WhatsApp begins to display advertisements, but not in private conversations

With the ability to add advertisements in the status area, paid channel subscriptions, and promoted channels, WhatsApp introduces new features in its news tab. Users who just utilize this network to chat with their contacts won’t be impacted by these changes.

A year and a half ago, Meta-owned WhatsApp introduced the news tab, which allows users to access optional features like channels and status updates in addition to talking with their friends.

In a virtual discussion with reporters, Nikila Srinivasan, head of enterprise messaging at Meta, stated that the new capabilities will be available on this tab, which is used daily by 1.5 billion people and is where users go to «discover something new on WhatsApp.»

According to Srinivasan, these functions will be introduced globally and will be «progressing little by little over the next few months.»

There will now be promoted channels within the channels that the messaging service opened a little more than a year ago and that, for instance, enable businesses to broadcast messages to sizable audiences.

According to him, the goal is to «give administrators the ability to promote some of their channels in the directory to help attract new followers and get wider distribution of their content and help people discover new channels that might be interesting to them.»