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Meta is set to make three major changes for its three billion Whatsapp users in a total revamp of the app.
The tech giant announced its plans for the changes, which its hopes will improve user experience.
So, what new features can we expect from WhatsApp going forward?
Introduction of ads
First up, Meta intends to open a new revenue stream by placing advertisements within the messaging app.
These ads will appear in the WhatsApp Updates tab which, according to Meta, receives 1.5 billion visitors a day.
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Meta has also been quick to respond to concerns over user privacy with the introduction of ads on the app.
Alice Newton Rex, who is the vice president of product at WhatsApp, said: “We’re not going to interrupt people’s personal messages with ads.
“If you just want to carry on using WhatsApp for messaging and calling then you’ll never see them at all.”
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The ads are being rolled out globally today (June 16) but it may take some time before all users start to see them.
Paid for subscriptions
In another addition to the app, WhatsApp will now allow channel operators to sell payable subscriptions, which will offer exclusive messages to subscribers.
The app plans to eventually take a 10% commission of the fee charged to customers who buy a WhatsApp subscription.
Artificial intelligence
Meta has also been making a push towards the introduction of AI across its platforms, including WhatsApp, with Meta AI being first added to the app back in 2023.
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Known as Llama 4, the AI is similar to that of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and it has also been integrated with other Meta platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
It was initially advertised as being able to ‘answer your questions, teach you something or help come up with new ideas’.
The firm has also agreed to invest $14.3 billion for a 49% stake in Scale AI, which is an AI data labeling startup.
What does this mean for end-to-end encryption?
There have been concerns that these new introductions could impact the user privacy of WhatsApp, where messages are end-to-end encrypted.
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Co-founders of WhatsApp, Brian Acton and Jan Koum, both promised that they would never sell ads on the messaging app but they leave Meta in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
However, Newton Rex has reassured users that while the ads will use broad and general targeting, such as a user’s location and the channels they follow, it won’t take the person’s Facebook or Instagram information to target ads to them on WhatsApp.