Shares of Meta Platforms, the top performing stock in the Magnificent 7 this year, got a boost Monday as the tech giant announced plans to introduce paid advertising to WhatsApp, opening up a new revenue stream.

The cofounders of WhatsApp resisted ads in the app for years, including after the company was acquired by Meta for $22 billion in 2014. Brian Acton and Jan Koum left the company in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and on Monday Meta introduced ads in the “Status” feature as well as sponsored Channels in the the “Updates” tab of WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is testing ads in Status and paid channel subscriptions, all inside the Updates tab. Private messages remain encrypted and ad-free.

Meta Platforms said it’s introducing paid advertising to WhatsApp, in a move that could expand its revenue streams.

There's no shortage of reasons to stay off the Meta ecosystem, which includes Facebook and Instagram, but there are some places where WhatsApp remains the main form of text-based communication. The app is a great alternative to SMS,

Meta-owned WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature that will let users scan documents directly from the app using their phone's