WhatsApp is rolling out ads. In an update on Monday, Meta announced that it will now show ads from businesses through its Stories-like status feature.

Meta says it will tailor the ads to your interests by using “limited” information, including your country or city, language, the channels you follow, and how you interact with ads on the platform. You can also change your ad preferences from Meta’s Accounts Center.

This isn’t the only change Meta is making to WhatsApp. The company will also start showing promoted channels when you click on the Explore button to find new ones to follow. It’s also rolling out the ability to subscribe to channels to “receive exclusive updates” as well.

  • lemmyingly@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    19 hours ago

    At least normal European people are locked into a platform that doesn’t care what device you’re using, unlike iMessage - so it’s not all bad

    • dubyakay@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      17 hours ago

      I’m an iPhone user and I’ve never met anyone that gave a shit about iMessage. In the past ten years.

      • Alk@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        edit-2
        14 hours ago

        I’m an android user and I semi-frequently meet iPhone users who show anything between surprise and downright disdain towards me because I don’t have the right color of bubble.

        It’s never the other way around.

        • Kuma@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          7 hours ago

          The only iPhone users I ever met who cared were back when texting cost a lot, unless you had a special plan (there was one that made it free if the person you texted had the same plan). Then smart phones came and we all switched to Kik, then WhatsApp, then Messenger (some got both or an alternative). And now we have got free texting and calling across the whole EU, yet none of my friends uses it haha