Ads Coming to WhatsApp Soon

Ads have already made their way into some OTT platforms, and Amazon Prime Video is also expected to start showing ads soon. Now, WhatsApp is next in line. Meta has officially announced that advertisements will soon be introduced on WhatsApp as well.

These ads will appear in the ‘Updates’ tab of WhatsApp, which includes features like Channels, Status updates (that disappear after 24 hours), and short videos. The 'Updates' tab, introduced in 2023, is currently being used by 1.5 billion people — and Meta is now planning to monetize this massive user base.

WhatsApp, known as the world’s largest messaging app, has always maintained strong privacy with end-to-end encryption for messages and calls. Because of this, Meta has clarified that ads will not be shown in the main messaging chats.

Just like how ads appear on Instagram, WhatsApp will now start showing similar ads in its Updates section. The ads shown will be based on factors like the user’s country, language, and the channels they follow.

WhatsApp plans to roll out this feature globally in the next two months. Meta acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion and has been testing ad integration for a few years. Now, it’s finally being implemented.

WhatsApp now has over 3 billion monthly active users. Meta is making a strong push to attract small businesses to the platform and is investing heavily in that direction.

In the first quarter of 2025, Meta's ad revenue reached $41.4 billion, compared to $35.6 billion in the same period last year — a 16.2% increase. With this new move, analysts predict that Meta’s ad revenue could grow by another 22% next year.