- WhatsApp is finally getting ads
- They’ll appear in the Updates tab, integrated with Statuses and Channels
- Regular chats won’t be affected by the chnages, and are still private
It’s official, WhatsApp’s latest update is bringing ads to the platform.
My initial reaction to this news was dread that the conversations with my friends might be diluted by pop-ups like you see on Messenger (another Meta-owned messaging service). Thankfully, however, it looks like WhatsApp is keeping its adverts locked within its Updates tab. At least for now.
In the Updates tab, you’ll find that both Channels and Statuses are getting the ad treatment. Channels are dedicated groups you can join, with hosts who send you messages and update. They’re popular among football teams, influencers and news outlets (in fact, we here at TechRadar have one you can join).
The ads come in the form of new Promoted Channels, which will soon start to appear when you look through the directory. They’ll be recommended to you based on what WhatsApp thinks you’ll find interesting, assuming the channel is paying to be promoted.
Statuses (basically WhatsApp Stories) are ways to share quick updates and highlights with friends and family. Now ads will appear as Stauses too – again being promoted to you based on your interests.
On top of these changes, WhatsApp is adding Channel subscriptions. These aren’t ads, but are another (and in my opinion better) way to monetize WhatsApp.
By paying a monthly fee you can support your favorite channel and get exclusive updates in exchange – a bit like you do through third-party services like Patreon or premium newsletters.
WhatsApp has me hooked
After digging through the changes I’m generally less concerned than I was when i heard of the announcement.
I rarely use the Updates tab, and as WhatsApp’s blog post explains “if you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones there is no change to your experience at all.”
Further down, it adds that these ads won’t affect your privacy either. “Your personal messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one (not even us) can see or hear them.”
Meta explains that Status and Channel ads will be based on the limited information it does collect like where you’re from, the language your app is set to, which Channels you already follow, and how you engage with ads you are shown.
If your WhatsApp is part of your Meta Accounts Center, it’ll also base its data on info from your other accounts.
It’s really trying to hammer home that our chat data is just as secure as ever, and that non-Updates chats won’t be changed.
It feels like the start of a slippery slope to me, but like the rest of WhatsApp’s 3 billion monthly active users – a figure that makes it the world’s biggest messaging platform – I know I can’t leave.
That’s not only because I don’t want to lose the chats and contacts I already have through the app (migrating everyone to a different service would be a Sisyphean task), but also because as someone who travels a lot it’s an excellent country-agnostic platform that has allowed me to make restaurant reservations, book taxis, and call a car repair company when I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
So for now I’m sticking with WhatsApp, but I’m also starting my hunt for a new service – even considering jumping back to classic text messages or Android’s Google Messages, which has received a fair few upgrades in the past few years.
Even if things do get worse, I’m not sure I’ll be able to leave then either, but the best I can do is try.