Shares of Meta Platforms, the top performing stock in the Magnificent 7 this year, got a boost Monday as the tech giant announced plans to introduce paid advertising to WhatsApp, opening up a new revenue stream.

The Updates tab, which holds layers such as Status and Channels, will host Meta’s WhatsApp monetisation efforts. At least for now.

WhatsApp introduces ads and channel subscriptions in the Updates tab, but reassures users that private chats remain fully encrypted.

The cofounders of WhatsApp resisted ads in the app for years, including after the company was acquired by Meta for $22 billion in 2014. Brian Acton and Jan Koum left the company in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and on Monday Meta introduced ads in the “Status” feature as well as sponsored Channels in the the “Updates” tab of WhatsApp.

Por TheWhatsApp informó el lunes que los usuarios comenzarán a ver anuncios en partes de la aplicación de mensajería, ya que su propietario Meta Platforms

There's no shortage of reasons to stay off the Meta ecosystem, which includes Facebook and Instagram, but there are some places where WhatsApp remains the main form of text-based communication. The app is a great alternative to SMS,

Meta-owned WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature that will let users scan documents directly from the app using their phone's

For the first time since launching in 2009, WhatsApp will now show users advertisements. The ads are “rolling out gradually,” the company said. For now, the ads will only appear on WhatsApp's Updates tab,