{"id":259551,"date":"2023-11-09T03:06:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T08:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/es\/?p=314147"},"modified":"2025-07-01T17:43:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T00:43:22","slug":"bad-news-we-will-not-get-free-from-advertising-on-whatsapp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/bad-news-we-will-not-get-free-from-advertising-on-whatsapp\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad news: we won&#8217;t be getting rid of advertising on WhatsApp"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>WhatsApp <\/strong>is, by far, the most popular messaging app worldwide. Its simplicity, combined with the fact that it was <strong>the first messaging app to gain popularity on Android<\/strong> (back when many of us didn&#8217;t even have smartphones yet), contributed to its growth over the years, to the extent that it was <strong>eventually acquired by the then Facebook<\/strong> (now Meta).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"WhatsApp\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-s\/p\/6b5a0468-96d1-11e6-bfc6-00163ec9f5fa\/2095394417\/whatsapp-logo\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">WhatsApp<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOWNLOAD<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But we must not overlook a significant factor that made everyone start using <a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/newsletters-whatsapp-developing-function-newsletters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">WhatsApp<\/a> and continue to do so to this day: it&#8217;s free (remember the days of SMS?). While there was a time (before Meta acquired it) when the company experimented with a <strong>&#8220;symbolic&#8221; payment of about one eur<\/strong>o, the app is currently 100% free on both Android and iOS platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, this might change soon. Earlier this month, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/whatsapp-is-going-to-start-to-put-advertising-in-our-conversations-or-so-they-say-from-the-financial-times\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">we reported<\/a> that WhatsApp, according to the <strong>Financial Times<\/strong>, was exploring the possibility of incorporating ads in the app to monetize it. Some of the sources consulted by the publication even mentioned the <strong>potential introduction of a subscription fee<\/strong> that would allow users to use the app without seeing advertisements.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-259556\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-664x374.jpg 664w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-238x134.jpg 238w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-436x246.jpg 436w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-304x170.jpg 304w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/WhatsApp-nueva-funcion-canales-1024x576-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to this information, WhatsApp&#8217;s head, <strong>Will Cathcart<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wcathcart\/status\/1702539750123647185\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">stated in a Twitter post<\/a> that the company wasn&#8217;t doing that. Two months later, he clarified his response in <a href=\"https:\/\/www1.folha.uol.com.br\/mercado\/2023\/11\/brasil-e-o-pais-do-whatsapp-diz-presidente-do-aplicativo.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">an interview with a Brazilian media outlet<\/a>, affirming that <strong>&#8220;that&#8221; referred only to inserting ads in the inbox<\/strong> (chats), not in other places like the recent channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The reason I clarified the response is that <strong>there might be ads in other places<\/strong>: channels or statuses. For example, channels might charge for subscriptions, be exclusive to paying members, or owners might want to promote the channel. But no, we won&#8217;t put ads in your inbox,&#8221; stated Cathcart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Will this measure be well-received by users? Will they reconsider if they observe a widespread negative response? We&#8217;ll have to wait and see WhatsApp&#8217;s move.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"WhatsApp\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-s\/p\/6b5a0468-96d1-11e6-bfc6-00163ec9f5fa\/2095394417\/whatsapp-logo\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">WhatsApp<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOWNLOAD<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WhatsApp is, by far, the most popular messaging app worldwide. Its simplicity, combined with the fact that it was the first messaging app to gain popularity on Android (back when many of us didn&#8217;t even have smartphones yet), contributed to its growth over the years, to the extent that it was eventually acquired by the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/bad-news-we-will-not-get-free-from-advertising-on-whatsapp\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Bad news: we won&#8217;t be getting rid of advertising on WhatsApp&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9256,"featured_media":259553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":2},"categories":[1015],"tags":[2333],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-259551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-app-subdomain-redirectionwhatsapp"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9256"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259551"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":316580,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259551\/revisions\/316580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259551"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=259551"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=259551"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=259551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}