WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is introducing a suite of new features to its platform, including Channel Subscriptions, Promoted Channels, and Ads in Status. These changes aim to enhance business tools and provide creators with additional ways to monetize their content, all while maintaining user privacy. The updates will be implemented starting from June 16.
The introduction of Channel Subscriptions will allow channel administrators to offer exclusive content to their followers for a monthly fee. Premium content will be identified by a diamond icon. Admins will have the flexibility to set their own subscription prices, and each subscription will be valid for a 30-day period, offering a new way for creators to generate revenue. Promoted Channels will provide a way for channel administrators to advertise their channels within WhatsApp’s directory to increase visibility and attract more followers.
In addition to this, WhatsApp will introduce ads in the Status section of the Updates tab, allowing businesses to promote products and services. The goal is to enable users to interact with businesses directly. WhatsApp assures that these ads will only appear within the Updates tab, with personal chats, group messages, and calls remaining free of advertisements. The company emphasizes that personal messages, calls, and statuses will remain end-to-end encrypted. WhatsApp will not share users’ phone numbers with advertisers. To decide which ads to show, WhatsApp will use basic information such as the user’s location, language, and channels followed. If users have connected WhatsApp with Meta’s Accounts Center, ad preferences from other Meta apps may be taken into account. These features are an extension of the model of optional subscriptions, aimed at individual creators and public channels. The rollout of these new features will be phased and will be available worldwide in the next few weeks.