WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is taking a major step toward generating revenue through ads. A recent Android beta update (version 2.25.21.11) has revealed the platform’s first experiment with in-app advertising. Some beta users noticed a banner in the Updates tab, introducing two new ad formats: Status Ads and Promoted Channels.
WhatsApp Begins Testing Ads in Status and Channels
This update marks the first time WhatsApp is showing sponsored content inside the app.
How Will These Ads Work?
WhatsApp is rolling out ads in a way that aims to respect user experience and privacy.
1. Status Ads
These ads appear among the regular status updates from your contacts. They are short, vertical clips labeled as “Sponsored”. You can view them quickly—just like other status posts—and swipe past them in less than a second. If you’re not interested, you can block the advertiser. Once blocked, you won’t see ads from that brand again.
2. Promoted Channels
Additionally, this feature is designed for content creators, brands, and public figures. Promoted Channels will appear in the channel directory, helping users discover them more easily. Like Status Ads, they carry a “Sponsored” tag so users can clearly tell them apart from regular content.
What About Privacy?
WhatsApp assures users that ads will not appear in private areas of the app. Chats, group messages, calls, and communities remain ad-free. These spaces are still protected by end-to-end encryption.
Also, WhatsApp displays ads only in the Updates tab. It doesn’t use personal messages, calls, or shared status updates for ad targeting.
Introducing the “Activity Report”
To offer more transparency, WhatsApp is also launching a new tool called the Activity Report. This feature helps users manage their ad experience:
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See a list of ads you’ve recently viewed
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Block or unblock advertisers directly from the report
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Download the report in a ZIP file
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Choose to have the report auto-generated every month
How Are Ads Targeted?
Ad targeting is kept simple. WhatsApp will use limited data to decide which ads to show:
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Your general location (city or country)
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Your language settings
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Channels you follow and ads you’ve interacted with
So, currently, these features are available only to a small group of beta testers. WhatsApp plans to use their feedback to fine-tune the system before rolling it out to more users.
