It’s finally happening. After years of telling us “no ads, no games, no gimmicks,” WhatsApp is finally doing it. Ads are coming to the app, and there’s nothing you can do about it, unless you’re ready to leave ‘App (which, let’s be honest, you’re not).
Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, announced that they’re introducing ads to the Updates tab, the same one that has Statuses and Channels.
So no, your chats are safe, for now. No ad is going to pop up between your chats. But let’s not pretend this doesn’t change things.
It’s just Status, who cares?
That’s the argument. The Updates tab is the least-used section for most users. Many Zimbabweans used to only tap on a Status by mistake but it’s grown on people now.
It’s not just Zimbos, Meta says 1.5 billion users visit the Updates tab every day. So, it shouldn’t matter, right?
But this isn’t really about the Status tab. Could this be the first crack? Could we see ads show up in our regular old chats?
Over the years, we all wondered when Zuckerberg would try to get something back for the billions he spent buying WhatsApp. It appears that time is now.
So, today it’s the Updates tab. Tomorrow it maybe suggested businesses in chat search, or even full-screen ads between voice calls. Remember how Facebook and Instagram started, then remember how they are now.
How do the ads work?
WhatsApp says they won’t use your chats to personalise ads. The data used will include:
- Your country and city
- Your language
- The channels you follow
- What you click on in the app
- Info from your Meta accounts (if you link them)
So no, your chats about borrowing cash to buy chicken necks from the house on the corner won’t trigger Chicken Inn ads just yet. But you’re still being profiled, just like on Facebook and Instagram.
The only difference is that they’re pretending to care about your privacy more on WhatsApp. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Businesses, rejoice
This change is really for the benefit of businesses. Companies will now be able to run ads in Status, promote their channels, and even offer paid subscriptions for exclusive content.
That last one might get interesting in Zim. We’re already seeing businesses use WhatsApp to share product catalogs, order updates, and run informal loyalty programmes.
What now?
If you’re a regular WhatsApp user, which you are, probably nothing right now. You’ll just see an ad between your friend’s crude joke photo and a church Status with 17 emojis.
If you’re a business, it’s time to seriously consider opening a WhatsApp Channel and budgeting for ad spend. That’s where Zimbos are and you better be there too.
If you’re a cynic (like me) this is the start of the end. The slippery slope has begun. WhatsApp as we knew it, the clean, quiet, ad-free messaging app, is officially gone.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, you’ll still need data to view those ads. Econet, NetOne and Telecel are not handing out free ad views. So, Zuckerberg gets to show you ads using your very own data bundle.
Are you already seeing ads in your WhatsApp? Let us know. And if you’re thinking of ditching the app over this, we’d love to hear how that’s going, from wherever else you’ll be messaging.
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