Remember when WhatsAap was a humble texting app that anyone could get for free? Well, good things don’t usually last, do they. Although the popular app is still free to download and use, reports suggest that their ‘Status’ feature will soon feature ads in the near future.
Image credit: Crowdfire
Does that sound familiar to you? If it does, that’s because it’s akin to what Instagram has been doing for some time with their own Stories. The base WhatsAap platform will remain un-tarnished by ads, so you’re still able to text as usual with no interference; but the Status feature will soon be bombarded with full-screen vertical ads.
WhatsApp will bring Stories Ads in its status product in 2020. #FMS19 pic.twitter.com/OI3TWMmfKj
— Olivier Ponteville (@Olivier_Ptv) May 21, 2019
Considering WhatsAap is a free app and has been so for the longest time, it makes sense for them to monetize a not-so-frequently-used feature to bring in some dough. We’re hoping ads won’t spill over to the texting side of things as that would just be downright annoying.
In anycase, this isn’t confirmed yet, as the news came about during Facebook’s Marketing Summit in Rotterdam. It is said that the change will only be implemented next year, so we’re safe, for now.