this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
778 points (98.6% liked)

Technology

71537 readers
4339 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
L3s@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world
technopagan@lemmy.world
L4s@lemmy.world
L3s@hackingne.ws
L4s@hackingne.ws
778
WhatsApp is officially getting ads (www.theverge.com)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by MazonnaCara89@lemmy.ml to c/technology@lemmy.world
212 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

WhatsApp is rolling out ads. In an update on Monday, Meta announced that it will now show ads from businesses through its Stories-like status feature.

Meta says it will tailor the ads to your interests by using “limited” information, including your country or city, language, the channels you follow, and how you interact with ads on the platform. You can also change your ad preferences from Meta’s Accounts Center.

This isn’t the only change Meta is making to WhatsApp. The company will also start showing promoted channels when you click on the Explore button to find new ones to follow. It’s also rolling out the ability to subscribe to channels to “receive exclusive updates” as well.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Jaybird@lemmy.world 108 points 1 day ago (3 children)

"We will never show you ads in WhatsApp. We promise". --Facebook when they bought WhatsApp and promised the previous owner not to force ads in the app...

[–] Taalen@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago

Should've included a clause that gives WhatsApp back to the sellers without returning the payment if they walk back from it. Put your money where your mouth is.

[–] InnerScientist@lemmy.world 34 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I wonder if anyone believed them at the time

[–] Jaybird@lemmy.world 5 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

If they did not, they at least ignored that instinct and kept using WhatsApp...

How do we get people to stop ignoring their better instincts in things like this?

[–] InnerScientist@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

The only way to completely fix it is to make the services be compatible, so that people can switch without the downside of leaving people behind.

This is complicated and has downsides though.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 3 points 6 hours ago

federation and open protocols.

the real hard part is getting companies (or better, people directly) to use it.