The end of an ad-free WhatsApp.

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.

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.

This isn’t the only change Meta is making to WhatsApp. The company will also start showing promoted channels when you click on the Explore button to find new ones to follow. It’s also rolling out the ability to subscribe to channels to “receive exclusive updates” as well.

    • toynbee@lemmy.worldEnglish
      171·
      20 days ago

      To be fair, I am shocked… Not to see a Pikachu face in the comments.

    • danc4498@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      20 days ago

      As somebody that doesn’t use what’s app, I’m shocked it didn’t have ads already.

  • Mark@lemmy.worldEnglish
    45·
    20 days ago

    “We will never show you ads in WhatsApp. We promise”. --Facebook when they bought WhatsApp and promised the previous owner not to force ads in the app…

  • Auth@lemmy.worldEnglish
    27·
    19 days ago

    • provide free app at a loss

    • grow massive user base and market share

    • squeeze your userbase for every cent they’re worth

    Every single time. We got to solve the funding issue some how, I dont want to live in a future run by ads.

  • SilverShark@lemmy.worldEnglish
    13·
    20 days ago

    I wished Whatsapp wasn’t a thing so much. There are so many so much better apps. Signal is so much better and it would work fine for the vast majority of people.

    • Scolding7300@lemmy.worldEnglish
      71·
      20 days ago

      Unfortunately “better” varies from person to person. Signal is behind on features, e.g. WhatsApp has integration for businesses (customer support).

      I hope my monthly donation will help but we must realize for some some features are important, I guess that for most it’s how many ppl they know is there/unwilling to lead a migration

      • SilverShark@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        19 days ago

        Yes, this is right. Saying arbitrarily “better” leaves a lot out.

        I must admit that using the business integration for customer support has lead me to really good experiences. Especially not having to call, wait 20 minutes under a ring tone, and talking over a line with very low sound quality.

  • Wispy2891@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    19 days ago

    the channels you follow

    I knew they would use that info for targeted advertising

    It’s Facebook 101, let the users themselves tell you what they like

  • FuryMaker@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    19 days ago

    People are going to use whatever the majority use.

    I need to ude WhatsApp when i travel to countries egere it’s widely adopted. Just like I need tocuse Facebook if I want to partake in group chats with friends.

    They’re just too big. How is anything else supposed to take off? Just gradually maybe.

    So maybe Signal will get there in a few years? What’s itd adoption rate since it was created?

    • IndustryStandard@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      19 days ago

      Gradually is the answer. You can dual use both Signal and Whatsapp. Same how you can use Lemmy and Facebook and are not limited to one sociale media app.

    • network_switch@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2·
      19 days ago

      It’s a slow grind for adoption. I’ve had Signal installed on my phone since like 2016. Went from one person I knew to now about ~30. It’s mostly people from work at tech companies but progressively I’ve noticed other industries employees adopting it for unofficial chat that my contacts list has been growing over the years. Probably won’t take off in a few years. Maybe another decade

    • Camelbeard@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      19 days ago

      Family chatgroup, signal Work chatgroup, signal Half of my friends, signal

      Won’t be very long until I remove whatsapp from my phone. That one friend that doesn’t want to switch, call me I guess…

    • Schlemmy@lemmy.mlEnglish
      1·
      19 days ago

      That’s the main reason Signal uses phone numbers for verification.

      That way you can see which of your contact can be reached on their platform.

      I slowly diverted from WhatsApp to Signal in that way. I also have it in my WhatsApp bio: ‘‘You can reach me on Signal. Come on over, it’ll be fun’’

  • minorkeys@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    18 days ago

    Nothing better than having a private conversation with my friends and having some dude lean in to remind us that Brawndo, the thirst mutilator, has electrolytes.