Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
When WhatsApp was acquired by Meta (then Facebook) over a decade ago, people immediately began to fairly speculate that ads would eventually seep into what had, until then, been a refreshingly ad-free messaging experience. And yet, quite surprisingly, WhatsApp managed to stay mostly unspoiled, even though bits of Instagram and Facebook (like Stories and Communities) kept sneaking in.
That sunny stretch is starting to fade at last. If you’ve been following the news, you’d know the dreaded day is finally here. WhatsApp is getting ads in the Status section. And honestly, it sucks — mostly because I can’t do anything no matter how strongly I feel against it.
Are you thinking about switching away from WhatsApp? 59 votes Tried and failed 20 % Thinking about it 42 % Depends on how annoying it gets 32 % WhatsApp forever! 5 %
Meta’s been hinting at this for ages
Mahmoud Itani / Android Authority
Facebook’s been teasing ads on WhatsApp since forever — like it wanted us to mentally prepare and go numb before the inevitable finally happened. We’ve been hearing murmurs since 2018, with the occasional reminder sprinkled in over the years.
To be fair, even though formal ads hadn’t arrived until now, WhatsApp hasn’t exactly been ad-free either. The app opened up to businesses, supposedly to let brands send order updates and other “helpful” messages. But when have businesses not hijacked a platform to bombard us with promotional crap? It’s gotten so plentiful that my WhatsApp block list is now full of spammy business accounts. WhatsApp’s only solution is that useless “STOP” message and a block button.
But apparently those brand plugs weren’t enough. Somewhere in a Meta boardroom, Zuck must’ve yelled, “More ads!”
The real issue is I just can’t leave
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