Social media channels continue to fall into the clutches of advertisements one by one. The last victim has been revealed: WhatsApp. We can now say that the last castle has surrendered. Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, said that the popular chat app may show ads in its Status feature. Here are the details…
What was missing was this: WhatsApp introduces the advertising feature!
WhatsApp’s cat-mouse game with ads continues. The company does not plan to show ads in the inbox. So don’t worry! You won’t suddenly start seeing ads while messaging your friends. However, this does not mean that it keeps its distance from advertisements. It may continue to show ads in Status and channels, a Stories-like feature of the popular messaging app.
In September, Cathcart denied a report that said the popular chat app under the Meta umbrella was planning to show ads. Cathcart said showing ads in the inbox is not the right model. In fact, the WhatsApp president does not contradict himself with this answer he gave in the past. Because the company does not want to bring the advertising feature to the inbox.
WhatsApp’s president Will Cathcart gave clues about this situation in his interview. Cathcart said, “The reason I’m qualifying the answer is that there may be ads elsewhere (in channels or in the story). For example, channels may charge people to subscribe. They may be exclusive to paying members, or owners may want to promote the channel. But we won’t put ads in your inbox.” said.
A few years ago, WhatsApp considered putting ads in the Status section. However, the company never made it available. Although Cathcart suggests this as a possibility, nothing is clear yet. A Meta spokesperson confirmed that it is not currently testing Status ads in any countries. However, the company did not make a clear statement on the subject.
WhatsApp introduced the Channels feature in June. The company stated that it was exploring tools such as promotion in the Channels directory. However, Meta did not make a clear statement on this issue. He still continues to maintain his silence.
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