Another win for EU users? Ads in WhatsApp won't be coming this year

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David Uzondu Neowin · Jun 19, 2025 16:02 EDT

You might have heard that ads are making their way to WhatsApp after years of the company promising it would never happen. If you are in the EU (lucky you), you won't be seeing ads until 2026 at the earliest.

A new report from POLITICO confirms that Meta, which owns the messaging service, has informed Ireland's privacy regulator that the new advertising model will not roll out in the European Union for quite some time, even as it appears elsewhere in the coming months. This is not some charitable act, of course. The delay gives European regulators time to scrutinize the plan, which involves using ad preferences from linked Facebook and Instagram accounts to target users.

This situation follows a pattern of other "wins" for EU users, like the changes in iOS 17.4 that finally enabled sideloading. This opened the door for alternative app stores and the (temporary) return of games like Fortnite to iPhones in the region. Similarly, we are seeing Microsoft finally back off from shoving Edge down the throats of EU users, all thanks to the Digital Markets Act. This legislation has put pressure on big tech companies to operate more "fairly" within the bloc, leading to changes that users everywhere else can only dream of for now.

These regulations are precisely what companies like Apple hate. Remember, Apple has issued a warning to Australia, telling the country not to follow Europe's lead on these matters because it would create massive security and privacy risks. Apple argues that its control over the ecosystem keeps users safe, so any attempt to break that open is dangerous.

The Irish Data Protection Commission will be meeting with WhatsApp to discuss the matter further. According to Commissioner Des Hogan, they plan to discuss the ad model with other European data protection authorities to gather any collective concerns.

Commissioner Dale Sunderland noted that discussions with the company are "still early days", and it is too soon to identify what, if any, specific "red line issues" might exist with Meta's advertising plans. For now, Europeans can continue using their ad-free messenger, while the rest of the world prepares for the inevitable.