WhatsApp announced Monday it will introduce its boldest advertising features yet, marking a significant shift for the messaging platform that has largely remained ad-free since its launch.

Ads will appear exclusively in the ‘Updates tab on WhatsApp, which includes the Status and Channels features used by about 1.5 billion users daily. Businesses can promote products or services through Status ads,

WhatsApp, long known for its ad-free messaging, is about to break with tradition and introduce advertisements for the first time. WhatsApp, owned by Meta, announced that ads will soon appear in the app's Updates section,

The monetisation tools being introduced include optional paid subscriptions for Channels, promoted Channels in the Discovery section, and advertisements embedded in the Status feature, WhatsApp’s answer to Instagram Stories.