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WhatsApp’s Long‑Rumoured Ads Rolling Out – And They’re Living in The Status Updates, Not Your Chats

Insights At a Glance:

  • WhatsApp’s Updates tab now features ads on Status, promoted channels, and paid channel subscriptions, keeping personal chats untouched and encrypted.
  • Ads use minimal data like your city and language for targeting, while Kenyan businesses and creators get new ways to shine.
  • With ~53% usage, this update boosts Kenya’s digital hustle, connecting local shops and voices directly to you.

If you woke up today convinced WhatsApp would never break its “no ads” vow, brace yourself: Meta has finally flipped the switch. A trio of money‑makers — channel subscriptions, promoted channels and Status ads — land in the Updates tab starting this week, marking the biggest commercial pivot since the app scrapped its KES 99 annual fee a decade ago.

What’s New in The Neighbourhood?

  • Channel subscriptions – Think of it as a paid VIP pass. News outlets, creators and even your favourite football meme page can charge a monthly fee for behind‑the‑scenes nuggets.
  • Promoted Channels – Admins can now pay to boost their broadcast’s visibility in the directory, the same way Instagram creators boost posts.
  • Ads in Status – After a few wedding‑cake photos and motivational quotes, you’ll spot a slick ad card inviting you to DM a business instantly. If you’ve endured Stories ads on Instagram, you know the vibe.

Meta swears nothing touches your private chats; encryption stays untouched and your phone number won’t be auctioned off. Targeting relies on city, language, the channels you follow and whether you’ve linked WhatsApp to Accounts Center. It’s the “most private ads possible,” says the company — a claim that will surely get put through the Kenyan scepticism filter.

WhatsApp Ads Rolling Out

Why it Matters for Kenya

Kenya is one of WhatsApp’s hottest strongholds here in Africa, with recent CA stats pointing to a 52.9% usage for the period between January and March 2025. From kinyozi posters to chama updates, we practically run the economy on green‑bubble voice notes. For small businesses, promoted channels and tap‑to‑chat Status ads could replace that battered roadside billboard overnight. Imagine ordering nyama choma straight from a butcher’s Status instead of phoning the guy at 7AM.

Rollout and What to Watch

Meta says the features will trickle out “over the next several months.” Channel admins can register interest today, but most users will meet the changes gradually. Expect plenty of experimentation: Will Kenyans pay a subscription to their favourite gospel channel? Will SMEs out‑bid each other in the directory? And, crucially, how many Status ads until we collectively say enough is enough?

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For now, if you stick to family groups and midnight memes, life goes on unchanged. But the Updates tab is transforming into Meta’s new marketplace — and given our national love affair with WhatsApp, Kenya will be a front‑row test lab.

WhatsApp is also working on adding usernames to the platform, meaning you won’t need a phone number to get going.


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Hillary Keverenge

Making tech news helpful, and sometimes a little heated.

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