After years of providing free services without any bells attached, WhatsApp is now going to start showing ads on the popular chat app. To be clear, users will only see ads on the Status screen — the app’s take on Instagram’s Stories.

The cofounders of WhatsApp resisted ads in the app for years, including after the company was acquired by Meta for $22 billion in 2014. Brian Acton and Jan Koum left the company in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and on Monday Meta introduced ads in the “Status” feature as well as sponsored Channels in the the “Updates” tab of WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is rolling out ads. In an update on Monday, Meta announced that it will now show ads from businesses through its Stories-like status feature.

WhatsApp is testing ads in Status and paid channel subscriptions, all inside the Updates tab. Private messages remain encrypted and ad-free.

Today, @WhatsApp is introducing new features in the Updates tab (like channel subscriptions, promoted channels and ads in Status) without changing anything about your personal chats (they remain end to end encrypted). https://t.co/agscs7n1o6 — Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) June 16, 2025

Key Takeaways Shares of Meta Platforms got a boost Monday as the tech giant announced plans to introduce paid advertising to WhatsApp, opening up a new revenue stream. After reclaiming the 50- and 200-day moving averages,

While the app has long promised a privacy-first experience free from traditional ads, recent updates suggest that's changing, and changing fast.In a blog post published Monday, WhatsApp announced an expansion of its "Channels" discovery and business tools,