From The Verge: WhatsApp is rolling out ads. In an update on Monday, Meta announced that it will now show ads from businesses through its Stories-like status feature.
The status feature lives within WhatsApp’s “Updates” tab and allows users to share disappearing text, photo, voice notes, or video messages. But now, you might see sponsored content in addition to the updates shared by friends or family members.
Meta had been considering bringing advertising to WhatsApp for years now, an idea its founders were entirely against. Though Meta reversed plans to roll out in-app ads in 2020, WhatsApp head Will Cathcart confirmed in 2023 that the company was still working on an implementation. Last year, Meta made more than $160 billion in ad revenue.
Meta says it will tailor the ads to your interests by using “limited” information, including your country or city, language, the channels you follow, and how you interact with ads on the platform. You can also change your ad preferences from Meta’s Accounts Center.
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