Overview

• WhatsApp began rolling out ads globally in its Updates tab on June 16, ending its no-ads policy
• Advertisements are confined to the Status section and will not appear in one-on-one chats or group conversations
• Ad targeting uses limited information such as country, city, language and followed channels while excluding personal messages and calls
• The launch coincides with new channel subscriptions and promoted channels, with WhatsApp taking a 10% commission on subscription fees
• Meta expects the ad rollout to tap into the Updates tab’s 1.5 billion daily users and boost its ad revenue, but the change has prompted privacy concerns among some users