Many reports in the past have suggested that WhatsApp may finally introduce ads on the platform through Status updates. So, when we met WhatsApp's head of product on the sidelines of an event in Delhi, we asked her the same. "We have made sure that the updates are in a separate space, and potentially that would be something exciting for users to find new businesses," Alice Newton-Rex, VP and Head of Product at WhatsApp exclusively told Times Now Tech.
She added that WhatsApp has previously discussed the potential for ads in WhatsApp Status but then didn't go through with the idea. Even if ads arrive on the platform in the future, they will stay separate from chats and will not affect the whole messaging experience, she said.
WhatsApp recently hosted its 'Privacy Showcase' event in New Delhi to discuss the messaging app's products and privacy values. Alice addressed various issues related to WhatsApp features, privacy and the company's efforts to enhance user experience, stressing that privacy and reliability are at the core of WhatsApp’s creation.
Explaining how WhatsApp makes money, she told Times Now Tech that there are two-three different ways.
"The first one is through what happens outside of the platform. It's like Instagram. For example, users end up in a conversation with a business on WhatsApp and that's been hugely popular, particularly in India, where many small businesses don't have another online presence. They don't have a website to direct users to, so they just have a conversation on WhatsApp," she said.
The other main way that WhatsApp makes money today is through business messaging, Alice said.
"A good example would be an airline sending you your boarding pass. I actually used the Indigo integration on WhatsApp to book a flight. We went to Varanasi and checked the status. So they pay us for sending those messages These are two hugely successful lines of business and this is definitely where our focus is going to continue to be," she explained.
The Head of Product at WhatsApp also stressed that this space is entirely separate from where users receive their personal chats and messages in their chat inbox.
Alice also stressed that WhatsApp builds features based on user feedback. For example, businesses were already using WhatsApp before official support was introduced, leading to the creation of the WhatsApp business app and platform.
She also mentioned WhatsApp's efforts to improve features, such as the chat lock feature, and how users are excited about new options.