Years in the making, the world’s most popular messaging app is finally rolling out ads. Since WhatsApp’s launch in 2009, this is the first time that the 2 billion-strong app will start showing ads to its users. But don’t expect them to pop up in your chat window.

The company is rolling out the ads slowly, and they will only appear in a section of the app — the Updates tab. This is where users post temporary status updates and follow interest-based Channels. Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, says users’ private chats will stay ad-free and uninterrupted.

If you’re the type of person who only uses WhatsApp to message friends or participate in group chats, you might not notice the change. But if you’re the type of person who’s often on the Updates tab, it’s starting to get a bit more commercial.

Meta says over 1.5 billion people visit the Updates tab every day. That’s a lot of people — and one that advertisers will want to reach. Still, WhatsApp is moving slowly.

So, what kind of ads are we talking about here?

There are three new ad formats. First, there are Status ads. They’ll appear alongside your friends’ 24-hour disappearing stories — just like ads on Instagram Stories. When you scroll through your friends’ statuses, you might see a photo, video, or message from a brand or company. You can reply to these ads to start a conversation with the advertiser.

Second, WhatsApp is launching Promoted Channels. This gives admins and businesses the ability to pay to show their content inside the app. These promoted channels will appear higher up in the feed, helping them reach more people inside WhatsApp — without relying on external platforms.

Third, and most importantly, there’s a subscription feature. Businesses and creators can now charge a monthly fee for exclusive content. For example, you might subscribe to a cooking channel to get access to premium recipes or early drops. It’s a new way for businesses to make money — and for WhatsApp to make money too.

That’s the important part. Until now, WhatsApp made money mostly through its Business Platform, a paid service that allows businesses to connect with their customers, and click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram. But Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made it clear that the company wants to go further. In an investor call earlier this year, he said the Business Platform is growing — but there’s room to grow.

That’s where this latest move comes in.

“It’s the next natural evolution of our business,” Alice Newton Rex, WhatsApp’s VP of Product, said. “Businesses have been asking for more tools to grow their audiences within WhatsApp, and this is our answer to that.”

Of course, bringing ads to a platform that’s long prided itself on privacy wasn’t going to be easy.

Meta says it’s doing this carefully. The ads won’t access any of your chat content. Instead, targeting will rely on general user information — like age, country code, language settings, and general location (not your exact address). WhatsApp will also consider how you interact with the Updates tab — such as what Channels you follow and what content you’re engaging with.

You can also link your WhatsApp account to Meta’s Accounts Center — an optional setting that surfaces more personalized ads based on activity across Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta services. This is turned off by default and can be turned off at any time.

WhatsApp is also adding transparency tools. You can see why you’re seeing a particular ad, hide ads from specific advertisers, or report ads that you think are inappropriate. The company says it’s doing everything it can to make this as user-controlled as possible.

This isn’t that surprising in the larger context. After all, with 98% of its revenue coming from advertising, and buying WhatsApp in 2014 for $16 billion, it was only a matter of time before the platform was used to push more ad dollars.

And it’s not just Meta. Discord rolled out ads in 2020. Reddit has also grown its ad business significantly, recently reporting its first profit ever. In an economy that’s struggling, even platforms that were built on community and privacy are finding ways to bring in advertisers.

For now, the effect on WhatsApp users is limited. But this marks the beginning of a new era for the app. Ads have come to WhatsApp — and while they might be limited to the Updates tab for now, Meta is clearly setting the groundwork for something much bigger.