WhatsApp exploring in-app ads: Here’s what the company has to say

WhatsApp has refuted a report which claimed that the Meta-owned immediate messaging platform is exploring to display in-app commercials. It additionally claimed that the transfer, aimed to monetise the world’s most popular messaging service, brought on inside controversy.
Teams at Meta have been discussing whether to indicate advertisements in lists of conversations with contacts on the WhatsApp chat screen, however no final choices have been made, based on three individuals conversant in the matter.
Citing a person with close knowledge of the discussions, a report by The Financial Times mentioned that the idea of bringing adverts to WhatsApp has been debated at a excessive level inside the firm because of considerations that the transfer would alienate users.
It was also claimed that the company was discussing a subscription model that may enable customers to use an ad-free version “but many insiders are towards the move.”
What Meta has to say
Refuting the report, WhatsApp mother or father Meta said, “We can’t account for every conversation somebody had in our company but we aren’t testing this, engaged on it, and it’s not our plan at all.”
Meanwhile, WhatsApp chief Will Cathcart wrote on X: “This @FT story is fake. We aren’t doing this.”

WhatsApp monetising chats: Report
This is not the primary time a report has claimed that the corporate was trying to monetise WhatsApp. Earlier this month, a report by CNBC claimed that Meta is trying to make WhatsApp a worthwhile asset.
It claimed that WhatsApp is planning to leverage its large shopper base in nations like India and Brazil to generate income by monetising business conversations with customers.
“It’s been clear for many years that persons are attempting to attach with companies on WhatsApp,” the report additionally quoted Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s London unit’s product director, as saying.
“If you go to India or Brazil and you go searching, you’ll see WhatsApp numbers posted up in store home windows in all places. This is how companies wish to have interaction with their customers,” Newton-Rex added.
The report additionally highlighted that customers in India use WhatsApp to have interaction with businesses, corresponding to to book Uber rides and get film recommendations on their Netflix accounts. This signifies that the more conversations, the extra revenue for WhatsApp.