WhatsApp has been a free app for as long as we can remember. Sure, there are some paid features, but for the majority of the app itself, it is completely free to use, and all features are also free. The app is also completely ad free. However, that is going to change in the future because the company has now confirmed that there could be ads placed within teh app in the future, but thankfully, they will not be in the inbox or the chats.
WhatsApp displaying ads between status updates and public channels should not really hinder the overall user experience
In an interview with a Brazilian publication, Will Cathcart, WhatsApp's boss, talked about how the app is going to have a different future and how it helps Meta earn money. Cathcart was asked about the app having ads, and he clarified that there are not going to be ads in the inbox or in the chat.
Cathcart said, “We don’t think that’s the right model. People, when they open their inbox, don’t want to see advertising," at the same time, he did not completely deny the idea of WhatsApp having ads to begin with. As a matter of fact, he mentioned that Public Channels, as well as Status, could eventually show advertisements, which makes sense. Cathcart also talked about how there could be other ways to monetize the app, such as having people pay to join a channel, a feature that we have already seen on other apps.
It is also important to know that even though personal WhatsApp is completely free, one of its biggest revenue generation happens from WhatsApp Business API. This API allows small and large companies access to a lot of specialized tools, and for those wondering, it generates $10 billion a year in revenue. This means that the platform can easily increase its revenue without really relying on the ads in the first place.
Honestly, advertisement is the bread and butter for a lot of apps and platforms. So, I do understand WhatsApp's stance to include advertisements in some form, but if the company is already generative a healthy revenue from its business API, there might not be a need for advertisement, in the first place. However, if the company does choose to display ads between status updates and public channels, then I do not think that will be an issue.
News Source: Folha De S.Paulo
About the author: I have been tinkering with Android devices ever since the early days of the HTC Desire. Over time, I have grown a fondness for the ecosystem and now I cannot live without it. Although some might believe that I have sold my soul to Android, but I believe it is not the case. You can find me writing tutorials and posting guides on a number of different smartphones. When I am not writing here, I am wasting myself away in books, journals, or on Steam.
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