WhatsApp ‘Status’ feature will soon include ads
It was bound to happen, eventually. WhatsApp is going to start showing you ads.
Advertisements are coming to the messaging app’s Status feature, according toWhatsApp Vice President Chris Daniels. "We are going to be putting ads in 'Status',” said Daniels. “That is going to be primary monetisation mode for the company as well as an opportunity for businesses to reach people on WhatsApp."
WhatsApp Status was rolled out on the app in February of last year. Status allows WhatsApp users to add encrypted text, photos, and video to their profile. Statuses delete after 24 hours. It’s a bit like a Snapchat Stories type feature in-line with the company’s similarly cloned Facebook and Instagram Stories.
In 2014, Facebook acquiredWhatsApp in a deal that is now -- thanks to Facebook’s rising stock valuation -- worth $22 billion. From the very beginningof the deal announcement, many questioned if WhatsApp could stay true to it’s mantra: "No ads. No games. No gimmicks." WhatsApp’s founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum’s are notorious for their anti-advertisement stance and ultimately this point of contention is what led to Acton and Koum’s very public exitfrom the company.
SEE ALSO:Everything is not 'awesome' at Facebook, says Instagram co-founderThe messaging app originally charged users a very nominal yearly fee in lieu of selling advertisements. When the deal was made to sell WhatsApp to Facebook, Acton and Koum specifically had a clause written in that gave the two exit options should the company ever decide to sell ads on the app. In 2016, Facebook removed the fee, making WhatsApp completely free, which really should have sent the message that advertisements were inevitable.
Since the Facebook acquisition, WhatsApp has grown exponentially. Over 1.5 billion users around the globe currently use the app to send to send encrypted messages, photos, and videos at zero cost. With that sort of user base, it seems Facebook realized they were leaving just way too muchmoney on the table.
Mashable has reached out to Facebook for comment and will update this when we hear back.
Featured Video For You
Facebook's Portal is coming at a very odd time — Technically Speaking
相关文章
- 优化广东优质农产品产销资源对接!“农友圈”又有新动作_南方+_南方plus2023年10月,广东省农业农村厅依托“粤农技”微信小程序建成并运营了农业技术需求精准对接服务公益性平台——“农友圈”。截至72024-09-23
同台竞技!红荔奖包装设计类(区域公用品牌)初赛评审会在清远佛冈举行
同台竞技!红荔奖包装设计类区域公用品牌)初赛评审会在清远佛冈举行_南方+_南方plus8月13日,由广东省农业农村厅指导,广东省农业对外经济与农民合作促进中心、广东省农业农村短视频制作推广中心主办的中2024-09-23- 现场,听课人员跟着候教授做健身操雅安日报讯“体育锻炼可以让我们‘优生、活好、善终’,健康生活!”11月28日上午,市卫计委、市疾控中心牵头举办的“健康雅安大讲坛——科学健身、健康生活”专题知识讲座在雅2024-09-23
- 快评丨因一次偶然事件全盘否定预制菜,实不可取_南方+_南方plus开学伊始,围绕预制菜进入校园的问题备受关注。在江西赣州蓉江新区,多名学生家长向媒体反映,当地多所小学、公立幼儿园在餐饮供应方面采用了预2024-09-23
- PRE-ORDER NOW: The new Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) is now available for preorder at Am2024-09-23
- 雅安日报讯昨(4)日10点多,市公安局交警支队官方微博“雅安交警”发布消息:“国庆假期第四天,目前,雅安往碧峰峡15公里的路段,大量车辆滞留,通行非常缓慢,交警正全力疏通,车辆排行有序,请驾驶员朋友合2024-09-23
最新评论