WhatsApp may introduce advertisements in select areas of the app, according to comments from Will Cathcart, the head of the messaging service. In an interview with a Brazilian news outlet, Cathcart stated that while ads will not appear in the main inbox or within chat conversations, they could be featured in other areas of the application. This announcement comes just two months after WhatsApp dismissed a previous claim regarding its intentions to monetize the platform through advertising.
During his discussion with Folha de S. Paulo, Cathcart clarified that the inbox and chat areas would remain free from ads. He explained, “The reason I qualified the answer is that there could be ads in other places — channels or statuses. For example, channels might charge people to subscribe, they might be exclusive to paid members, or the owners might want to promote the channel. But no, we won’t place ads in the Inbox.” (Translation from Brazilian)
Details regarding the timeline for when advertisements might appear in the Channels or Status sections remain unclear. The news about potential ads arriving in certain areas of the app follows Cathcart’s earlier denial of a September report suggesting that advertisements would be shown in the list of conversations, the default view upon opening the app.
This is not the first instance of WhatsApp considering the incorporation of ads into the platform. In 2019, reports emerged that the company was looking into displaying ads through the Status feature, which allows users to share images and videos similar to Instagram and Facebook stories. Currently, WhatsApp generates revenue by offering business messaging features designed for companies to engage with its extensive user base, which exceeds 2 billion users.
An August 2020 report indicated that WhatsApp was planning to target users with ads by matching users’ Facebook and WhatsApp accounts through their phone numbers. This strategy was expected to be implemented once the proposed integration of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger was finalized.
