Meta has announced new features aimed at helping creators, businesses, and organizations earn money on WhatsApp. These updates, which will appear in the app’s Updates tab, are designed to boost visibility and generate income through three major tools: Channel Subscriptions, Promoted Channels, and Ads in Status. In a statement on Monday, Meta said the Updates tab, which already includes Status and Channels, will now allow creators and businesses to offer paid subscriptions, promote their channels, and run ads within Status updates. These changes mark WhatsApp’s biggest step yet toward becoming a monetized platform.
“We’ve been talking for years about how to build a business on WhatsApp in a way that doesn’t interrupt personal chats. We believe the Updates tab is the right place to introduce that,” Meta said.
Over 1.5 Billion Users on Updates Tab
According to Meta, over 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab every day, either to view friends’ Status updates or to follow creators and public figures through Channels. With such a large audience, the company sees strong potential for business-focused tools.
How the New Features Work
Channel Subscriptions: Users can now subscribe to certain channels, like those run by news outlets, influencers, or sports teams, for a monthly fee to get exclusive content.
Promoted Channels: WhatsApp will begin suggesting channels to users based on their interests. This is the first paid feature that helps creators and businesses increase their reach on the app.
Ads in Status: Businesses can now place targeted ads in the Status feature, similar to Instagram Stories. These ads will let users discover products or services and even chat directly with advertisers.
Privacy Still a Priority
Meta stressed that these features won’t compromise users' privacy.
“Your personal messages, calls, and groups remain end-to-end encrypted, and that includes your Status updates. We’ll never sell or share your phone number with advertisers,” Meta assured.
“To show ads in Status or Channels you might care about, we’ll use limited info like your country or city, language, the Channels you’re following, and how you interact with the ads you see.
“For people who have chosen to add WhatsApp to Accounts Center, we’ll also use your ad preferences and info from across your Meta accounts.
“We will never sell or share your phone number to advertisers. Your personal messages, calls, and groups you are in will not be used to determine the ads you may see,” the company stated.
Meta said the features will roll out in phases over the next few months. Channel admins and businesses interested in getting started can find more details through official WhatsApp Business channels.
