Experts Share: How In-App Whatsapp Ads Will Affect The Overall User Experience

WhatsApp has started showing sponsored stories inside its Updates tab, the home of Status and Channels. Meta explained in an announcement that adverts from businesses will now appear between the pictures, videos and voice notes friends share each day. The feed is already busy, with WhatsApp saying 1.5 billion people open it daily.

These adverts stay only in the Updates space, so it wont necessarily affect individual chats. When users swipe through Status, the paid content carries a small label so it one can tell what is promotional. Meta added that chats, calls and groups continue to run with end-to-end encryption.

The messaging service repeated that nothing changes for users who ignore the Updates tab. Friends and family chats open exactly as before, and no paid posts appear in those threads.

 

Why Is Meta Turning To Advertising Now?

 

Advertising on WhatsApp has been a long running debate inside Meta. The founders once ruled the idea out, but revenue pressure kept the topic alive. WhatsApp head Will Cathcart confirmed last year that a plan was still on the drawing board.

Meta earned more than $160 billion from ads across its platforms in the previous financial year. Adding the world’s biggest chat app to that machine offers fresh income without new subscription fees for ordinary users.

The company also believes the Updates tab creates a natural shop window. People already look there for news from celebrities, clubs and local stores, so a paid message sits beside content they have chosen to follow.

Meta insists the shift does not break the promise of an ad-free inbox. Everything runs in a separate feed, meaning no banners pop up inside chat bubbles.

After years of tests and internal debate, the commercial door is now open. The firm hopes users will accept the trade-off if it stays away from their private conversations.

 

Could Adverts Change How People Use The App?

 

Fans of WhatsApp prize its clutter free chats, so the arrival of adverts will test loyalty. If the Updates tab grows too commercial, users might ignore it, but Meta is betting the lure of deals and channel news will keep eyes on the feed.

Businesses can also gain a direct line from advert to chat, taking away the gap between promotion and customer service. A user who sees a shoe ad can tap once to ask about sizes instead of having to jump to email or a browser.

Channel creators may welcome a new income stream. Paid rankings and subscriptions let them earn without leaving the platform, similar to models on Telegram and Patreon.

 

What Do Experts Think It Could Affect?

 

Experts were asked how Whatsapp bringing in-app ads will affect the user experience, and whether users may move to from Whatsapp, should the ads be too much for them. Here’s what they think…

 

Our Experts:

 

• Adam Landis, Head of Growth, Branch
• Mark Weinstein, Tech Entrepreneur and Author, Restoring Our Sanity Online
• Ambreen Sharif, Founder, Ambreen Sharif Creative & Consulting
• Andrey Meshkov, CTO, AdGuard
• Christina Garnett, Chief Customer and Communications Officer, neuemotion
• Karolina Kroliczek, CEO, PR Insight
• Aman Sareen, CEO, Aarki
• Henson Tsai, CEO, SleekFlow
• Vlad Cristescu, Head of Cybersecurity, ZeroBounce
• Michael Ryan, Director & Founder, Ink Digital

 

Adam Landis, Head of Growth, Branch

 

 

“It’s likely most WhatsApp users won’t notice the ads initially, seeing as they’re tucked away in the lesser-used “Updates” tab—it’s Meta testing to see how to effectively monetise What’sApp.

“However, if Meta expands ad placement without enough user data to make them effective, the platform risks inviting the kind of low-quality, distracting ads that thrive in cheap inventory—(remember “punch the monkey?”). Ironically, this could push users to opt into more data sharing just to get better-targeted, less intrusive ads.”

 

Mark Weinstein, Tech Entrepreneur and Author, Restoring Our Sanity Online

 

 

“WhatsApp’s plan to introduce in-app ads is no surprise. Meta is an advertising and data company first and foremost, masquerading as a social network. This move will inevitably degrade the user experience, shifting the focus away from genuine connection and towards targeted manipulation for profit.

“For users who are fed up with having their lives tracked, monetized, and manipulated, and who want privacy and authentic communication, this could be the final push. They may seek out new platforms that respect users as customers to serve and reject ad-targeting and data-harvesting. Signal is my recommended alternative.”

