Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp has started showing ads to users. This is the biggest change in WhatsApp in recent years and now users will see ads in channels and status. According to media reports, it has been started in many countries including India. Currently, chats are completely ad-free, but with this change it has become clear that Meta has taken steps towards monetizing WhatsApp.

Ads have started appearing since last few days

Many users have reported seeing promotional posts between status updates and channels for the past few days. Many users have also said about receiving in-app notifications regarding the new advertising policy of WhatsApp. Let us tell you that Meta has already confirmed that ads will be shown in WhatsApp status and now it is being rolled out for more users. WhatsApp says that with the help of these ads, people will be able to discover businesses and will be able to talk about products and services directly from the app. User’s private chats, calls and statuses will not be used for ad targeting and will remain end-to-end encrypted as before.

What option does the user have?

When an ad is seen, the user can tap on it to view the advertiser’s profile and get more information about that product or service. They will also get the option to hide and report the ad. If the user wants to hide an ad then he has to tap on the sponsored label. After that tap on Hide Ad and go to the three-dot menu and hide the ad. If a user wants to manage ads, he will have to go to Account Center in Settings and then open the account settings and set ad preferences.

Read this also-

How much RAM should a new phone have? While buying, find out as per your need like this

Google has made major preparations to compete with Meta. The company has confirmed that it will launch two AI-powered smart glasses in the market next year. Let us tell you that Ray-Ban Meta glasses became popular as soon as they came in the market and currently remain the most popular AI wearable. In such a situation, Google is also ready to make a strong entry in the consumer wearable market. Google said that it is working on hardware in collaboration with Samsung, Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

Two AI glasses will be launched

Google plans to launch two smart glasses next year. The first will come with only audio support, which will allow users to use the Gemini AI assistant hands-free. The second glasses will be more advanced and will come with an in-lens display. That is, there will be a display in the lenses of these glasses, which will be able to provide navigation, translation and contextual information to the user. Both the glasses will run on Google’s Android XR operating system designed for mixed reality devices and headsets.

Google has already tried to make glasses

Google had earlier also tried to launch smart glasses, but was not successful. Now after the arrival of AI, the company once again wants to enter this segment. Describing the company’s failed attempt, Sergey Brin said that the technology was not completely ready at that time and its prices had become high due to supply chain limitations. Now with the help of AI and new manufacturing partnerships, Google hopes that its new products will be successful. However, competition in this segment has also increased in recent times and Meta is now at the forefront of the AI ​​wearable market. Apart from this, Snap and Alibaba are also preparing to launch their own products.

Read this also-

TECH EXPLAINED: How does satellite internet work and why is it needed?

WhatsApp is working on a feature that will allow people to set their username on the app. Currently, to create an account on WhatsApp or to message or call someone, a mobile number is required. After setting the username, the need for mobile number will be eliminated. This feature is currently being tested. Latest reports related to this have revealed that Android users will be able to use their Facebook and Instagram usernames on WhatsApp also.

The feature has come in the testing version

According to reports, users will also be able to set their Facebook and Instagram username on WhatsApp. This feature has arrived on the testing version of Android. This shows that the company is working on it and after necessary changes, it will be rolled out for the users in the upcoming update.

How will the feature work?

This feature is considered very important for user privacy. After this feature is rolled out, users will see the username option in WhatsApp settings. Here you will be able to set and save your username. You will also be able to set a Facebook or Instagram username as per your wish. After this, the company will verify through Meta Account Center that this username is yours. After verification, your chosen username will be linked to the WhatsApp account. If you do not use Facebook and Instagram, you may have to wait a while to link your username on WhatsApp. The full system rollout of usernames may take a little longer.

New safety feature will come on WhatsApp

A new strict account setting feature is coming to WhatsApp. With this, all the security settings of the app can be applied with a single toggle. With this, users will not have to set different privacy options and settings. By activating this mode, the user’s IP address will be protected and no one will be able to track the user based on location data.

Read this also-

Battery draining apps are no longer good, Google took a big step, now this change will happen

Adult content and nudity are being sold openly on the media. If access is not available then the work is done by installing VPN. The demand for such content has increased so much that platforms like OnlyFans are converting attention and emotion into income. Recently the company released the financial report of 2024, in which last year’s earnings were Rs 60 thousand crores. In many cases it has left behind big companies like Google, Meta and Apple.

