WhatsApp has denied stories making the rounds that it plans to introduce ads. Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, refuted the media reports.
The denial becomes necessary following a Financial Times report that Meta was planning to introduce ads to WhatsApp.
Reports of ads on WhatsApp just would not go away; these reports have continued to resurface despite strong denials by Meta.
This @FT story is false. We aren’t doing this, Cathcart said via his X handle.
In other news, WhatsApp has launched a new product called Flow. Flow is a brand-new offering from WhatsApp. The purpose of Flow is to enhance the user and merchant experience when shopping on the app. Within the app, users will be able to carry out tasks like selecting a seat for a flight or scheduling an appointment.
Just a few of the building blocks available to WhatsApp merchants as they develop their businesses include a text box, a calendar, and a seat selector. In the upcoming months, businesses will be able to use Flow, according to WhatsApp.
According to WhatsApp, it has been testing Flows with companies like the Indian travel company redBus, the Indian bank SBI, the car-reselling website Spinny, and the Brazilian bank Banco Pan.
“Shopping and e-commerce is one of the biggest verticals we want to focus on. The goal is to enable business messaging in a way that businesses and people can do a lot more right in the chat thread. We are trying to build rich experiences within the chat, and that’s where Flows comes in,” Nikila Srinivasan, VP of business messaging at Meta, told TechCrunch.
In other news, WhatsApp has opened up more regions to its Channels feature. According to a statement from the company, Channels is now accessible in more than 150 nations worldwide.
Within the WhatsApp app, Channels is a one-way broadcast feature that enables users to stay current on topics of interest. Channels are accessible to users through a separate tab in their chats. It offers users a way to use WhatsApp to get real-time access to up-to-date news and information on topics of interest.
Channels last 30 days as opposed to Status’s 24-hour duration, which is a good way to guarantee that the information is current and pertinent for the entire time frame.