 

Ambreen Sharif, Founder, Ambreen Sharif Creative & Consulting

 

 

“WhatsApp built its reputation on privacy, trust, and simplicity. Bringing ads into that environment risks diluting those core values. Ultimately, it changes the psychological contract between the app and its users. What felt like a personal communication tool starts to resemble a content platform.”

 

Andrey Meshkov, CTO, AdGuard

 

 

“The introduction of ads in WhatsApp is undoubtedly a step backward when it comes to user experience. For years, WhatsApp offered a clean experience, focusing on private messaging and personal connections.

“But with Meta now bringing ads into the Updates tab — the very space where you interact with close friends and family — it’s hard to see this as anything other than a disruption. The constant presence of ads among personal status updates will likely feel intrusive and will change the dynamic of the app for the worse.

“In terms of privacy, the lack of an opt-out option also raises concerns, especially with data collection and targeting by Meta. If these ads become overwhelming, users may look to alternatives like Telegram or Signal that both offer ad-free experiences.

“Unfortunately, for those who want to stick with WhatsApp, blocking these ads on mobile will be nearly impossible due to the app’s encrypted traffic. Overall, this feels like a step in the wrong direction for a platform that was once about keeping communication simple and uninterrupted.”

 

Christina Garnett, Chief Customer and Communications Officer, neuemotion

 

 

“Meta introducing ads across their platforms one by one has been a foregone conclusion for quite some time. The timing makes sense, too, as many people are looking for connection beyond traditional public-facing social media platforms. The audience has essentially migrated to the group chat.

“Having ads here makes sense so Meta can still monetize this audience, but it risks alienating them as your conversations with family and friends become a glorified respite between ad breaks. It seems that everywhere we exist consciously has to become ad space.

“The risk with adding ads to WhatsApp is that there is the belief that these conversations are private. If so, how can you do effective conversational ad targeting? The general population doesn’t trust Meta (I would highly recommend reading Careless People if you get a chance) and this would erode whatever good standing they have left.

“This is an opportunity for Signal (a WhatsApp competitor) to champion its privacy and lack of ads. If I were them, this would become a key part of their messaging in their value proposition. Signal is already trusted by many members of the press, so this, with the knowledge you won’t be bombarded with ads will be tempting to current WhatsApp users.”
 

 

Karolina Kroliczek, CEO, PR Insight

 

 

“The introduction of in-app ads on WhatsApp represents a significant shift in the platform’s core user experience. WhatsApp built its reputation on privacy, simplicity, and an ad-free environment – values that have contributed to its massive global adoption. The inclusion of ads, even if initially limited to the Status feature or chat list, risks eroding this trust.

“From a user experience standpoint, ads could lead to visual clutter, slower app performance and interruptions in how people engage with the app.”

 

Aman Sareen, CEO, Aarki

 

 

“Ads inside chat windows are a third rail. If Meta keeps them siloed in Status or Channels, disruption stays minimal. But put them between messages and you invite churn overnight. WhatsApp’s 2B users are the last untapped gold mine in Meta’s stack, and even a $1 ARPU lift means billions in new revenue.

“Still, end-to-end encryption is the brand promise—any hint that targeting touches messages torpedoes trust. More ad tools also mean more ways for hackers to get in. Done carefully, WhatsApp ads are a cash printer. Done poorly, they hand Signal and iMessage their biggest growth spike yet.”

 

Henson Tsai, CEO, SleekFlow

 

 

“Introducing ads into WhatsApp is a sensitive move that can ruin what users love most: simplicity and privacy. WhatsApp is famous for being simple, intimate, and ad-free. Introducing ads—particularly in the application—will be seen as intrusive, particularly in intimate chats where users crave intimacy, not disruption.

“From a commercial perspective, it introduces new opportunities for monetization and enables brands to reach customers where they already spend their time. But it has to be done extremely well. If ads are irrelevant to what users are interested in or too intrusive, there is a serious danger that users will switch to platforms like Telegram or Signal that prioritize ad-free communication.

