When Did WhatsApp Ads Launch?

Meta’s newsroom post of 16 June 2025 is the first page cited here that announces ads inside WhatsApp itself. It introduced ads in Status in the Updates tab and said the rollout would be slow, over “the next several months”. No cited Meta page gives one launch day. Ads that click to WhatsApp are a separate product.

What did Meta announce on 16 June 2025?

The post, “Helping You Find More Channels and Businesses on WhatsApp”, introduced three things in the Updates tab: channel subscriptions, promoted channels and ads in Status. Meta says the Updates tab is “now used by 1.5 billion people per day globally”.

For ads, Meta wrote: “You’ll be able to find a new business and easily start a conversation with them about a product or service they’re promoting in Status.” It also said subscriptions, promotions and ads “will appear only on the Updates tab, away from your personal chats”. The post lists no countries and no start dates.

What did Meta say about targeting and privacy?

The same post says Meta will use limited info to choose which ads to show:

• Country or city, language, the Channels a person follows, and how they interact with the ads they see.
• For people who added WhatsApp to Accounts Center, also their ad preferences and info from across their Meta accounts.

Meta adds that it will “never sell or share your phone number to advertisers”, and that personal messages, calls and groups “will not be used to determine the ads you may see.” So do not plan on reaching people because of what they say in chats.

What did Meta say on 1 July 2025?

Meta’s post “Centralized Campaigns, AI Support and More for Businesses on WhatsApp” followed on 1 July 2025, from its Conversations conference in Miami. It says businesses can create and manage marketing across WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram in Ads Manager, using “the same creative, setup flows and budgets”.

It then says businesses, once onboarded, can upload a subscriber list and either manually select marketing messages as an additional placement or use Advantage+. On Status, it says: “Once available, businesses interested in creating ads in Status will be able to do that from Ads Manager too.” That wording points to later availability, not to a launch on that day.

What do Meta’s annual reports say?

Meta’s report for 2024 says marketers buy ads that can appear on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and third-party applications and websites. WhatsApp is not in that list. The report for 2025 says the places include “Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads, and WhatsApp”. Neither of those sentences gives a start date for WhatsApp ads.

What changed in July 2026?

Meta’s Marketing API v26.0 post, dated 29 July 2026, says that beginning that day “Ads in WhatsApp Status support additional identity, targeting, optimization, and creative capabilities.”

Change in v26.0	What Meta’s post says
Identity	Third-party callers must explicitly include wamo_whatsapp_identity_spec in creatives for Status delivery. It is not defaulted for them.
Targeting	If user_age_unknown is not set with the Status placement, it defaults to true.
Optimization	Conversion optimization for offsite conversions works across the Sales, Leads and Engagement objectives. Landing Page Views is also supported.
Creative	Carousel ads support up to 10 cards.

If you buy through an agency or tool, ask whether it passes the identity field.

What is the difference from ads that click to WhatsApp?

Meta’s help page says ads that click to WhatsApp “send people that click on your ads directly into conversations with your business on WhatsApp”. They need a WhatsApp Business account connected to your Facebook Page or business portfolio. Ads in Status are a placement inside WhatsApp. Meta’s pages cited here give no launch date for the click-to-chat kind.

What should you check in your account today?

• Open the placements list in Ads Manager and see whether your account offers WhatsApp Status. Meta’s June 2025 post said the rollout would be gradual.
• If you use the Marketing API, read the v26.0 notes above before you change creatives.
• Treat any “WhatsApp ads launched on” date you read elsewhere as unconfirmed unless it points to a Meta page.

FAQ

Are my WhatsApp chats used to target ads?

Meta’s 16 June 2025 post says personal messages, calls and groups will not be used to determine the ads a person may see. It names country or city, language, Channels followed and ad interactions as examples of the limited info it uses. Meta describes no targeting based on chat content.

Are ads in Status the same as click-to-WhatsApp ads?

No. Ads in Status appear in the Updates tab of WhatsApp. Ads that click to WhatsApp send people from the ad into a chat with your business. Meta’s help page says they need a WhatsApp Business account connected to your Page or business portfolio.

Can every advertiser buy WhatsApp Status ads now?

Meta’s pages cited here do not say. The June 2025 post described a slow rollout over several months, and the July 2025 post said “once available”. Open the placements list in Ads Manager to see what your account offers.