By Redaction ARPS Media with AP
WhatsApp will start showing ads in the Updates tab, affecting its 1.5 billion daily users.
Personal chats will still be ad-free and remain private. This change contradicts the company’s original promise not to include ads made in 2009.
Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, aims to generate revenue from the app, which has been challenging since it acquired it in 2014. The ads will be targeted using user information, but personal messages and calls will not be involved.
Additionally, channels can now charge for subscriptions and improve their visibility. In 2025, Meta generated approximately $160.6 billion from ads, accounting for about 97% of its total revenue of $164.5 billion.
