WhatsApp ads are here – but can you trust that your messages will stay private?

• Privacy experts are raising concerns over Meta's decision to bring ads to WhatsApp
• On Monday, June 16, 2025, WhatsApp announced new ad features are set to land in the Updates tab
• In 2023, Meta denied claims that WhatsApp was planning to add in-feed ads on the platform

UPDATE: On June 18, 2025, after publication, we updated the copy to add additional comments and clarifications from WhatsApp.

After years of rumors, worries, and denials, it's finally happened – WhatsApp is officially getting ads.

On Monday, June 16, 2025, Meta announced that it is rolling out this new feature over the next several months. The Big Tech giant, however, claims ads are built "in the most privacy-oriented way possible," ensuring that your personal messages, calls, and groups won't be used to target these ads to you.

Needless to say, privacy experts aren't buying it and call on worried users to look for alternatives.

"The introduction of ads could signal a wider shift away from private messaging toward monetized, monitored communication," warns Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, Marijus Briedis. "Your messages may not stay as private as you think."

On its side, WhatsApp ensures TechRadar that "if you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones there is no change to your experience at all."

WhatsApp ads – what we know so far

So, WhatsApp is getting new ads, but how does this work in practice?

Contrary to past rumors about potential in-feed ads – a plan that Meta denied in 2023 – WhatsApp ads are now set to be locked within its Updates tab.

The Updates tab, which the company said has 1.5 billion daily users, includes both Channels and Statuses. Channels are a list of dedicated interest groups you can join, while the latter replicates the Stories feature from Instagram. Both Channels and Statuses are going to get the ad feature.

A new Promoted Channels feature will soon start to recommend new sponsored channels based on your interests. A new Ads in Status option will also enable businesses to promote their services and products with targeted advertising among WhatsApp users.

WhatsApp is promising that these new features have been built with users' privacy in mind. Therefore, all personal messages, calls, and statuses are set to remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning that not even the provider has access to this sensitive info.

"To show ads in Status or Channels you might care about, we'll use limited info like your country or city, language, the Channels you’re following, and how you interact with the ads you see. For people that have chosen to add WhatsApp to the Accounts Center, we'll also use your ad preferences and info from across your Meta accounts," reads WhatsApp's official announcement, adding the company will "never sell or share your phone number to advertisers."

What the privacy tech industry is saying

Despite these reassurances, the privacy world isn't exactly thrilled by the prospect of bringing data-hungry advertisements to an encrypted messaging app.

Briedis from NordVPN, today's TechRadar's best VPN recommendation, fears that this move could lead to a dangerous shift in the business of private communications.

He said: "When advertising enters a messaging app, it often marks the beginning of deeper data collection. Meta says your chats are private, but its business model relies on data-driven surveillance. This isn’t just about pop-ups; it’s about protecting your privacy."

NordVPN certainly isn't alone in taking a strong stance against WhatsApp's ad features.

As AI, tech, and privacy expert Luiza Jarovsky pointed out, personalized ads are unlikely to be a feature WhatsApp users would want or enjoy seeing in a private app.

"Either Meta is desperate for more revenue sources, or they just don't care. It's against common sense to introduce personalized ads in a private messaging environment," she wrote in a tweet, warning that "we'll likely see hundreds of creepy examples."

Austria-based digital group Noyb has then questioned the legality of such a plan in the EU – under the GDPR and DMA's freely given consent provision – and now threatens Meta with a legal complaint.

"Without freely given consent, linking data and showing personalized advertising is clearly illegal. Meta has already introduced a 'Pay or Okay' approach on Instagram and Facebook, without the Irish data protection authority or the EU Commission taking any effective action against it. We suspect that Meta will do the same with WhatsApp," said Noyb's chairman and lawyer, Max Scherm.

TechRadar approached WhatsApp for clarification and a spokesperson ensured that most WhatsApp users won't see any difference.

"If you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones there is no change to your experience at all. We've been talking about our plans to build a business that does not interrupt your personal chats for years and we believe the Updates tab is the right place for these new features to work," WhatsApp told TechRadar in a statement.

WhatsApp also claims Noyb's statement to be inaccurate. " It ignores the careful steps we've taken to protect the privacy of people's messages and put ads on a separate tab. We are confident our plan is in line with legal requirements around the world, including the EU."

Nonetheless, experts suggest that worried users should start looking for more private alternatives.

"If you’re uncomfortable with being tracked, you do have options," said Briedis. "Privacy shouldn’t be treated as a luxury. It should be the baseline."

If you're looking to ditch WhatsApp, I recommend checking out either Signal, Session, or Threema.

All three messaging apps come with default end-to-end encryption protection across all your messages and calls, without ads. Crucially, contrary to WhatsApp, these services also encrypt metadata, promising a truly track-free and private experience.

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