Over the years, it was teased that WhatsApp would start showing ads. It’s finally here. The most popular messaging app in the world will begin serving ads to its billion users. Just don’t expect to see ads popping up in your private chats anytime soon.

Ads are rolling out slowly and won’t show up in the place you’d expect: the Updates tab. That’s where people post temporary status updates and follow interest-based Channels. Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, says that your private chats will remain ad-free and uninterrupted.

So, if you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends or join group chats, you likely won’t notice the change. However, if you spend time in the Updates tab, your experience is about to get a little more commercial.

“More than 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab every day,” Meta says. That’s a massive audience that advertisers will be lining up to tap into. WhatsApp is being cautious about how it rolls this out.

Ads in Status, Promoted Channels, and Paid Subscriptions

So, what kind of ads are we talking about?

Three new ad formats. First, ads in the Status section. Those will show up alongside your friends’ 24-hour disappearing stories, similar to how ads show up in Instagram Stories. As you scroll through your contacts’ statuses, you might now see a photo, video, or message from a brand or company. You’ll also be able to respond to those ads and start a direct conversation with the advertiser.

Second, WhatsApp is launching Promoted Channels. It lets administrators and businesses boost their content within the app. Promoted Channels will appear higher up in the app, helping them grow their reach within WhatsApp itself — without depending on other platforms.

Third, and perhaps most interestingly, is a subscription feature. Businesses and creators can now offer exclusive updates for a monthly fee. For example, you could subscribe to a cooking Channel to get access to premium recipes or early content drops. It’s a new way for businesses to make money — and for WhatsApp to make money.

That last part is the most crucial. Until now, WhatsApp made money from its Business Platform, a paid tool that lets companies talk to customers, and click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram. But Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an investor call earlier this year that he wants to do more. He said the Business Platform is growing — but there’s room for more growth.

This latest move is part of that vision.

Alice Newton Rex, WhatsApp’s VP of Product, called it the “next natural evolution.” She said that businesses have asked for more tools to grow their audiences within WhatsApp, and this ad rollout is a direct answer to that.

Of course, putting ads on a platform with a reputation for privacy was never going to be easy.

Meta says it’s doing this slowly. The ads won’t use any content from your chats. Instead, targeting will rely on general user information — like age, country code, language settings, and general location (not your exact address). WhatsApp will also look at how you use the Updates tab — for example, which Channels you follow and what kind of content you interact with.

You can connect your WhatsApp account to Meta’s Accounts Center — an optional setting that makes more personalized ads based on your activity on Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta services. That’s off by default and can be turned off at any time.

WhatsApp is also adding some transparency features. You’ll be able to see why you’re seeing a particular ad, hide ads from certain advertisers, or report ads that you think are inappropriate. The company says it’s doing its best to make this experience as user-controlled as possible.

It’s not a surprise in the grand scheme. With Meta making 98% of its money from advertising, and having bought WhatsApp in 2014 for $16 billion, it was only a matter of time before the platform was used to drive more ad dollars.

It’s not just Meta. Other platforms are doing the same. Discord started showing ads in 2024. Reddit has grown its ad business significantly and reported its first profit ever. In a tough economy, even platforms built on community and privacy are finding ways to attract advertisers.

For now, the effect on WhatsApp users is minimal. But this is the start of a new chapter for the app. Ads have arrived — and while they may be limited to the Updates tab for now, it’s clear that Meta is laying the groundwork for something much bigger.