Meta announced sweeping changes to WhatsApp’s Updates tab, rolling out three new features designed to help creators, organizations and businesses grow their audiences and monetize their content. Beginning June 16, users will start seeing ads in the Updates tab while private chats remain entirely ad-free.
WhatsApp’s Updates tab “home to both Status posts and Channels” now reaches 1.5 billion people each day. Meta says this makes it “the right place” to introduce business-focused experiences “in a way that doesn’t interrupt your chats.” The changes consist of:
Users can subscribe to their favorite Channels, ranging from news outlets to sports teams or independent creators, for a monthly fee, receiving exclusive updates and premium content. Meta will facilitate payments through the app stores.
Channel admins will be able to pay to boost their visibility within the Updates directory, helping them reach new audiences. This marks the first time creators have a built-in tool to promote their Channels directly on WhatsApp.
Businesses can purchase targeted ad placements within Status updates. When tapped, these ads will open a chat with the advertiser, streamlining direct engagement and potential sales conversations.
“We’ve been talking for years about how to build a business on WhatsApp in a way that doesn’t interrupt personal chats. We believe the Updates tab is the right place to introduce that,” Meta said in its official statement. “Your personal messages, calls, and groups remain end-to-end encrypted, and that includes your Status updates. We’ll never sell or share your phone number with advertisers,” the company added.
Meta emphasized that ads, subscriptions, and promotions will appear only in the Updates tab. “This means if you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones, there will be no change to your experience at all,” the statement noted.
To target ads and promotional content, Meta will rely on limited user data such as country, city, language, the Channels users follow, and how they interact with ads. For users who have linked their WhatsApp to Meta’s Accounts Center, ad preferences and information from across Facebook and Instagram will also inform targeting. Crucially, “we will never sell or share your phone number to advertisers. Your personal messages, calls, and groups you are in will not be used to determine the ads you may see.”
Previously, WhatsApp’s only revenue-generating feature was click-to-message ads on Facebook and Instagram that linked to WhatsApp chats.
The new features will roll out gradually over the coming months. Channel administrators, organizations, and businesses eager to get started can find detailed guidelines and eligibility requirements in the WhatsApp Business Help Center.
Discover more from Amebo Media
Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.
