WhatsApp says it is not putting ads on its platform

WhatsApp has refuted the claims that it is developing ads for its platform in order to increase revenue for the Meta owned company.

WhatsApp head Will Cathcart, in a social media post, said that the claims made by a newspaper regarding addition of ads on WhatsApp was false. He went on to say that WhatsApp was not doing anything of this sort.

The report had claimed that development teams at Meta were deliberating where on the platform ads could be displayed. Possible suggestions included lists of chats with contacts on the WhatsApp chat screen. However, the report said that the team made no decision in this regard. The report further claimed that teams at WhatsApp was against putting ads on the platform.

However, the claim that ads were coming to the platform stirred a storm among users with debate on social media ranging from privacy concerns to the overall user experience on WhatsApp.

WhatsApp also made an official statement that said, “We can’t account for every conversation someone had in our company but we are not testing this, working on it, and it’s not our plan at all.”


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Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, had made significant expansions to the WhatsApp platform with the inclusion of WhatsApp Channels — a broadcast service that lets users receive private updates from celebrities, sports teams, and thought leaders. The new feature has been pushed in 150 countries. The company hopes that it will make WhatsApp a full-fledged social media platform with the ability to engage with celebrities and other leaders. Meta will also make the feature available all over the world in the coming months.

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WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $19 million with the goal of making the platform a revenue generator for Meta.