WhatsApp to soon introduce ads.
WhatsApp has become one of the most popular cross-platform instant messaging apps around the globe. The Facebook-owned giant is now gearing up to serve advertisements to its users. The application has been free for a long time now and as the app has reached over 150 crore users worldwide, it is the right time to start showing ads.
While the ads would not interrupt regular chats, reports suggest that the company will add these advertisements in the WhatsApp Status updates. It will be more or less similar to Facebook and Instagram Stories. The social media giant reportedly suspended the development for displaying ads on the platform to avoid “antagonising regulators.”
As the chats are end-to-end encrypted, Facebook would use the phone number linked to the WhatsApp account to determine a match with a Facebook account in order to serve targeted ads.
WhatsApp has a huge userbase, which can be a great advantage for a firm like Facebook. Leveraging the user base will bring in a ton of ad revenue but at the same point, it might affect the number of active users. People with trust issues might start leaving WhatsApp for apps like Telegram and Hike.
A Facebook spokesperson told Engadget that “ads in Status remains a long-term opportunity for WhatsApp.” While we are not gonna see any ads on WhatsApp anytime soon, it is for sure that this will be out for the masses one day. It will not only raise privacy and security concerns but it might as well result in mass deletion of the application. However, a country like India might still stick with the app for a long run.
