They will appear in only one part of the Meta-owned messaging service, it said. The move is potentially lucrative, while raising questions about user privacy.

The introduction of advertising represents Meta's effort to monetize Whatsapp's massive user base of over two billion monthly active users. Industry analysts have long speculated that Meta would eventually bring advertising to Whatsapp given its scale and engagement rates. The timeline for these features was not specified in the announcement.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, will introduce ads in the app's Updates tab, used by 1.5 billion people daily. The ads aim to create a new revenue stream without altering the personal messaging experience.