After years of Meta dropping hints, WhatsApp ads are officially here. And by “here,” I mean lurking in your Status updates.

Meta assures us it’ll only use “limited” information to target these ads. What counts as “limited” in Meta’s world? Just your country, city, language, the channels you follow, and how you interact with ads. The company also promises it “will never sell or share your phone numbers to advertisers.”

To be fair, these ads won’t interrupt your personal chats, they’ll appear between Status updates from friends and contacts; offering a more organic way to discover businesses and potentially start a conversation, rather than cause a disruption.

Meta is also rolling out sponsored channels and subscription options, because nothing says “authentic communication” like premium content tiers. Expect to see WhatsApp Plus, WhatsApp Premium, and WhatsApp Enterprise Edition with AI-powered emoji suggestions coming soon.

This measured rollout likely marks just the beginning of WhatsApp’s monetization journey. If users accept Status ads and channel subscriptions without significant backlash, expect Meta to introduce additional revenue features while maintaining its privacy commitments.

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