“At SleekFlow, we’ve experienced directly the way customers react to disruption within the messaging ecosystem. User comfort and trust are paramount when it comes to conversational commerce. If WhatsApp compromises those, even slightly, it would distort the entire messaging landscape. Brands have to be ready to join customers—and not simply blast messages where it’s convenient.”

 

Vlad Cristescu, Head of Cybersecurity, ZeroBounce

 

 

Why would Meta place ads on WhatsApp?

“It comes down to money. WhatsApp has over 2 billion users worldwide, but it hasn’t been a direct source of money for Meta, like Facebook or Instagram. Ads are still the primary way Meta makes money, so naturally they’d want to eventually bring that model into WhatsApp.

“They’ve already started pushing forward with business messaging, like WhatsApp Business accounts and ads originating from Facebook or Instagram that send people to WhatsApp. Placing ads in the app itself, maybe in the Status section or even the list of chats, would be the next step. It keeps people within Meta’s system from discovery to conversation to purchase.

“Even though WhatsApp never scans your messages because of end-to-end encryption, Meta can still use data the way businesses use it – your phone number and general usage patterns to provide targeted advertising. All that data is extremely valuable.”

What will this do to the user experience?

“This is where things get tricky. WhatsApp is loved for how straightforward it is. It’s a spare, plain environment that contains no distraction other than the messages. Having advertisements there risks making it cluttered. Even if only on the Status tab currently, it could be seen as the start of a louder, less personal version of WhatsApp.

“For most users, Status isn’t the main purpose they use the app for. That means it might be less agonising to bring ads into, but it still wears away at the ad-free promise WhatsApp originally set out to make. Users would not like it if ads eventually started to show up in their main chat feed.”

Security concerns

“Technically, this won’t compromise security. WhatsApp uses the Signal Protocol to provide end-to-end encryption. Adding ads isn’t going to do anything to break that. Your messages are still secure.

“But it’s a matter of perception. If people start seeing ads, they’’ll wonder what data is being captured and how it’s being used. Even if it’s all above board, this move will compromise user trust in the app. People will think, “Are they watching me now?” even when Meta isn’t.

“There’s also a difference between privacy in private one-to-one conversations and conversations with businesses. Those business conversations can be less secure and be more exposed to data extraction.”

Financial gains

“Meta already makes billions from ads that drive to WhatsApp. Try to visualise how much they could make if they placed ads within the app itself. If they can get away with it without much pushback, it could be a vast new source of revenue.

“The challenge is balancing greater profits with user satisfaction. Users do not want to feel like a product, particularly by apps they’ve come to trust for confidential communication.

“This seems to be a turning point for WhatsApp. It was born a minimalist, private messaging app, but now that ads are on the horizon, that vibe is shifting. Meta’s hoping WhatsApp is embedded so deeply in people’s lives that they’ll tolerate a few ads. That might hold true for most users, but for users who value privacy and simplicity, this might be a reason to switch to another app.”

 

Michael Ryan, Director & Founder, Ink Digital

 

 

“WhatsApp has always been one of the few digital spaces that felt relatively untouched. No noise, no scroll fatigue, just a direct line to the people you actually want to talk to.

“So introducing ads into that experience will almost definitely shift how people feel about using it. Even if the ads are subtle or “well-integrated,” they change the tone. The platform goes from feeling like a private space to something more commercial and that’s a big shift in user trust and expectation.

“From a brand perspective, WhatsApp has positioned itself for years as simple, secure, and free of distractions. If ads start to creep in, especially if they’re not highly relevant or feel intrusive, users could start rethinking their loyalty, particularly privacy-conscious ones.

“People are already overwhelmed with ads in their feeds, inboxes, browsers. If those start showing up in WhatsApp too, it risks turning a utility into yet another marketing channel, which isn’t what people signed up for.

“If the rollout feels too aggressive or tone-deaf, I wouldn’t be surprised to see users explore alternatives. Signal and Telegram come to mind, especially if those platforms can maintain the “clean, private space” that WhatsApp originally offered. We’ve seen over and over that when trust slips, even slightly, people look for the next best thing. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s often enough to start a shift.

“The challenge for WhatsApp will be walking the line between monetisation and maintaining the experience that made it successful in the first place. Once you change how a platform feels, it’s hard to walk that back.”