Mumbai, June 17: WhatsApp is no longer ad-free, as it recently announced a major change in its Update tab. The Meta-owned platform received several new features for its Update tab, home to Channels and Status. The platform confirmed that there would be ads in the Status. Mark Zuckerberg's WhatsApp messenger announced new changes, keeping in mind different types of users on the platform. 

WhatsApp said in its official blog, "We’ve worked over the last two years to make this tab the place for you to discover something new on WhatsApp, and it’s now used by 1.5 billion people a day." It further said that it was encouraged by the enthusiasm and willingness to help the admins, organisations, and businesses. The platform announced three ways to do it. WhatsApp New Feature Update: Meta-Owned Platform Enhances Updates Tab With Channel Subscriptions, Promotions and Ads in Status.

  • WhatsApp Channel Paid Subscription 

In this option, WhatsApp users can support their favourite channels by subscribing to them to receive exclusive updates by paying a monthly fee.

  • Promoted Channels

WhatsApp will allow its users to discover new channels that could be interesting to the users and allow admins to increase the visibility of their channels.

  • Ads in Status

The platform will allow the users to find a new business and begin a conversation about a product or service they promote in Status. 

WhatsApp Ads in Update Tab - All You Need to Know 

WhatsApp said that the new features , including advertisements, were built keeping in mind the privacy of the users. It said, "Your personal messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one (not even us) can see or hear them."

WhatsApp ads will be shown in Statuses or Channels that users might be interested in. The platform confirmed that it will use limited information about users, such as their countries, cities, or languages. It will also show the Channels users follow and how they interact with the ads they see. 

WhatsApp ads in Status will also consider ad preferences and information across the users' Meta Accounts for the users who chose to add WhatsApp to the Account Centre. The Meta-owned platform assured, "We will never sell or share your phone number to advertisers. Your personal messages, calls, and groups will not be used to determine the ads you may see." TRAI Introduces Retail Pricing Framework To Boost PM-WANI Public Wi-Fi Scheme for Retail Broadband Connectivity.

Further, the platform said that WhatsApp will help build a business without interrupting users' personal chats and that the Update tab would be the right place to introduce these new features. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 17, 2025 08:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).