way you interact with the announcements you see” for the advertising targeting. Critically, WhatsApp has promised that “we will never sell or share your phone number of advertisers” and confirmed that “the messages, calls and personal groups in which you find you will not be used to determine the ads you could see”.

However, users who have connected WhatsApp to the Meta Account Center will experience the use of multiplatform data, since the company “will also use preferences and advertising information from your Meta accounts”. The integration raises questions about the compartmentalization of data in the ecosystem of Meta.

Break a promise of decade

The launch of WhatsApp’s ads directly contradicts the commitments made by the CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the acquisition of 2014

The philosophical change became evident after the departure of WhatsApp co-founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton, who supported the motto “No Ads! No Games! No Gimmks!” According to reports, their exit derived from disagreements with a destination anxious leaders to introduce advertising and monetization characteristics.

Recently in September 2023, Willppy Will Cathcart publicly refuted reports on advertising tests, defining the “false” speculation. The current announcement is particularly surprising, representing a rapid political reversal in the last year.

Company strategic implications

The times of WhatsApp advertisements align with the efforts to optimize the wider revenue in destination. The company’s basic advertising activity has shown a strong momentum in the first quarter of 2025, with the prices of the average ads that increase by 10% on an annual basis, led by advertising tools fueled by artificial intelligence and demand for advertisers supported.

Wolfe Research analysts project That commercial messaging on WhatsApp could generate $ 30-40 billion in annual revenue, which represent a large leap from the current levels. The potential WhatsApp positions as a critical component of the long -term financial strategy of Meta.

The company’s trust derives from successful precedents with clicks-to-whatapp ads on Facebook and Instagram, who already direct users to company conversations on the messaging platform. Meta repeatedly highlighted the commercial messaging as a growing revenue channel in recent quarterly calls on profits.

Considerations on user experience

The Meta approach tries to minimize the interruption by limiting all commercial features in the updates tab, for now. The company stressed that “if you use only WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones, there is no change in your experience at all”.

However, the integration of advertising in the state updates – a functionality used per day of 1.5 billion people – inevitably alters the user’s experience for a significant part of the WhatsApp users’ base. The long -term impact remains to be seen on the involvement of users and the perception of the platform.

Global implementation and future implications

The launch of WhatsApp ads began globally on June 16, 2025, with features that become available for users and companies all over the world in the coming months. This represents the final chapter of WhatsApp’s transformation from an independent messaging service and without advertising to a completely integrated component of the Meta advertising ecosystem.

The success of the company monetization strategy could influence the way other messaging platforms approach advertising integration. WhatsApp joins Instagram, Facebook and the advertising ecosystem of Thread out and destination approaches its goal of creating a unified and based advertising platform in all its properties.

(Photo of Deeksha Pahariya)