- WhatsApp introduces ads in the News Feed tab, limited to Status and Channels, keeping chats and groups ad-free.
- Meta is preparing a hybrid model with an optional paid subscription that removes ads and adds customization extras without affecting basic functions.
- Advertising and subscriptions are combined with other monetization methods such as WhatsApp Business, the business API, payment channels, and WhatsApp Pay in certain countries.
During years, WhatsApp has been that ad-free oasis. In a digital world saturated with banners, sponsored videos, and commercial notifications, you used to open the app, chat with friends, make calls, send voice notes… and experience zero advertising. But that's changing, and if you use the app daily, you'll want to understand this better. The arrival of advertising on WhatsApp And what's happening?
Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, has long been looking for ways to to truly monetize the messaging app without ruining the user experience. The solution they are rolling out involves introducing ads in the News tab (Status and Channels) and, at the same time, offering Paid subscriptions are available for those who want to get rid of that advertising. and access extra features. Private chats remain unchanged, but the app's ecosystem is being modified.
Why is WhatsApp now going after advertising?
The movement is neither improvised nor a simple, strange experiment.In recent quarters, Meta has generated tens of billions of dollars in advertising revenue, mainly thanks to Facebook and Instagram, while WhatsApp remained the "jewel" with more than 2.000 billion users, but with relatively low direct profitability.
For some time now, the company has been testing ways to monetize WhatsApp without touching encrypted chatsFirst with WhatsApp Business and the business API, then with integrated payments in some countries (WhatsApp Pay), and more recently, with trial phases of ads in Status and the Channels directory. These trials began in the middle of last year and, as expected, They sparked criticism and some rejection among many users who don't want to see any advertising whatsoever within the app.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp has encountered an increasingly tough regulatory environment, especially in Europe, where authorities are demanding alternatives to the model based solely on advertising and trackingThis has prompted Meta to explore a hybrid approach: continuing to show ads to those who don't pay, but opening the door to an ad-free version through a monthly fee.
All of this fits with a clear trend in the sector: If you don't pay with money, you pay with your attention.And now WhatsApp is suggesting that you can choose which of the two options suits you best.
Where the ads appear: States and Channels under scrutiny
The key to understanding this change is knowing where exactly will you see the advertising?WhatsApp has repeatedly stated that it will not include ads in private chats or groups. The focus is on the News tab (also called Updates, depending on the version), where Status and Channels are located.
In the States —those 24-hour stories that many use to share photos, videos, or short texts—, ads work very similarly to Instagram stories: Sponsored content is interspersed among your contacts' status updates.These are vertical posts with an image or video of up to 30 seconds and a call-to-action button such as "Chat," "Shop," or "Learn More." They are distinguished from regular posts by clearly indicating that they are sponsored content.
In the OutdatedIn these one-way spaces where media outlets, brands, creators, or institutions send messages to their followers, advertising arrives in a different way. In the discovery directory you will see Featured and recommended channelsAnd within that list, some will appear as "sponsored," that is, They have paid to gain visibility and position themselves at the top.In practice, it's a paid positioning system within WhatsApp itself.
Important: Your chats, groups, and calls remain ad-free.Meta's strategy involves focusing the commercial aspect on the more "social" and content consumption areas, without contaminating direct messaging, which is the heart of the app and the red line they don't intend to cross for now.
To reduce suspicion, WhatsApp insists that the The segmentation of these ads is done with limited data.Country, device language, activity on Status and Channels, interaction with previous ads, and, if you link the account to your Meta Account Center, some advertising preferences inherited from Facebook and Instagram. Messages, calls, and groups are protected by end-to-end encryption. They are not used to personalize advertising.
The paid subscription: pay to not see ads (and more)
Alongside the arrival of the announcements, a series of text strings have been discovered in the code of WhatsApp beta versions that point to a monthly subscription system to eliminate advertising In States and Channels, there are mentions of reviewing the subscription, offers to avoid cancellation, and service management from within the app itself.
The leaks indicate indicative prices that They range between around $1 and €4 per monthDepending on the region and account type, the fees may vary, although some figures suggest they could be retention fees (special discounts when a user tries to cancel their subscription). Nothing is definitive until Meta officially announces it, but the pattern aligns with what Facebook and Instagram have already done for European users.
This payment plan, which many are already unofficially referring to as “WhatsApp premium”It wouldn't just remove ads. Meta is also testing it. a package of additional benefits focused on personalization and small convenience extras: exclusive stickers, different visual themes, the ability to pin more than three chats to the top, changing the app icon and even selecting specific notification tones for certain chats.
The idea is clear: to keep basic messaging functions intact and free of charge —chats, groups, calls, video calls— and reserve for the subscription everything related to removing ads in the News Feed and a more polished and customizable experience. Those who don't pay will continue using WhatsApp as usual, but will see ads in Status and Channels.
In Europe and the United Kingdom, where regulatory pressure is greater, Ad-free subscriptions are shaping up to be almost a legal requirement To comply with GDPR and data protection authority resolutions, it wouldn't be surprising if these markets were among the first to receive the paid version, even if global advertising takes a little longer to roll out there.
What other monetization models is WhatsApp promoting?
Beyond the classic ads and the subscription option to opt out, WhatsApp is building a much broader revenue ecosystem around the app, especially geared towards businesses, creators and payments.
On one hand, the administrators of some Channels can Activate paid subscriptions to offer exclusive content to its followers. It functions as a premium layer within the Channel itself: basic content remains free, but there are posts reserved for those who choose to pay a monthly fee. It's a model similar to Patreon or content subscriptions on other networks, only integrated within WhatsApp.
