WhatsApp Now Displays Ads to Its Users
On June 16, 2025, Meta officially introduced a series of new features in the WhatsApp Updates tab.
WhatsApp will start showing ads in the WhatsApp Updates tab. The ads consist of channels and products that roughly match your interests.
Although WhatsApp officially starts placing ads in its app, Meta still guarantees that all your chats remain safe and end-to-end encrypted. So, your conversation content will not be used for advertising purposes.
However, Meta also said that ads might appear in the Status section. The reason is to make it easier for you to find relevant businesses and directly chat about the services or products they offer via Status.
From the official information shared, there are several data points that will be used for advertising purposes, such as city, country, language, channels you follow, and how you interact with the ads that appear. Even though WhatsApp has officially started displaying ads in the app, Meta still promises not to give your phone number to advertisers.