Meta to launch advertising service in WhatsApp

WhatsApp announced Monday that it will launch new advertising spaces, a significant shift for the messaging app, which has largely avoided advertising until now.

Unlike Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms owned by the Meta group, WhatsApp has maintained a nearly ad-free business model since the social media giant acquired it in 2014.

The app is popular for its ease of use, features (voice and video calls, voice messages, etc.), encrypted messaging, and apparent commercial neutrality.

Until now, its only advertising formats have been promotional messages sent via the WhatsApp Business tool to users who have given their consent, in addition to some experiments in certain markets.

The company explained that the new advertising spaces will appear exclusively in the "News" tab, which combines "Status" and "Channels," and is used daily by approximately 1.5 billion users. People in the world.

The new features include paid subscriptions to specific channels, channel promotions in the Explore guide, and ads embedded in Statuses, similar to Instagram Stories.

WhatsApp said, "We've been talking for years about our intention to create a user-friendly activity that doesn't interrupt personal conversations, and we believe the News tab is the right place for these new tools."

Users who use WhatsApp to chat with friends and family won't notice any changes, as the new features will only appear in the News tab.

Meta Vice President Nikila Srinivasan confirmed during a press conference, "I'll be very clear: Your personal messages, calls, and Statuses will remain end-to-end encrypted. That means no one, not even us, will be able to see or listen to them. And they will never be used for advertising."

The company pledged not to sell or share phone numbers with advertisers and confirmed that information from personal chats, calls, or groups will not be used for targeted advertising.