WhatsApp, the Meta-owned messaging platform, is introducing three new advertising features on a global scale. These ads will not intrude upon users’ private chats or decrypt their encrypted messages to determine ad content. Instead, WhatsApp will utilize a user’s country, city, language, interaction with other ads, and followed channels to suggest relevant content. Users who have linked their WhatsApp account to Facebook or Instagram will experience more personalized ads. The new ad features will appear in a separate tab at the bottom of the app, named “Updates.” Businesses can utilize this section to promote ads and attract new followers, with the option to charge a subscription for additional content. WhatsApp will eventually take a 10% commission on this fee, and additional costs may apply at the app store level depending on the business size. Additionally, firms can advertise through status updates, which resemble Instagram stories and initiate a chat upon being clicked. Social media expert Matt Navarra told the BBC that Meta is “laying the foundation for WhatsApp to finally become a monetizable platform at scale.” However, monetizing the periphery of WhatsApp while maintaining the privacy of personal chats could pose risks for the company. This is particularly relevant in markets like the UK and Europe, where WhatsApp is primarily viewed as a messaging tool with less enthusiasm for content feeds or advertisements. WhatsApp’s new features align more closely with Meta’s other platforms, Facebook and Instagram. WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart acknowledged the overlap and viewed this as a “natural extension of messaging services.” He believed the move was not dissimilar to features of rival apps such as Snapchat and Telegram. For social media expert Matt Navarra, this shift reflects a broader trend in the social media landscape. “The feed is dying, public sharing is down, people are retreating into DMs and Stories in small groups,” he said. “Meta’s trying to turn WhatsApp into a platform without users realizing it, and if they move too fast or it starts to feel like another ad network, people might disengage or distrust the app.” WhatsApp faced backlash recently with the introduction of a permanent button for Meta’s AI tool, which cannot be deactivated or deleted. Cathcart assured users that they would not be forced to see ads or follow channels if they did not want to. “I want to stress this won’t affect your inbox,” he said. “If you’re only using WhatsApp for messaging, you’re not going to see this.” Cathcart noted that the “Updates” section of the app was not particularly popular in the UK but was used more in other parts of the world. The firm would “look at the feedback” regarding the unremovable AI tool, but there were many other features of the app that were also permanent. “You can’t delete the channels button, you can’t delete the Updates button, you can’t delete the calls button,” he said. “I mean, we also don’t want to have a service that has lots of settings… that’s complexity too.”