Ads will appear exclusively in the ‘Updates’ tab on WhatsApp, which includes the Status and Channels features used by about 1.5 billion users daily. Businesses can promote products or services through Status ads,

Meta has announced it will begin showing advertisements in WhatsApp's Status feature, marking a significant shift for the messaging platform that has remained largely ad-free since its acquisition by Facebook in 2014.

WhatsApp announced on Monday it will introduce its boldest advertising features yet, marking a significant shift for the messaging platform that has largely remained ad-free since its

The monetisation tools being introduced include optional paid subscriptions for Channels, promoted Channels in the Discovery section, and advertisements embedded in the Status feature, WhatsApp’s answer to Instagram Stories.

For years, WhatsApp resisted the advertising model even as its parent company heavily monetised its other platforms like Facebook and Instagram.