Meta has started showing ads inside WhatsApp – the messaging app it bought for $19 billion cash back in 2014. For the first time ever, promotional content now appears in the app's Status/Updates section.

Company officials insist ads won't disrupt regular chats or calls. "They live only in the updates tab," a Meta spokesperson confirmed. The rollout coincides with new business tools letting shops and brands create official channels similar to LINE's model.

Meta made clear promises about user privacy: Businesses won't get access to private messages. Your call history and chats stay encrypted end-to-end. Ads won't target users based on conversation content.

This move follows years of speculation about when WhatsApp would join Meta's other ad-supported platforms like Facebook and Instagram. With limited initial ad space confined to one tab, analysts suggest meaningful revenue growth might take longer here than on Meta's other apps.