After the tech giant announced it would begin to include ads in WhatsApp’s Updates tab, which is used by roughly 1.5 million people per day, Signal president Meredith Whittaker took to X to lure users to her messaging tool: “Use Signal,” she wrote. “We promise, no AI clutter, no surveillance ads—whatever the rest of the industry does.”

Meta is introducing ads to WhatsApp for the first time since acquiring the app for $19 billion in 2014, according to CNBC. The company announced Monday that businesses can now run status ads in WhatsApp’s Updates tab,

Channel admins can now enable monthly subscriptions for exclusive content. If you have a channel on WhatsApp, instead of just following, superfans will be able to pay a monthly fee to subscribe and receive exclusive updates.

WhatsApp announced it will begin displaying ads in the app’s Updates tab as part of Meta’s effort to generate more revenue.

For the first time since launching in 2009, WhatsApp will now show users advertisements. The ads are “rolling out gradually,” the company said.

Gone are the days of an ad-free WhatsApp experience. Meta announced today that its messaging app will roll out customized ads to the Updates tab in the Status and Channels spaces to help users and businesses connect.