Ads could come to WhatsApp, but luckily not in an invasive kind of way

When WhatsApp first launched, the company experimented with ideas on how to monetize the app, like charging a one-time fee and charging an annual fee, but ultimately they went with the free-to-use model where the app is basically free. Oddly enough, the company has opted not to introduce ads.

That is expected to change soon because speaking to Brazilian media, WhatsApp head Will Cathcart confirmed that the company is planning to introduce ads eventually, but thankfully, it will not be done in an invasive kind of way.

According to Cathcart, ads in WhatsApp will come but it will not be shown in the app’s main inbox as apparently this is not the “right model”. Instead, Cathcart says that the company is contemplating showing ads in other places of the app, whether it be in Statuses (WhatsApp’s version of Instagram’s Stories), and channels.

For those who don’t really use WhatsApp Status or channels, then we suppose the overall experience won’t change, but for those who do, then ads could be something to expect in the future. Other Meta-owned platforms have introduced ads, such as on Instagram feeds and in between Stories, so the fact that WhatsApp has remained ad-free for so long is kind of surprising.

Source: TechCrunch