It has been speculated for some time, but WhatsApp is finally getting ads. In a blog post on Monday, the company announced that ads will appear in the Updates tab, in Status and in Channels.

WhatsApp says the Updates tab is used by 1.5 billion people daily, and it is determined to help admins, organisations, and businesses grow on the platform. As part of the new updates, the Meta-owned company is introducing channel subscriptions, where users can support their favourite channel by receiving exclusive updates tied to a monthly subscription fee. Ads promoting channels will also appear in the Channels tab; a new way for channel admins to increase their reach. And finally, ads will now appear in the Status tab. Businesses will be able to promote their products or services in status updates with a one-click button that customers can tap to start a conversation with them.

WhatsApp is a key business platform for Meta. The instant messaging platform recently surpassed 3 billion monthly users, accounting for a significant portion of the revenue Meta reported in its first-quarter results. In WhatsApp Status, people can share video, pictures, voice notes, texts, or music updates that disappears in 24 hours. The feature is a popular one, and it’s no surprise that Meta is finally bringing ads to it.

“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,” WhatsApp announced in a blog post. “For people that have chosen to add WhatsApp to Accounts Centre, we’ll also use your ad preferences and info from across your Meta accounts.”

Image: WhatsApp