On the other hand, the WhatsApp Business API has become a fundamental pillar of Meta's B2B businessCompanies pay for each conversation initiated in certain categories (marketing messages, notifications, etc.), with rates typically ranging from a few cents per message to slightly more depending on the country and message type. This is in addition to the cost of using intermediary platforms (CRMs, automation tools, multi-agent inboxes, chatbots, etc.).
In several markets such as India, Brazil or SingaporeMeta is also pushing hard WhatsApp PayIts in-app payment system allows users to send money to contacts or pay businesses directly from the chat, and has become established as another indirect monetization method, with commissions and agreements with banks and payment service providers.
The combination of these elements paints a picture in which WhatsApp is no longer just a free messaging servicebut a commercial platform with advertising, subscriptions, payments and professional tools for companies that want to use it as a sales and customer service channel.
What does all this mean for the average user?
With so much change and so many alarmist headlines, it's easy for people to wonder if WhatsApp is going to become a paid service, no matter what. or whether they will start charging for basic functions like creating groups. As of today, with the information available, that scenario is not on the table.
The groups continue to be a completely free featureThere are no usage limits or ads within conversations, and there's no official statement indicating that will change. Rumors about a supposed charge for using groups stem from misinterpreting references to paid subscriptions in the betas, which actually affect advertising in Status and Channels, not basic messaging.
What the average user will notice is that, upon entering the What's New tab, You will find ads among your contacts' statuses and in the Channels directorySome won't care much, others will see it as a nuisance, and there will be those who seriously consider paying not to see them, especially if they use that part of the app a lot.
For those concerned about privacy, Meta has reiterated that We will not share your phone number with advertisers. Nor will it use the content of your chats to personalize ads. What it does use are aggregated signals: language, approximate region, estimated age, channels followed, interaction with previous advertising, and, if you consent, your ad preferences on other platforms within the group.
In the case of Europe, the availability of full advertising features is being delayed because Meta is negotiating with the authorities to ensure that the model complies with the GDPREverything points to the mass launch in the European Union being pushed back to 2026, with ad-free subscriptions as the central element to meet consent requirements and provide alternatives to advertising profiling.
Impact on businesses and brands: a new advertising channel within WhatsApp
For businesses that already use WhatsApp as a customer service or sales channel, the arrival of ads in Status and Channels means open a new door to customer acquisitionIt's not that advertising "towards WhatsApp" wasn't possible before (for example, with ads on Instagram that open a chat), but now the app itself becomes a space to display native ads.
Called WhatsApp Ads are managed from the same Meta Ads Manager This tool is used for Facebook and Instagram. Campaigns are created with objectives such as Messages or Traffic, the audience is defined (by country, language, interests, etc.), the creative is uploaded in vertical format, and the corresponding placements within WhatsApp (Status or Channels) are selected. When the user taps the ad, a chat with the company opens or they are directed to the website, depending on the configuration.
The cost of these ads follows the model of Meta standard auctionTherefore, the actual price will depend on audience competition, ad quality (CTR, engagement, relevance), and targeting. If using the WhatsApp Business API, you must also add the per-conversation fee that Meta charges businesses for each established messaging session.
The great advantage for brands is that They can link advertising exposure with direct conversation in a single click. Instead of sending people to a cold landing page, they can start a chat where a human agent or an AI chatbot answers questions, closes sales, or captures data in a much more personalized way.
However, as with any new advertising channel, there are challenges: segmentation is less precise than on Facebook or Instagram, the user's attention span is limited, and Overusing poorly developed creative content can turn states into a spam festivalThe recommendation for brands is to adapt the message to the format: creative, fast, visual, with a very clear call to action and without sounding like an aggressive advertisement from the 2000s.
Availability by country and approximate schedule
The rollout of advertising on WhatsApp and subscription options It is not happening simultaneously worldwideMeta is progressing in phases, starting with markets where WhatsApp usage is massive and regulation is less restrictive than in the European Union.
Currently, the State and Channel ads are already active or in a very advanced stage of deployment in countries like India, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia or the United StatesThese are priority markets both in terms of user volume and advertising potential, and they serve as a laboratory to refine the experience before reaching more regulated regions.
In other Latin American countries and in Spain, availability is in the process of expansionWith controlled trials and no definitive public dates, everything indicates that more territories will be added to the list of markets with fully operational WhatsApp Ads in the coming months.
For the European Union as a whole and for the United Kingdom, the horizon is somewhat more distant, around a broad rollout throughout 2026This is contingent upon discussions between Meta and the Irish data protection authority, which acts as the company's primary regulator in the EU. Here, the hybrid model of ads plus paid subscription without advertising will be particularly relevant to passing the GDPR filter.
Meanwhile, although native advertising on States and Channels may be slow to arrive in some countries, Businesses can now take advantage of WhatsApp Business, the API, and integrations with CRMs. to work the channel organically, without having to wait for internal ads.
With all these changes, WhatsApp is entering a phase in which It is definitely no longer "just a free messaging app" to transform into a multi-layered platform: users who stay on the free version with ads and basic features, users who will choose to pay to clear the What's New tab and gain customization, companies that will invest in advertising and automation tools, and creators who will try their luck with paid channels and exclusive content. The challenge will be maintaining a balance so that the user experience remains comfortable and doesn't become just another saturated marketplace.
