The world’s most popular messaging app is changing — for the first time since it launched in 2009, WhatsApp is adding ads into its service. The ads won’t pop up in your chats or groups. They’ll appear in a hidden part of the app, in a section called Updates — where people post Status updates, or follow Channels about specific topics or subjects. Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, says that was a deliberate choice to avoid “breaking up personal conversations.” The ads will roll out gradually to more users over time.

Meta says over 1.5 billion people visit Updates every day. That’s a huge market for advertisers. But if you only use WhatsApp for messaging, you might never see an ad. But if you do check the Updates tab regularly, it could be different.

first, paid status updates that look and feel like regular Statuses (those disappear after 24 hours) that can also be from companies. Users can then click to chat with the business.

Next, Promoted Channels. This lets companies pay to promote their content in the app. For businesses and influencers, it’s a way to build an audience directly inside WhatsApp — something that wasn’t possible before.

Third, Meta is testing paid Channels. That means companies can charge users a monthly fee for access to exclusive content. For example, a cooking Channel might sell a subscription to users to get access to subscriber-only recipes and updates. It’s a new revenue stream for WhatsApp and a way for brands and creators to make money.

But what about privacy? Users will probably be the first to ask that. After all, WhatsApp has built its reputation on being a private and secure messaging app. Meta says it’s taking a cautious approach. Ad targeting will be based on broad information — for example, the country code, language of your device, age range, and city — and not exact location or private data. Additionally, WhatsApp will use engagement with Channels and Status updates to help shape what ads users see. For example, the types of content users follow, how they engage with posts, and which ads they click on.

Most importantly, though, all your messages are end-to-end encrypted. WhatsApp says it won’t read your messages or use them to target you. And for those using other Meta products like Instagram or Facebook, there’s a feature called Accounts Center. You can opt-in to let Meta use your activity across other apps to personalize the ads you see. That’s turned off by default and can be turned off at any time.

WhatsApp will also offer transparency tools to let users understand and control their experience. You’ll be able to see why a specific ad was shown, block specific advertisers, or report any ad that you find inappropriate. The company is doing its best to make the experience as user-friendly — and optional — as possible.

Behind this move is Meta’s wider strategy. WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users worldwide, but it hasn’t contributed much to Meta’s huge advertising empire. The vast majority of WhatsApp’s revenue comes from its Business Platform — a paid service that lets businesses talk to users — and “click-to-WhatsApp” ads on Facebook and Instagram. But that’s changing. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said recently that WhatsApp’s Business Platform is a “growth driver” for the company. Now, by adding ads directly into WhatsApp, Meta is looking to do even more.

“There felt like the next natural step for WhatsApp,” says Alice Newton Rex, WhatsApp’s VP of Product. “Businesses were saying ‘Hey, we need a way to reach our customers’ in the app, and that felt like the best way to achieve that.”

Meanwhile, other social apps like Reddit and Discord are also embracing advertising as well. Even social apps built on privacy-first promises are finding ways to serve ads that won’t alienate their users.

Meta bought WhatsApp for $16 billion in 2014. For years, the app didn’t feel the influence of Meta’s ad machine. But with the advertising business more important than ever before — about 98 percent of Meta’s revenue comes from ads — it was only a matter of time before WhatsApp came next. This is the beginning of a new era for the app.

For users, though, the change might go unnoticed — especially if they don’t use the Updates tab. But for WhatsApp and Meta, this is a huge shift. One that signals both the economic pressures and the need for growth from investors.

Ads on WhatsApp are no longer a pipe dream. They’re real, and they’re here. The experience remains mostly untouched for now. But with Meta at the wheel, this could be just the start of WhatsApp’s evolution into a full-on commercial platform.