WhatsApp has launched new tools to help creators and businesses earn money directly through the platform. These features are available only within the “Updates” tab, which includes both Channels and Status.
According to WhatsApp, this is part of its efforts to support content creators while keeping regular chat experiences untouched.
The company said, “Today we’re introducing some new features for our Updates tab, which is home to both Channels and Status.” It added, “These new features will appear only on the Updates tab, away from your chats.”
With this update, WhatsApp has introduced Channel Subscriptions. This feature allows followers to pay a monthly fee to support their favourite creators. In return, subscribers gain access to exclusive content that isn’t visible to other users. It offers a new way for creators to build a steady income stream within the app.
The company also added a Promoted Channels feature. This gives admins the chance to increase their channel’s visibility by paying for their channels to appear in the WhatsApp directory.
When users browse the list of available channels, promoted ones will be shown as recommendations. This is expected to help new or niche channels attract more followers quickly.
New Ads in Status and Privacy Assurance for Users
Another key feature introduced is Ads in Status. This allows businesses to place advertisements directly within the Status section. People viewing a contact’s status update may now see short ads, much like they do on Instagram Stories.
These ads will help to promote products and services while allowing users to chat directly with the businesses through WhatsApp.
The company explained how these ads will work. WhatsApp will use limited data such as a user’s location, language, and actions within the Updates tab to show relevant ads. Users who connect WhatsApp to Meta’s account centre may see ads based on their activity across other Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
Despite the introduction of these monetisation tools, WhatsApp assured its users that personal privacy remains a top priority. The company said that private chats, group messages, and voice or video calls will continue to be protected by end-to-end encryption.
“Like everything we do at WhatsApp, we’ve built these features in the most private way possible,” the company said. It added, “Your messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted.”
WhatsApp also confirmed that it will not share users’ phone numbers or personal messages with advertisers.
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