So let us understand in ABP Explainer what is OnlyFans, what are the ways of earning on it and how it overtook Google-Meta in earning…

Question 1- What is OnlyFans, which has overtaken Google and Apple in terms of earnings?
answer- Like Instagram and YouTube, OnlyFans is also a content platform in which creators post photos, videos and audios. However, it has 4 big differences compared to other platforms…

• OnlyFans has only a website. Its app is not available yet.
• It runs on subscription model. That means fans of the creators spend money and take subscription and watch this content.
• To use OnlyFans, creators and fans must be above 18 years of age.
• OnlyFans is especially known for NSFW (Not Safe For Work), i.e. ‘adult content that should be viewed only in a private place’.

According to the official report of OnlyFans, the company earned $ 7.2 billion i.e. about Rs 60 thousand crore in 2024, which is 9% more than last year. OnlyFans started in 2016 and since then has earned its creators around Rs 2 lakh crore. With just 46 employees, the company generates $37.6 million in revenue per employee, which is more than Nvidia ($3.6 million), Apple ($2.4 million), Meta ($2.2 million) and Google ($1.9 million).

OnlyFans started in 2016…

• In 2016, London businessman Tim Stokely started OnlyFans with 10,000 pounds from his father Guy Stokely. Initially there was a ban on adult content, but when the website did not perform well, the ban was lifted.
• In 2018, Russian-born businessman Leonid Radvinsky bought OnlyFans. Tim Stockley was the CEO of OnlyFans until December 2021.
• Indian-American businessman Amrapali Gan was the CEO from 2021 to July 2023. OnlyFans had a staff of only 12 people. Now it has 46 employees.

Question 2- How many creators are there on OnlyFans and how many Indians are included in them?
answer- 70% of the content on OnlyFans is of adult category. Adult models, sex workers and porn actresses upload their photos and videos here. However, writers, artists, fitness trainers, fashion models, musicians and chefs etc. from all over the world also have accounts on it.

There are more than 41 lakh creators on OnlyFans, including 70% women, 29% men and 1% non-binary creators. The most popular creators on OnlyFans are the US (41%), UK (20%), Canada (10%), Australia (7%), Germany (4%), India (2%) and Other (16%).

Question 3- How do creators earn from OnlyFans?
answer- All types of content are available for free on other internet sites, whereas OnlyFans charges money for it. This is not only for adult content but also for content related to music and cooking. When fans spend money and buy content, OnlyFans gives 80% of that amount directly to the creators, while keeping 20% ​​of the money as commission.

Creators on OnlyFans earn money in other ways besides subscription. For example-

• Fitness trainers charge money for giving fitness tips to their fans through personal messages. The price of these personal messages starts from Rs 400.
• Some creators use pay-per-view feature. This means that every time you want to watch their content, you have to pay a price for it.
• Some creators also raise funds, that is, they collect donations from people for one of their projects.
• Some creators give a link to their wishlist. Fans can buy any item from the creators wishlist.

Question- 4: How much do creators earn on OnlyFans?

answer: The subscription rate of creators on OnlyFans ranges from 5 dollars per month i.e. around Rs 400 to 50 dollars i.e. 4000 rupees per month. However, most of the creators on OnlyFans earn an average of only 200 dollars i.e. about 17 thousand rupees per month. At the same time, the earning of famous creators can be 1 lakh dollars i.e. around 80 lakh rupees or more.

Top earners of OnlyFans like Sophie Raine earn 43 million dollars i.e. about Rs 379 crore annually. According to Disney’s star actress Bella Thorne, she had earned twenty million dollars i.e. about Rs 17 crore from OnlyFans in the first one week. American rapper Ruby Rose had claimed that she had earned 1 million dollars i.e. about Rs 85 crore by posting her photos on OnlyFans in just 2 days.

Question 5: How does OnlyFans itself make money?

answer: OnlyFans’ direct source of income is the commission received from the earnings of its creators. OnlyFans is branded as a subscription service used in a private space.

Millions of users from all over the world use OnlyFans. On an average a user spends Rs 4,700 on OnlyFans in a year. Free content of some creators can be seen in the beginning itself. Later, money has to be spent to watch the content.

In 2019, people spent Rs 2,200 crore on OnlyFans. At the peak of Corona in 2020, OnlyFans earned Rs 18,700 crore from fans. In 2021, people spent Rs 40,800 crore on OnlyFans. Earned about Rs 56 thousand crore in 2023 and generated gross revenue of Rs 60 thousand crore in 2024.

Question-6: What arguments are given against OnlyFans?

answer: OnlyFans claims that the content of its website is private and cannot be viewed without subscription. Although this is not true.

According to media reports, many such cases have come to light in which screenshots of creators’ content or their videos were copied or recorded with the help of some tools and posted on other platforms. OnlyFans website was also hacked. In the internet world, once the content is uploaded, it has now become impossible to delete it.

