WhatsApp to Launch Advertisements Within Its App for the First Time

Since its acquisition by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion, WhatsApp maintained a strict policy against ads, games, and other distractions.

For years, WhatsApp’s two billion users worldwide, including large populations in Brazil and India, have enjoyed ad-free communication with friends and family, unlike many other social media platforms.

This stance is now evolving.

On Monday, WhatsApp revealed plans to introduce advertisements within its app for the first time. These ads will be confined to the Updates section, which is accessed by approximately 1.5 billion users daily. The company will use limited user data such as geographic location and the default language setting on devices to tailor these ads, but it will not access message content or information about users’ contacts. Furthermore, WhatsApp confirmed there will be no advertising inside personal chats or calls.

Nikila Srinivasan, WhatsApp’s vice president of product management, emphasized that privacy remained a central consideration in rolling out these features, assuring users that personal messages, calls, and status updates would continue to be secured by end-to-end encryption.

This advertising introduction marks a significant departure from WhatsApp’s original vision. Founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton, who launched the app in 2009, prioritized creating a simple, fast, and encrypted messaging service free from third-party access to personal communications. Both have since left the company.