WhatsApp’s No-Ad Era Is Over WhatsApp is rolling out ads in the Updates tab, ending its decade-long ad-free promise. Meta says it won’t use your chats or calls for targeting — but it will use your location, language, and app activity. Founders once vowed “No Ads! No Gimmicks!” — now Meta’s breaking that rule to chase revenue. Privacy advocates are calling it a betrayal, and Reddit users are rallying around Signal as the safer, cleaner alternative.