Latest news with #UpdatesTab
Gulf Business
2 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Business
WhatsApp rolls out new features for businesses: How to benefit from them
Image credit: Getty Images WhatsApp has announced a suite of new features for its Updates tab, introducing monetisation options for Channel creators and new advertising tools aimed at businesses, while maintaining its focus on user privacy. Read- The Updates tab—home to both Status and Channels—has seen rapid adoption, with more than 1.5 billion users visiting it daily, according to the company. Meta-owned WhatsApp says the new features are designed to help users discover new content and enable organisations to grow their presence on the platform, 'We're encouraged by the enthusiasm for the Updates tab and want to help admins, organisations, and businesses grow on WhatsApp,' the company said in a statement. Three major additions The latest updates include three key features: Channel Subscriptions : Users will soon be able to subscribe to their favorite Channels for a monthly fee to receive exclusive content. Promoted Channels : A new discovery mechanism will allow Channel admins to pay for greater visibility in the directory, helping them reach a wider audience. Ads in Status : WhatsApp will introduce advertising in the Status section, enabling users to interact with businesses directly from the ad. WhatsApp emphasised that these features will be confined to the Updates tab, keeping users' personal messaging experience unchanged. 'If you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones, there is no change to your experience at all,' the company noted. Privacy protections still in place WhatsApp reiterated its commitment to privacy, stating that all personal messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted. 'To show ads in Status or suggest Channels, we'll use limited information like your city, language, or which Channels you follow,' the company explained. 'For users who have linked their WhatsApp with Meta's Accounts Center, ad preferences and activity across Meta apps may also influence what is shown.' Importantly, WhatsApp stressed that it will never share or sell users' phone numbers to advertisers, nor will it use messages, calls, or group activity to target ads. New opportunities for businesses Businesses and Channel admins are being encouraged to take advantage of the new features. WhatsApp positions the Updates tab as a key area where brands can connect with users without intruding on private conversations. 'Over 1.5 billion users visit the Updates tab daily. That's a huge opportunity for businesses to be discovered and grow,' the company stated. Meanwhile, Promoted Channels will allow organisations to increase visibility within the Channels directory, which offers one-way broadcasts of text, media, stickers, and polls. Carefully calibrated move WhatsApp has long resisted introducing ads into its core messaging interface. With this rollout, the company is attempting to balance monetisation with user trust. 'We've been talking about our plans to build a business that does not interrupt your personal chats for years,' WhatsApp said. 'We believe the Updates tab is the right place for these features.'
Independent Singapore
3 days ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
WhatsApp to roll out 3 new monetisation features within its Updates tab over the next few months
- Advertisement - SAN FRANCISCO: WhatsApp is set to roll out three new monetisation features within its Updates tab, including paid channel subscriptions, promoted channels in the Discovery directory, and ads in Status, the app's version of Instagram stories, AFP reported. Meta's vice president of product management, Nikila Srinivasan, said the updates will be introduced slowly over the next few months, though no exact timeline was given. The new features include paid monthly subscriptions for users who want exclusive updates from their favourite channels, promoted placements to help channel admins boost visibility in the directory, and ads in Status that let users discover businesses and start conversations about the products or services being promoted. In a press release on Monday (June 16), the company said, 'We've been talking about our plans to build a business that does not interrupt your personal chats for years, and we believe the Updates tab is the right place for these new features to work.' - Advertisement - The Meta-owned company stressed that users who only use the app for personal messaging will not experience any changes, as the new features will only appear on the Updates tab. 'Your personal messages, calls, and statuses will remain end-to-end encrypted. This means no one, not even us, can see or hear them, and they cannot be used for ads,' Ms Srinivasan said. She noted that to show ads in Status or Channels, WhatsApp will rely only on basic details such as a user's country or city, device language, and activity within the Updates tab. 'We will never sell or share your phone number to advertisers. Your personal messages, calls, and groups you are in will not be used to determine the ads you may see,' the company said. - Advertisement - Users and regulators have been waiting to see how Meta would monetise the platform, mainly used for chatting with friends and family. Since acquiring WhatsApp in 2014, Meta has kept the app largely free of ads, unlike Facebook and Instagram. Until now, ads on the platform have been limited to WhatsApp Business promotional messages and some Status ad testing in certain markets. There are also no display ads in chat feeds or conversations. In 2023, the company denied reports that it was planning to bring ads into the app to boost revenue. /TISG Read also: Standard Chartered Bank boosts Bonus$aver maximum interest rate to 8.05%, bucking savings interest rate trend
