WhatsApp is set to roll out a ‘controversial’ feature later this year. The chat app that is currently used by a majority of the population for day to day conversations will soon get an update that is set to bombard them with advertisements. Yes, you read that right. The Facebook-owned company in November 2018 had said that it will soon introduce advertisements within the app. The news was confirmed by Chris Daniels, vice president of WhatsApp, who had said in a briefing in India that ‘advertisements will be put into the Status feature.’
WhatsApp is currently available across all popular platforms – iOS, Android, PC and Windows Phone – and will soon add advertisements to its Status feature. The ads will be featured on WhatsApp Status very much like the ads are being treated on Instagram. The step to monetise the ‘Status’ feature on the App was taken by Facebook after it bought WhatsApp back in 2014 for $19 billion. The feature will allow various businesses to reach out to the WhatsApp users and increase their reach.
This prospect of introducing advertisements on the popular messaging app has stirred controversy among users and the original owners of WhatsApp, according to media reports. Till now, WhatsApp was ad-free.