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WhatsApp has rolled out new monetisation features designed to enable businesses and creators to earn revenue through their content on the platform directly.
These tools as detailed in a WhatsApp blog post on Monday, will be exclusively available within the “Updates” tab, which encompasses both Status and Channels.
“Today we’re introducing some new features for our Updates tab, which is home to both Channels and Status,” WhatsApp stated, emphasising that “these new features will appear only on the Updates tab, away from your chats.”
Among the new features is Channel Subscription, allowing users to financially support their preferred creators by paying a monthly fee for access to exclusive content.
The platform also introduced Promoted Channels, a tool enabling channel administrators to boost their visibility by appearing as recommendations in the channel directory.
Furthermore, Ads in Status will integrate advertisements directly into the Status section, facilitating the promotion of products or services by businesses and fostering direct conversations with interested users.
WhatsApp clarified that ad targeting would use limited data, such as a user’s location, language, and interactions within the Updates tab. For users who link their WhatsApp to Meta’s accounts centre, ads may also be influenced by their activity across other Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
The company reassured its users about privacy, reaffirming that all personal chats, group conversations, and calls will continue to be protected by end-to-end encryption.
“Like everything we do at WhatsApp, we’ve built these features in the most private way possible,” WhatsApp stated, adding, “Your messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted,” and phone numbers and personal messages will not be shared with advertisers.
