- WhatsApp finally gets ads
- They appear in the Updates tab, integrated with status and channels
- Regular chats are not affected by Chnages and are still private
It’s officially WhatsApp’s latest update is to bring ads to the platform.
My first reaction to this news was fear that the conversations with my friends could be diluted by pop-ups that you see on Messenger (another meta-owned messaging service). Fortunately, however, it seems that WhatsApp keeps its ads locked within the Updates tab. At least for now.
In the Updates tab you will find that both channels and status get the ad processing. Channels are dedicated groups you can participate in, with hosts sending you messages and updates. They are popular with football teams, influence and news sites (in fact we have here at Techradar one you can participate in).
The ads come in the form of new promoted channels, which soon begin to appear as you look through the library. They are recommended for you based on what WhatsApp thinks you find interesting, provided the channel pays to be promoted.
Status (basically WhatsApp stories) are ways to share quick updates and highlights with friends and family. Now ads also appear as stausures – again being promoted to you based on your interests.
On top of these changes, WhatsApp adds channel subscriptions. These are not ads but are another (and in my opinion better) way to make money on whatsapp.
By paying a monthly fee, you can support your favorite channel and get exclusive updates in return-lit as you do through third-party services like Patreon or Premium Newsletters.
WhatsApp has me connected
After digging through the changes, I am generally less concerned than I was when I heard about the message.
I rarely use the Updates tab and as WhatsApp’s blog posts explain “If you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones, there is no change of your experience at all.”
Further down, it adds that these ads also do not affect your privacy. “Your personal messages, calls and status remain encrypted end to end, which means no one (not even us) can see or hear them.”
Meta explains that status and channel ads will be based on the limited information it collects, like where you are from, the language your app is set to, as channels you are already following and how to engage with ads you view.
If your WhatsApp is part of your Meta Accounts Center, it also bases its data on info from your other accounts.
It really tries to hammer home that our chat data is as safe as ever and that non-updates chats will not be changed.
It feels like the start of a smooth slope for me, but like the rest of WhatsApps 3 billion active users a monthly users – a number that makes it the world’s largest messaging platform – I know I can’t leave.
It is not only because I do not want to lose the chats and contacts I have already through the app (migrate everyone to another service, would be a Sisyfean task), but also because someone who is traveling a lot is an excellent country-legged platform that has allowed me to make restaurant reservations, book taxis and call a car repair company when I would not have been.
So so far I stick with WhatsApp, but I also start my hunt for a new service – even considering jumping back to classic text messages or Android’s Google messages that have received a few upgrades in the last few years.
Although things get worse, I’m not sure I can leave but the best I can do is try.
