WhatsApp’s shock ‘no ads’ backflip leaves users fuming

It’s been a long time coming but one of the world’s biggest messaging platforms has finally turned its back on its own founding mantra.

WhatsApp announced Monday it will introduce its boldest advertising features yet, marking a significant shift for the messaging platform that has largely remained ad-free since its launch.

The move is a sensitive one for WhatsApp, whose chief firmly denied a report in 2023 that said the Meta-owned app was exploring advertisements as it sought to boost revenue.

Unlike Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms, WhatsApp has maintained minimal advertising since Meta acquired it in 2014, running a “No ads! No games! No gimmicks!” mantra.

In 2014, Sequoia Capital investor Jim Goetz shared a Tumblr post with a handwritten note saying as much that was taped to WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum’s desk.

Sequoia Capital was a main investor in WhatsApp, investing $60m in the business before it was acquired by Facebook in 2014 — a stake that was worth $3 billion.

Well they held out for 11 years I guess. Photo: Tumblr

WhatsApp will now have ads. Photo: istock

But there’s long been suggestions that the business would bow to pressure and seek to monetise the app that was primarily used to chat with friends and family, and was appreciated for its privacy.

Until now, the platform’s advertising consisted primarily of WhatsApp Business promotional messages to opted-in customers and some limited Status ad testing in select markets.

The messaging app has no display ads in chat feeds or conversations.

The company said it will roll out three new monetisation features exclusively within its Updates tab, which houses both Channels and Status features used by 1.5 billion people daily and became widely available last year.

The company stressed that users who only use WhatsApp for personal messaging will see no changes to their experience, as all new features are confined to the Updates tab that can be deactivated in the settings.

“We’ve been talking about our plans to build a business that does not interrupt your personal chats for years and we believe the Updates tab is the right place for these new features to work,” WhatsApp said.

WhatsApp was bought by Meta in 2014 for $19bn. Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP

The new features include paid channel subscriptions, promoted channels in the Discovery directory, and advertisements within Status, WhatsApp’s version of Instagram Stories.

WhatsApp emphasised that the new advertising features are designed with privacy safeguards.

“I want to be really clear about one thing: Your personal messages, calls and statuses will remain end-to-end encrypted. This means no one, not even us, can see or hear them, and they cannot be used for ads,” Nikila Srinivasan, vice president of product management at Meta, told reporters.

The company committed to never selling or sharing phone numbers to advertisers and said personal messages, calls, and group memberships will not influence ad targeting.

“To show ads in Status or Channels, we’re going to use basic information like your country or city, your device language and your activity in the Updates tab,” Srinivasan said.

But the decision hasn’t gone down well for some who had always appreciated the “No ads! No games! No gimmicks!” mantra.

“WhatsApp: ‘No ads, no gimmicks, just chat.’ Also WhatsApp: ‘How about ads and subscriptions now?’,” one fan tweeted.

A self described “Apple fanboi” added: “Today Meta finally put ads into WhatsApp. Jan’s 2012 blog post about why we don’t sell ads is still live which is kinda funny. This is exactly why I am an Apple fanboi. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s the last major company where there is roughly one clear customer.”

Another posted: “Everyone knew it was coming! Waiting to see the sea of anger incoming … Are you going to switch messenger?”

WhatsApp has finally buckled. Photo: istock

Another user commented: “I use WhatsApp to stay connected with friends and family, not to be targeted by ads. The Status tab should remain for personal updates, not commercial clutter. These ads dilute that value and make it like every other social platform filled with marketing noise. Worse!”

The introduction of advertising represents Meta’s effort to monetise WhatsApp’s massive user base of over two billion monthly active users.

Industry analysts have long speculated that Meta would eventually bring advertising to WhatsApp given its scale and engagement rates.

The timeline for these features was not specified in the announcement. “They’re going to be rolling out slowly over the next few months, so it might be a while until you see them in your countries,” Srinivasan said.

Originally published as WhatsApp’s shock ‘no ads’ backflip leaves users fuming