It had been announced in recent weeks but now the beta testers (users who test a product in preview) chosen by WhatsApp they will be able to see, for the first time, the advertisements within the app. The novelty concerns both those who use the Android operating system and iOS.
What happens on the “Updates” section
The novelty was announced by the experts of Wabetainfo: on the “updates” section where the States and the channels are visible today, in the near future the general public will observe a special section dedicated to the sponsored content. It seems that there must be no substantial differences: on States The advertising will be reserved for companies and companies (upon payment) who will insert their banners in that appropriate section with users who will be able to view the content as it happens today with the states of their contacts.
As regards, however, advertisements in the Channelseven in this way the possibility will be reserved for business account and professionals in the sector who intend to promote a product to the general public (with a monthly fee to be paid). Also in this case, users will understand what advertising content will be because they are well sponsored.
The difference with chats
All users can rest assured: advertising will find itself exclusively on the updates section and will never invade private chats, group conversations, communities and calls. “To introduce these advertising features, a banner in the update tab invites users to discover more on the functioning of the ads in a state and channels. By touching the banner, users are guided through an explanation on how ads appear, what data are used and how they can manage their preferences. This proactive approach guarantees that users are not caught by surprise by the presence of sponsored content “, Experts explain.
The report on the activity
In order to be able to under control, advertisements, WhatsApp will be parallelly introducing a new function called Report Activities thanks to which the members of the messaging app will also be able to consult the chronology of all the advertising listings displayed in a state and channels for a certain period of time. “Each listing is listed with the date of viewing and the name of the advertiser, making it easier for users to remember with which promotions they interacted“, explains Wabetainfo.
The release to the general public
Since the beta testers have started to take advantage of the novelty,
As always in these cases for the release to the general public, weeks will need, if not months. In any case, it will start from the United States by 2025 while for Europe it should restart next year.