{"id":105773,"date":"2025-06-16T22:20:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T19:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.capitalfm.co.ke\/business\/?p=105773"},"modified":"2025-06-16T22:20:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T19:20:26","slug":"whatsapp-to-start-showing-more-adverts-in-messaging-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.capitalfm.co.ke\/business\/2025\/06\/whatsapp-to-start-showing-more-adverts-in-messaging-app\/","title":{"rendered":"WhatsApp to start showing more adverts in messaging app"},"content":{"rendered":"
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JUNE 16 – WhatsApp is launching three new ad features in a global roll-out across the messaging app.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Meta-owned platform says the new ads will not be shown in the same place as people’s private chats, nor will the contents of their messages – which are encrypted – be used to decide which ads to display.<\/p>\n

WhatsApp will instead use the country, city and language of the user, as well as how they interact with other ads and which channels they follow, to drive suggested content.<\/p>\n

But people who have chosen to link their WhatsApp account to Facebook or Instagram will see more personalised ads.<\/p>\n

The new ad features will appear in a section called Updates, which is a separate tab at the bottom of the app.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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WhatsApp claims to have 1.5 billion users globally.<\/p>\n

Businesses with channels will be able to choose to promote ads in the Updates section to attract new followers, and also charge a subscription to access extra content.<\/p>\n

WhatsApp will eventually take a 10% commission of that fee, and there may also be extra costs on top of that taken at the app store level depending on the size of the business.<\/p>\n

Firms will also be able to advertise in the form of a status update, which looks similar to an Instagram story and will link through to start a chat if clicked on.<\/p>\n

Social media expert Matt Navarra told the BBC that Meta is “laying the foundation for WhatsApp to finally become a monetisable platform at scale”.<\/p>\n

But “monetising the periphery” of WhatsApp, while keeping personal chats private, would not be without risk for the company, he added.<\/p>\n

This could particularly be the case in markets like the UK and Europe, he said, where the app is viewed primarily as a messaging tool with less appetite for content feeds or adverts.<\/p>\n

“Any perception that the app is becoming noisy or Facebook-ified will spark backlash,” he said.<\/p>\n