WhatsApp to start showing ads to users in parts of messaging app
California, Jun 17 (AP): WhatsApp said Monday that users will start seeing ads in parts of the app, as owner Meta Platforms moves to cultivate a new revenue stream by tapping the billions of people that use the messaging service.
Advertisements will be shown only in the app's Updates tab, which is used by as many as 1.5 billion people each day. However, they won't appear where personal chats are located, developers said.
“The personal messaging experience on WhatsApp isn't changing, and personal messages, calls and statuses are end-to-end encrypted and cannot be used to show ads,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.
It's a big change for the company, whose founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton vowed to keep the platform free of ads when they created it in 2009.
Facebook purchased WhatsApp in 2014 and the pair left a few years later. Parent company Meta Platforms Inc. has long been trying to generate revenue from WhatsApp.
WhatsApp said ads will be targeted to users based on information like their age, the country or city where they're located, the language they're using, the channels they're following in the app, and how they're interacting with the ads they see.
WhatsApp said it won't use personal messages, calls and groups that a user is a member of to target ads to the user.
It's one of three advertising features that WhatsApp unveiled on Monday as it tries to monetise the app's user base. Channels will also be able to charge users a monthly fee for subscriptions so they can get exclusive updates. And business owners will be able to pay to promote their channel's visibility to new users.
Most of Meta's revenue comes from ads. In 2025, the Menlo Park, California-based company's revenue totalled USD 164.5 billion and USD 160.6 billion of it came from advertising.
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‘Nirdiganta’ expands to coastal Karnataka; theatre initiative to be launched in Udupi on January 18
Udupi: After making a mark in Mysuru through continuous theatre activity over the past two-and-a-half years, theatre collective ‘Nirdiganta’ is set to expand its presence to coastal Karnataka, with the launch of ‘Karavaliya Nirdiganta’ in Udupi on January 18.
Addressing a press conference at the Udupi Press Club on Wednesday, theatre practitioner and actor Prakash Raj, one of the founders of Nirdiganta, said the initiative aims to take theatre closer to people through regular performances, workshops and interaction with audiences.
He said the coastal edition of Nirdiganta will feature a three-day programme comprising children’s plays, an educational theatre workshop and stage productions by different theatre groups. All events will be held from January 18 to 21 at the IYC auditorium of Yakshagana Kalaaranga.
“Nirdiganta began in Srirangapatna and has now come to the coast seeking a new bond with theatre lovers here. Let us watch plays together, talk, and share experiences,” Prakash Raj said.
Children’s plays and workshop on opening day
On the first day, January 18, three children’s plays, an educational theatre workshop and the inaugural ceremony will be held.
From 10.30 am to 11.45 am, students of Aruru Morarji Desai Residential School will stage the play Mruga Mattu Sundari, directed by Bindu Rakshidi. This will be followed by the science-based children’s play Curious by students of Karnataka Public School, Kokkarne, from 12.30 pm to 1 pm. The play, which has won a state-level award recently, is written by Varadaraj BirtI and directed by Rohith S. Baikadi.
An educational theatre workshop will be held from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm, where teachers from the coastal region who have long been associated with both education and theatre will share their experiences. Participants include education expert Dr Mahabaleshwara Rao, DIET Udupi lecturer Dr K Kishore Kumar Shetty, Manipal ENGJC vice-principal Nagendra Pai, teacher Varadaraj BirtI, Surabhi institution’s Sudhakar P Baindoor, and theatre director Arunlal.
Inauguration and evening performances
The inauguration of Karavaliya Nirdiganta will take place at 6 pm on January 18. Writer and thinker Fakir Mohammed Katapadi will inaugurate the event in the presence of Prakash Raj. This will be followed by the children’s play Kuni Kuni Navile, written by H S Venkatesh Murthy and directed by Rohith S. Baikadi.
On January 19 at 6.30 pm, the play Devara Aatmahathye, based on writings by Beechi and Srinivasa Vaidya, will be staged by the Sangama Kalavidera team from Manipal. The play is adapted and directed by Ramesh K Benakal.
On January 20 at 6.30 pm, Nirdiganta will present the play Rama, Krishna, Shiva, based on the writings of Lohia, with adaptation, music and direction by Ganesh Mandarthi.
On the concluding day, January 21, the programme Samateya Haadu will be presented at 6 pm in the presence of Prakash Raj. This will be followed by the play Kodalla Andre Kodalla, adapted from Dario Fo’s Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay?, from 7.15 pm to 9.15 pm. The concept, design and direction of the play are by Shakeel Ahmed.
Raju Manipal, Ganesh Mandarthi, Shakeel Ahmed and others were present at the press conference.
Views on governance and cinema
Responding to a question on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah completing a long tenure in office, Prakash Raj said records are made by many leaders, but Devraj Urs and Siddaramaiah belong to different times and contexts and cannot be directly compared. He said it would be good for the Chief Minister to maintain stronger control over administration and address allegations of corruption in his close circles to ensure transparent governance.
He said he congratulated Siddaramaiah and described him as a strong backward-class leader, but added that he is not someone who only praises and will also raise questions when required. “We are not a political party. We are a continuous opposition,” he said.
On his career, Prakash Raj said he does not believe in looking back and prefers to keep moving forward, adding that the journey of life matters the most.
Speaking about upcoming films, he said he is acting in Rajamouli-directed Varanasi, Purushavatara, Jananayagan starring actor Vijay, and the Hindi film Drishyam 3.
