WhatsApp may be getting closer to a major change: a paid subscription option that removes ads. New references spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android (version 2.26.3.9), reported by WABetaInfo, suggest the app could soon offer two ways to use the service—free with ads or paid for an ad-free experience.
So far, WhatsApp has mostly relied on support from its parent company, Meta, rather than charging everyday users. While some people have recently begun noticing ads, they’re currently limited to areas like Status updates and Channels found in the Updates tab. Importantly, these ads still don’t appear inside private chats.
Meta has also indicated that these ads are not meant to be personalized or targeted based on your conversations. In other words, talking about a topic in your messages shouldn’t trigger related advertising. At the same time, Meta is already positioning WhatsApp’s advertising reach as massive, highlighting the potential to show ads to more than 1.5 billion people—signaling that ads could become a bigger part of the platform over time.
That’s where the rumored subscription could come in. The beta hints that users who prefer a cleaner, uninterrupted experience may be able to pay around €4 per month to remove ads. While the price shown in a screenshot may simply be a placeholder, it gives an early idea of what Meta might charge if the plan becomes official.
Crucially, the core features most people use WhatsApp for—messaging and calling—are expected to remain free for everyone. The subscription appears to be targeted at users who spend a lot of time viewing Status updates or browsing Channels and don’t want ads interrupting that experience. It’s also expected to remove certain promotional elements, such as suggested channels that may pop up while you’re exploring content.
For now, there’s no confirmed launch date, and it’s unclear when—or if—this ad-free WhatsApp subscription will roll out to all users. But the appearance of these references in the Android beta suggests Meta is actively exploring the idea, and a bigger shift toward monetizing WhatsApp through ads and optional subscriptions may be on the horizon.
