WhatsApp monetization begins, potentially adding $15B+ annual revenue from Meta Platforms, Inc.'s nearly 3B global users. Click for my META stock update.

Meta is adding three ad features to WhatsApp. This represents the company’s most significant monetization push for the messaging platform, which has become a global communication standard across multiple continents.

While privacy concerns have made monetizing the app a challenge, Meta is again betting on ads to address its revenue goals.

WhatsApp's new Channel discovery tools and in-app promotions mark a shift toward monetizing messaging, with rollout in over 150 countries and a focus on business use.

Meta has officially announced plans to introduce advertisements to WhatsApp, nearly 11 years after acquiring the messaging platform in a $19 billion deal.

The cofounders of WhatsApp resisted ads in the app for years, including after the company was acquired by Meta for $22 billion in 2014. Brian Acton and Jan Koum left the company in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and on Monday Meta introduced ads in the “Status” feature as well as sponsored Channels in the the “Updates” tab of WhatsApp.

Meta has announced major changes to WhatsApp’s Updates tab, introducing three new features aimed at helping creators, organizations, and businesses