WhatsApp is one of the most popular apps on your smartphone. But the company hasn’t found a way to make money off this popularity. However, this may soon change, at least according to head of WhatsApp, Will Cathcart.
Speaking to Brazilian media (via TechCrunch), Cathcart said there are no plans to show ads in the main inbox, which would be absurd and an unpopular decision. However, this doesn’t mean there are no plans to bring ads to the app. Apparently, ads will appear in other places. The Status updates section is a top candidate and the most likely destination, but we can’t rule out Channels since rival Telegram is already showing ads in Channels.
Below is an example of how ads appear in Telegram Channels:
Another way WhatsApp could make money is through Channel subscriptions, where subscribers pay a small fee to access a given channel’s content. Channel owners can also promote ads within these Channels for free subscribers and share the spoils with WhatsApp.
Interestingly, this comes after the company previously denied plans to bring ads to the main inbox. However, Cathcart justifies the latest development by stating that:
The reason I qualified [sic] the answer is that there could be ads in other places — channels or status. For example, channels might charge people to subscribe, they might be exclusive to paid members or the owners might want to promote the channel. But, no, we won’t put ads in your inbox.
However, none of this has a definitive timeline. So it remains to be seen when WhatsApp will cut to the chase and start showing in-app ads or add a subscription model that finally earns Meta some money off one of its most prized assets.