Arabian Business
4 days ago
- Business
- Arabian Business
WhatsApp adds ads
WhatsApp has introduced adverts alongside messages. Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, announced the introduction of in-app ads through the 'Updates' Tab, which displays statuses and channels. Ads will appear to users in the 'Status' section, alongside statuses posted by friends or family members. WhatsApp adds ads Meta said in a statement that the new ads will be displayed based on users' interests, using limited information such as city, country, language, the channels they follow, and how they interact with ads. Users can adjust their ad preferences from the Meta Accounts Centre. The statement said: 'We've been talking for years about how to build a business on WhatsApp in a way that doesn't interrupt personal chats, and we believe the Updates tab is the right place to introduce that. 'We will never sell or share your phone number to advertisers. Your personal messages, calls and groups you are in will not be used to determine the ads you may see'. The updates include displaying promoted channels to users when they click the 'Explore' button, to help them find new channels. Users will also soon have the option to subscribe to some channels to receive exclusive updates. The 'Status' feature allows WhatsApp users to post texts, images, audio clips, and short video clips that disappear after 24 hours.
Times of Oman
4 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
WhatsApp ads start showing in Updates Tab
Washington: Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, announced the introduction of in-app ads through the "Updates" Tab, which displays statuses and channels. Ads will appear to users in the "Status" section, alongside statuses posted by friends or family members. Meta said in a statement that the new ads will be displayed based on users' interests, using limited information such as city, country, language, the channels they follow, and how they interact with ads. Users can adjust their ad preferences from the Meta Accounts Center. " We've been talking for years about how to build a business on WhatsApp in a way that doesn't interrupt personal chats, and we believe the Updates tab is the right place to introduce that," the statement said. "We will never sell or share your phone number to advertisers. Your personal messages, calls and groups you are in will not be used to determine the ads you may see," the statement added. The updates include displaying promoted channels to users when they click the "Explore" button, to help them find new channels. Users will also soon have the option to subscribe to some channels to receive exclusive updates. The "Status" feature allows WhatsApp users to post texts, images, audio clips, and short video clips that disappear after 24 hours.
GSM Arena
5 days ago
- Business
- GSM Arena
Ads are coming to WhatsApp
Today, Meta has announced that it's bringing ads to WhatsApp. They will appear in the Updates tab, which is home to both Channels and Status. Meta says the Updates tab is now used by 1.5 billion people per day globally. There will be ads in Status, which will let you "find a new business and easily start a conversation with them about a product or service they're promoting in Status". There will also be Promoted Channels, which are ads too. These will "help you discover new channels that might be interesting to you when you're looking through the directory", Meta says. Adjacently, Channel subscriptions will let you pay a monthly fee to receive exclusive updates from Channels. This isn't ad-related, but is also a new feature announced today. Meta thinks confining ads and subscriptions to the Updates tab, "away from your personal chats", will ensure there's "no change to your experience at all" if you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones. Your personal messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted. To show ads in Status and Promoted Channels, WhatsApp will use information like your city or country, language, the Channels you're following and how you interact with the ads you see. If you've added WhatsApp to the Meta Accounts Center, your ad preferences and info from across your Meta accounts will also be used. Meta promises to never share your phone number with advertisers, and that your personal messages, calls, and groups you are in will not be used to determine the ads you may see. All of these features are going to be rolling out "slowly over the next several months". Source
