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WhatsApp confirms Status Ads are coming in 2020
We’ve known for quite some time now that Facebook was planning to add adverts to WhatsApp’s Status page, but we didn’t know when this would happen. Now, the company has revealed more details at a conference in the Netherlands.
The company revealed a 2020 launch date for WhatsApp status ads, according to an attendee and a presentation slide at the Facebook Marketing Summit. We don’t have a specific launch window, but it does mean you can likely enjoy WhatsApp Status without ads for the rest of the year.
WhatsApp will bring Stories Ads in its status product in 2020. #FMS19 pic.twitter.com/OI3TWMmfKj— Olivier Ponteville (@Olivier_Ptv) May 21, 2019
News of the 2020 launch comes several months after WhatsApp first confirmed that status ads were coming to the platform. The IM app will join Instagram in offering ads via its Stories/Status functionality.
Truth be told, this seems like one of the least offensive ways to implement ads on WhatsApp. These ads will likely appear when viewing status updates posted by your contacts, so you won’t see them if you don’t view status updates. I’d rather have this solution than banner ads or promoted businesses framed as legitimate contacts in your chat menu.
Status ads are also likely to provoke a smaller outcry than paying a small fee for messages, as WhatsApp co-founder Bryan Acton reportedly suggested. What do you think of status ads? Give us your thoughts in the comments!