• By Vikas Yadav
  • Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:03 PM (IST)
  • Source:REUTERS

WhatsApp, an instant messaging application used worldwide, has denied a Financial Times report that claims the company is planning to serve ads to users to boost revenue. WhatsApp Head Will Cathcart, taking to X (formerly called Twitter), denied the claims in the report that the Meta app is testing such functionality.

According to FT, several teams at Meta were planning functionality to serve ads to users in the conversation list within the chat screen. However, the report added that no final decision was made at the time of reporting. On a contrasting note, Cathcart posted on X that these claims were false.

Also Read: WhatsApp Beta: Original Quality Photo And Video Sharing In Works, May Debut Soon | Everything You Should Know

"This @FT story is false. We aren't doing this. Also, it looks like you misspelled Brian's name," Cathcart posted on X. The FT report also added that the company was considering a paid tier for an ad-free experience.

Reuters, citing a statement from Meta that the company shared with FT, reported: "We can't account for every conversation someone had in our company but we are not testing this, working on it, and it's not our plan at all." The FT article also claimed several Meta insiders opposed the move.

Also Read: WhatsApp Launches Channels In India And 150+ Other Countries, Featuring Indian Cricket Team And Leading Actors

For context, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014. The company has been working to boost revenue streams from the instant messaging app. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, stated (in 2022) that Messenger and WhatsApp would be the drivers of Meta's wave of sales growth, according to Reuters. The app enjoys a massive user base of over 200 million.

On a related note, the company introduced WhatsApp Channels in India for users to receive updates from people including celebrities, artists, creators and more. It is a one-way form of communication that lets admins send texts and media and conduct polls. You can read more about this feature here.