this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
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WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen (techcrunch.com)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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After years of providing free services without any bells attached, WhatsApp is now going to start showing ads on the popular chat app. To be clear, users will only see ads on the Status screen — the app’s take on Instagram’s Stories.

So just like you see an ad after watching a few stories on Instagram, you will see ads on WhatsApp after you’ve scrolled through a few Status updates.

The company said that its ad mechanism uses signals like users’ country or city, language, and the channels they’re following, as well as data from ads that users interact with.

Meta said it is not using personally identifiable data, such as users’ phone numbers, messages, calls, and groups to serve targeted ads. If a user has added their WhatsApp account to Meta’s Account Center, the company will use their Account preferences to show ads.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (3 children)

After years of providing free services without any bells attached

Surprisingly, if the goods cost you nothing, you are the goods.

Why, exactly, do people still use WhatsApp?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Network effect, same as for most social things. Perhaps the EU will force interoperability, but they seem more focused on "save the children" style control and monitoring.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Perhaps the EU will force interoperability

I hope they'll never interoperate with Threema. Threema would have to be less secure.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Go explain to my grandma why the image I sent her isn't in her image gallery.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Just another reason to use something better.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"Unfortunately, life is often not a concert of wishes, and you have to make compromises"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Stop using my own bad English against me! However, touché.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I have tried multiple times now.
People just don't seem to switch.
Even my work uses it, despite me trying to explain to them how insecure it is (although it is all insecure as long as we open it on Android phones anyway) and urged them to use signal or some self hosted service.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

My own approach is that there is no way to reach me via WhatsApp. Whenever I need to reach someone who "has WhatsApp", I'll just use their "WhatsApp number" anyway. Only very few people seem to know that their "WhatsApp number" is equal to their SMS/iMessage number... ;-)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 22 hours ago

Well, I don't have that option, as I need to be available in the company's WhatsApp group to get work (⇒ money), which then means that I have to keep my Android phone working, despite it getting worse every update.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

I can remember, that i paid for whatsapp... Once time payment, enshittification came..

[–] [email protected] 1 points 21 hours ago

Does anyone actually use the status/ updates tab?