Overview
- Sponsored Status posts and promoted Channels are now live globally after regional tests, designed to boost discovery of businesses and creators.
- Ads appear only in the Updates tab and are clearly labeled, with no advertising in personal chats, calls or other sections of the app.
- Targeting uses limited signals such as language, country and ad interactions, and WhatsApp says private messages and group activity are not used.
- Users can swipe past Status ads and block or hide specific advertisers from in-app controls.
- In parts of Europe, an optional subscription removes ads from Status and Channels for about €3 via web or €4 via Apple/Google stores, and the rollout depends on installing the latest app version and may take time to reach all accounts.