Today, WhatsApp announced new features that aim to make its Updates tab more useful for businesses, creators, and users. With 1.5 billion people already using the tab daily, this update brings three key additions to help everyone discover more, support creators, and connect with businesses without affecting your private chats.
Channel Subscriptions
WhatsApp will now let you subscribe to channels for exclusive content. If there’s a channel you enjoy—say a cooking, news, or sports channel—you can support it with a monthly fee and get extra updates reserved just for subscribers.
This is a smart move. Channels so far have been mostly free and passive. Adding subscriptions gives creators a reliable income. At the same time, users get goodies they won’t find elsewhere.
Promoted Channels
Admins can now promote their channels inside the Updates tab directory. Think of it as WhatsApp’s version of “Sponsored Posts.” You’ll see them when browsing, and they’ll be labeled so you know they’re promoted.
It’s a fair way for creators and small businesses to get noticed. Just hope the “promoted” badge is obvious, so discovery stays transparent and fair.
Ads in Status
Finally, ads are coming to WhatsApp Status—but only there. You’ll see promotions from businesses and creators, and you can tap to start a chat directly.
All of these changes stay inside the “Updates” tab. Your real chats remain unchanged. Private messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted, and WhatsApp stresses that nobody can read or listen to them, not even WhatsApp itself.
WhatsApp has long been free of ads. The founders even promised it would stay that way. But to support creators, small businesses, and channels, they need a revenue model. Meta wants to unlock revenue from its 2 billion+ users on WhatsApp. Ads in the Updates tab, channel subscriptions, and promoted Channels fit that plan.
WhatsApp says your messages, calls, and statuses are still fully encrypted. Ads in Status and Channels will use limited info like Country or city, Language, Channels followed, how you interact with ads, and optional preferences from your Meta accounts.
This shift sparked mixed reactions. Many believe it’s a smart way to keep WhatsApp free while funding new features. However, privacy experts warn that even minimal ad targeting requires using metadata, which can worry some users.
