Tag: whatsapp ads

WhatsApp Head Will Cathcart Says Company Could Show Ads, but Not in Main Inbox: Report

WhatsApp could show users ads in some parts of the app, according to the company’s top executive. In a recent interview with a Brazilian publication, WhatsApp Head Will Cathcart confirmed that the messaging platform will not display ads in the main inbox or in chats, but advertisements might be shown in two other sections of the app. The revelation comes two months after the company denied a report that claimed WhatsApp was planning to show users ads to monetise the service.

In an interview with Folha de S. Paulo (in Brazilian) Cathcart stated that WhatsApp would remain ad-free in the app’s inbox and inside chats. “The reason I qualified the answer is that there could be ads in other places —channels or statuses. For example, channels might charge people to subscribe, they might be exclusive to paid members, or the owners might want to promote the channel. But no, we won’t place ads in the Inbox,” the executive told the publication (translated from Brazilian).

There’s no word from the company on when ads will make their way to the Status or Channels sections on the app. The disclosure that WhatsApp could show users ads to users in specific parts of the app comes after Cathcart denied a report in September that the platform was planning to display advertisements in lists of conversations with contacts — the default view when a user opens the app.

This isn’t the first time that WhatsApp has reportedly explored the addition of advertisements to the popular chat application. In 2019, it was reported that WhatsApp was planning on showing ads to users via the Status feature that allows users to share images and videos in a similar as Instagram and Facebook stories. WhatsApp is currently monetised by offering business messaging features that allow companies to reach the app’s massive userbase — the Meta-owned messaging service has over 2 billion users.

A report in August 2020 stated that WhatsApp was planning on showing ads in the app by using phone numbers to match users’ Facebook and WhatsApp accounts and serve users targeted advertisements. At the time, it was reported that the company would display these ads once the planned unification of its three messaging platforms — WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger — was completed. 

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WhatsApp Considers Showing Ads Alongside List of Conversations in Chat Screen: Report

Teams at Meta have been discussing whether to show ads in lists of conversations with contacts on the WhatsApp chat screen, but no final decisions have been made, the report said, citing three people familiar with the matter.

Meta is also deliberating whether to charge a subscription fee to use the app ad-free, the report said, adding that many company insiders were against the move.

Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

In June, Meta gave employees a sneak peek at a series of AI tools it was building, including ChatGPT-like chatbots planned for Messenger and WhatsApp that could converse using different personas.

In March, WhatsApp agreed to be more transparent about changes to its privacy policy introduced in 2021, following complaints from consumer bodies across Europe.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and the European Network of consumer authorities told WhatsApp last year that it had not clarified the changes in plain and intelligible language, violating the bloc’s laws.

WhatsApp agreed to explain changes to EU users’ contracts and how these could affect their rights, and agreed to display prominently the possibility for users to accept or reject the changes and ensure that users can easily close pop-up notifications on updates.

The company also confirmed that users’ personal data is not shared with third parties or other Meta companies, including Facebook, for advertising purposes.

“Consumers have a right to understand what they agree to and what that choice entails concretely, so that they can decide whether they want to continue using the platform,” Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders had said at the time.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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WhatsApp Denies Report That It Is Considering Showing Ads on App’s Chat Screen

WhatsApp’s top head on Friday denied a Financial Times report that said the Meta Platforms-owned messaging platform was exploring advertisements as it sought to boost revenue.

“This @FT story is false. We aren’t doing this,” WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The report said that teams at Meta were discussing whether to show ads in lists of conversations with contacts on the WhatsApp chat screen, but no final decisions had been made, citing people familiar with the matter.

FT added that Meta was also deliberating whether to charge a subscription fee to use the app ad-free.

In a statement, WhatsApp told the FT that “we can’t account for every conversation someone had in our company but we are not testing this, working on it, and it’s not our plan at all.”

FT also said many company insiders were against the move.

Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Facebook bought WhatsApp, which has always been a free chat app, in 2014 for $19 billion.

Meta has already been working to boost revenue from WhatsApp. CEO Mark Zuckerberg last year said that WhatsApp and Messenger would drive the company’s next wave of sales growth, with business messaging “probably going to be the next major pillar” of Meta’s business.

WhatsApp’s Business application catered to more than 200 million users on its platform, as of June this year, a four-fold jump from about three years ago.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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