Get Ready for Ads on WhatsApp, But Not for Them!

Social messaging app WhatsApp has become an integral part of our lives and the communication we have with one another. From teenagers to senior citizens, everyone is familiar with WhatsApp these days and uses it on a daily basis.

The best part of it is that it displays no ads. It is a revolution in the age of social media and people love to use the app more because it comes ad-free. However, the company announced that it will bring ads as part of its monetisation strategy.

The company will be introducing ads to the Updates tab which is basically for people who follow channels. However, it has been made very clear that there will be no ads for those who use it for messaging purpose.

Chats, calls, and groups will continue to be free from ads and will remain end-to-end encrypted. “If you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones, there is no change to your experience at all,” the company said.

“We’ve been talking about building a business that doesn’t interrupt your personal chats for years, and we believe the Updates tab is the right place for these new features,” WhatsApp said in a statement.

The company will now include paid channel subscriptions and also promote some channels in the Discovery section. The plan is to roll it over next few months in selected countries. The users can pay a subscription fee on monthly basis to follow their favourite channels.