OnlyFans also claims that its verification process keeps children away from it. To create an account, one has to upload a selfie. However, this is not enough. Children can easily complete the verification process of OnlyFans by uploading a picture taken from their elders, friends or the internet.

It has been told in a BBC documentary #Nudes4Sale that more than 33% of the users who advertise obscene pictures on X alone are under 18 years of age. On other social media platforms too, a large number of children sell nude photos in exchange for money and gifts.

Question 7- In which countries around the world OnlyFans is banned?
answer- 14 countries like Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Dubai, Russia, Belarus and Angola have banned OnlyFans. At the same time, OnlyFans is not banned in India. Its website can be opened by anyone from phone or laptop and its content can be viewed by creating an account.

Meta New Feature: Meta is now taking a big step to protect its users from online fraud and fraud. The company has added new alerts on WhatsApp and Messenger that will alert users about possible scams. Along with this, Meta has also released new tools and features for the account security of users.

More than 80 lakh scams were caught worldwide

Meta said it has recently busted and dismantled more than 8 million criminal scam networks on Facebook and Instagram in countries like Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and UAE. This fraud was mainly being done through messaging, dating apps, social media and crypto platforms.

Apart from this, the company took action against more than 21,000 fake pages and accounts, which were trying to grab people’s personal information by pretending to be customer support.

Screen sharing alert will be available on WhatsApp

Meta will now show a new security alert in the screen sharing feature during WhatsApp video calls. If a user tries to share the screen with an unknown person, the app will immediately show a warning “Share the screen only with people you trust, as you may accidentally share your bank details or other sensitive information.”

Meta said, “We know that scammers often pressure users into sharing their screens in order to get personal information like banking or verification codes. This new tool will help users identify suspicious activities.”

AI-based scam detection system is coming to Messenger

Meta is now testing a new AI-based scam detection system on Messenger as well. When this system is activated, the app will immediately warn the user if a potentially fraudulent or suspicious message is detected in a chat. Additionally, users will also get the option to send their recent chats for AI scam review.

According to the company, “If a potential scam is detected, users will be informed about common fraud patterns and suggested steps such as blocking or reporting them.” However, Meta has not yet clarified as to when this feature will be available in the Messenger app.

Scam Awareness Campaign with Comedy Creators in India

Meta said that it is running several educational initiatives to increase online fraud awareness around the world. In India, the company has partnered with comedy content creators to educate the general public in a humorous way about how to avoid scams. In these campaigns, emphasis is also being laid on security tools like two-factor authentication, block and report features.

Also read:

WhatsApp’s new feature Dhamaka! Now those who send repeated messages will be banned, know how this rule will work

As of now there is no limit on sending messages on WhatsApp. Users can send countless messages every day, but this is going to change soon. WhatsApp is going to take a new step to stop spam. Under this, a monthly limit may be imposed on messages sent to people who do not reply. This decision will be applicable to businesses as well as users. This decision is currently being considered and its testing is going to start soon.

How will the system work?

According to reports, Meta has confirmed to start its trial in many countries in the next few weeks. However, information about message limit has not been revealed yet. When the new system is introduced, the message sent to every user who does not reply will be counted towards the monthly quota. For example, if you sent two messages to someone and he did not reply, then these two messages will be counted towards the monthly quota. In this, messages sent to those users with whom you chat or who reply to your messages will not be counted.

Will it affect common users?

WhatsApp says that this change will not affect common users and their chatting. This decision will affect those people and business accounts who send a block or spam message. Let us tell you that WhatsApp has more than three billion users worldwide and now it is being used for everything from political propaganda to marketing and promotion of fake schemes. Even after imposing message forward limit and introducing many reporting tools, there has been no reduction in spam messages. With the new change, Meta hopes that spam messages will be controlled.

Read this also-

Take care of your phone like this after screen replacement, otherwise it will cost you a lot.

If you use Meta’s Messenger desktop app then this news is for you. The company has said that it is going to shut down the Messenger app for Windows and Mac from December 15. After December 15, users will not be able to log in to this app. If a user tries to log in, he will be redirected to the Facebook website, where he can continue his conversation.

The process will start soon

According to the messenger’s help page, Meta is soon going to start the process of shutting down this app and users will be informed about it through in-app alerts. It is written on the page that if you use the Messenger desktop app, you will get an alert as soon as the closure process starts. After December 15, users will not be able to log in to the Messenger app. Meta appealed to the users to delete this app after its closure and said that after December 15, this app will be of no use.

