14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook has reportedly abandoned the plan to bring ads to WhatsApp, but the company is still looking into ways to make money with what’s currently the number one mobile messaging platform on both Android and iOS.
A report from The Wall Street Journal reveals that Facebook disbanded the team responsible for the integration of ads in WhatsApp and the existing code paving the road for such a “feature” has already been removed from the app.
While an official reason for this shift in strategy hasn’t been provided, there’s a chance that the public backlash against ads in WhatsApp convinced Facebook it’s better to look for other ways of monetizing the messaging platform.
Ads still coming to WhatsApp in one way or another
For example, it’s believed that while Facebook gave up on the idea of bringing ads to WhatsApp, the social network still wants to put a banner in the Status section of the app. This plan has been on the table since at least late 2018, albeit for the time being it seems to be part of a long-term business strategy that Facebook isn’t ready to fully embrace at this point.
At the same time, Facebook is exploring the business side of WhatsApp in an attempt to boost its revenues. No specifics are available at this point, but the social network is likely to release more features to connect businesses and clients.
While the idea of ads in WhatsApp has caused much controversy in the existing userbase, this wouldn’t be the first time when the messaging platform uses a more aggressive revenue system.
In its early days back in 2009, WhatsApp was offered with a download fee, which was later replaced by a $0.99 yearly subscription. Facebook purchased WhatsApp in 2014 and removed this subscription, but at the same time started exploring other means of monetizing the messaging service that currently has more than 1 billion users.