Whatsapp boss denies Meta are set to start introducing ADVERTS to the messaging system to create a new income stream for the company
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- Head of WhatsApp Will Cathcart has debunked claims of a major change to the app
The head of Whatsapp at Meta, Will Cathcart, has debunked reports that a huge change is coming to the popular messaging app.
Users feared the worst after the Financial Times published an article claiming that teams at Meta “have discussed for the first time whether to show ads in WhatsApp.”
Cathcart quickly shut down the theory, tweeting: “This @FT story is false. We don’t do this’.
Jokingly adding: “It also looks like you misspelled Brian’s name,” referring to Whatsapp co-founder Brian Acton.
The Financial Times later amended the article, writing: ‘This article has been updated to include Cathcart’s comments and to correct the spelling of Brian Acton’s name.’
The head of Whatsapp at Meta, Will Cathcart, has debunked reports that a huge change is coming to the popular messaging app
He jokingly added: “It also looks like you misspelled Brian’s name,” referring to Whatsapp co-founder Brian Acton.
Cathcart quickly shut down the theory, tweeting: “This @FT story is false. We don’t do this’
A community note was also added to a tweet linking the article on
One satisfied user replied: ‘Please don’t ever do that! WhatsApp is just great as it is now.’
Another added, “Thank God for @CommunityNotes.”
However, not everyone was against this measure; some users were even disappointed that it had been debunked.
Someone said: ‘But that would have been a great strategy,’ while another commenter shot back: ‘It certainly wouldn’t be a strategy, but rather a distraction and annoying to say the least.
‘Imagine you’re chatting and out of nowhere you see unnecessary ads popping up. WhatsApp works fine without it.’
Others thought the app had already introduced ads and asked, “But I already get recommended news, media channels and celebrity channels in my WhatsApp status section. How is that different from advertising?’
Another asked: ‘So you’re definitely not discussing whether ads should appear in lists of conversations with contacts on the WhatsApp chat screen, but no final decisions have been made yet? Or not talk about ads at all?’
Others thought the app had already introduced ads and asked, “But I already get recommended news, media channels and celebrity channels in my WhatsApp status section. How is that different from advertising?’
While someone else wrote: ‘Cool, how do you plan to monetize WhatsApp?’
The boss of the messaging app has yet to respond to the flood of questions.
It comes after the app is reportedly preparing to make some big changes to its platform, with new design features said to be coming to iPhone and Android.
Insiders claim that Mark Zuckerberg’s messaging app could get a complete makeover in the coming months, with a series of design tweaks in the works, including refreshed colors and new buttons.