WhatsApp Begins Limited Rollout of Status Ads and Promoted Channels for Select Users

Meta is taking another step toward monetizing WhatsApp, with new ad-focused features now rolling out in the latest Android beta version. WhatsApp beta update v2.25.21.11 introduces Status Ads and Promoted Channels, aimed at enhancing business visibility while preserving user privacy.

Currently, these features are only available to select Android beta testers, as reported by WABetaInfo.

What Are WhatsApp Status Ads?

Much like the ads seen on Instagram Stories, WhatsApp Status Ads will let businesses place sponsored content within users’ Status updates. These promotional posts will appear between regular Status updates from contacts, clearly marked as “Sponsored” to differentiate them from personal content.

User Control Over Ads

Importantly, WhatsApp gives users some control over what they see. If someone doesn’t want to see an ad from a specific brand or business, they’ll have the option to block that advertiser, ensuring their content no longer appears in the user’s Status feed.

This user-first approach may help ease concerns about ad intrusions while still offering space for marketers to reach broader audiences.

Understanding Promoted Channels on WhatsApp

Alongside Status Ads, WhatsApp is also rolling out Promoted Channels—a tool designed to boost visibility for public channels. These paid promotions will be listed more prominently in WhatsApp’s channel directory, making it easier for users to discover new creators, brands, and organizations.

Sponsored Tag for Transparency

Promoted channels will also carry a "Sponsored" tag, just like Status Ads, so users can distinguish between organic suggestions and paid promotions. This system mirrors promotional mechanics seen on platforms like YouTube and Instagram but is tailored to WhatsApp’s simpler interface.

For content creators, startups, and businesses, this offers a way to grow audiences faster, without having to rely solely on word-of-mouth or organic channel growth.

Meta’s Push Into the Creator Economy

With these updates, Meta is signaling a more serious commitment to making WhatsApp a player in the ad-driven creator economy—territory long dominated by Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

The combination of sponsored Status posts and paid Channel promotions creates new monetization opportunities for small businesses and individual creators who use WhatsApp to engage with their communities.

Transparency Through Ad Activity Reports

Even before the rollout of these features, Meta had begun experimenting with ad activity reports in beta version 2.25.19.15. These reports give users access to details about the ads they encounter—which ads were shown, when they appeared, and who paid for them.

This level of transparency is relatively rare in mainstream advertising systems and is likely intended to counter skepticism around Meta’s expanding ad network.

No Impact on Private Chats

Despite concerns about ads creeping into personal spaces, Meta maintains that user privacy will remain unaffected. Ads will not appear in private one-on-one or group chats. Instead, they will be restricted to public-facing features like Status and Channels.

This assurance is in line with WhatsApp’s longstanding promise of end-to-end encryption and strict privacy controls, which Meta says will not be compromised by the new monetization tools.

A Mixed Reaction Expected

While these changes may enhance the user experience for business accounts and content creators, regular users may view them as an intrusion into what was once an ad-free environment.

However, the measured rollout, user control features, and transparency tools indicate that Meta is taking a cautious and user-centric approach—at least for now.

Conclusion

With Status Ads and Promoted Channels, WhatsApp is stepping into the world of digital advertising more assertively. Though the features are still in limited beta, they reflect a broader trend: turning WhatsApp into a creator- and business-friendly platform, much like its Meta-owned siblings.

For businesses, this is an opportunity to boost reach and visibility. For users, it remains to be seen how well WhatsApp balances monetization with its core promise of private, distraction-free messaging.