Users are being informed

Meta has started informing users before closing the app so that they can switch to another access method. Windows users will be able to continue their messaging from the Facebook desktop app and Facebook website after Messenger is closed. Similarly, Mac users will have the option to use Messenger through the Facebook website.

Do this work before 15th December

Before closing the app, Meta has advised users to turn on secure storage and setup a PIN so that their chat history can be saved. With its help, when users use Messenger from the web version of Facebook, their chats will be automatically synced on all supported devices. Apart from this, Meta has also made it clear that those who are using only Messenger account, they will be able to log in through Messenger online client without creating a Facebook account.

Read this also-

People are liking this new iPhone very much in China, it got sold out within a few minutes.

Meta Messenger: Facebook’s parent company Meta has officially announced that it is going to completely shut down Messenger’s desktop apps for Mac and Windows from December 15, 2025. After this date, users will be redirected directly to the Facebook website for messaging. This means that Meta will no longer provide its users with a dedicated desktop app experience that was active for many years.

Revealed in the report

According to AppleInsider report, Meta has started sending in-app notifications to users before the app is closed. The company is giving about 60 days time to the users so that they can shift to the new system. After this, login to Messenger desktop apps will be completely blocked. Meta has also advised that when the app stops working, users should uninstall (delete) it.

Meta’s support page reads, “The Messenger app for Mac is being retired. After this, you will no longer be able to login to the app and will automatically be redirected to chat on the Facebook website.”

Meta’s move toward web-based messaging

Meta’s move is a continuation of its transition to Progressive Web App (PWA) last year, reflecting the company’s larger strategy toward a browser-based experience. After this change made in September 2024, Meta is now focusing its messaging service completely on the web.

Although Windows users can still use Facebook’s desktop app, both Mac and Windows users will have to go to Facebook.com to access Messenger.

To ease the transition, Meta recommends users activate secure storage of their chat history, set a PIN to keep encrypted messages safe, and confirm their settings by going to Privacy & Safety > End-to-End Encrypted Chats > Message Storage. With this, users will be able to keep their chat history safe on all devices.

Disappointment to users

This decision may be disappointing for many users, especially those who used to do multitasking and professional chatting with desktop apps during work. However, Meta says that core features like encrypted chat, media sharing and secure messaging will still be available on the Facebook web version.

Also read:

UPI users beware! Calls from these numbers will empty your account balance in one go, know how to stay safe

Social media platform Instagram has further tightened its content safety rules for children. Now users aged 13 to 17 years will see only that content, which will be light, safe and age appropriate like PG-13 films. The purpose of this change is to prevent obscene, dangerous or wrong content from reaching children.

Instagram’s parent company Meta said that from now on all Teen Accounts will automatically be kept in ’13+’ mode, that is, users who are below 18 years of age will not be able to change this setting without their parents’ permission.

What will change now?

1. Users aged 13 to 17 years will no longer see content like alcohol, tobacco, drugs, violence, abusive language and dangerous stunts.

2. Teenagers will no longer be able to follow accounts that have been deemed adult or inappropriate. If you are already followed, then their posts and messages will also be blocked.

3. Instagram’s AI system will now work according to this age filter, so that any adult or inappropriate response does not reach teenagers.

Parents will also get control

According to the information given by Meta,
1. Now parents will also get more control over the app. If they want, they can enable ‘Strict Settings’ for their child’s account, which will show more limited content.

2. Parents can report any post or video that they feel is inappropriate for their child.

In Meta’s survey, parents said it was helpful.

In the last few years, many reports had come out regarding the mental health of teenagers, bad influence and access to obscene content on social media. Keeping this in mind, Instagram has made this important change. In a survey conducted by Meta, 95% of parents believed that this new system will prove to be safe and helpful for children. And 90% of parents said that this will help them better understand what their children are seeing on social media.

This step by Instagram is a positive and necessary initiative towards the online safety of children. Now this app will not only be an entertainment platform, but will also become a space where children will get age-appropriate positive and safe digital content.

Also read:- Congress unhappy with High Court’s stay on OBC reservation in Telangana, preparing to challenge in Supreme Court

An important hearing was held in the Delhi High Court on the petition filed by famous playback singer Kumar Sanu regarding the protection of personality rights and moral rights. Delhi High Court asked Facebook, Instagram and YouTube why the URLs on which morphed videos and abusive language were used were not being removed through the Grievance Officer.

While hearing in the court, Justice Manit Pritam Singh Arora said that the social media companies will have to explain why according to the petitioner Kumar Sanu, the content which includes morphed videos and abusive words is being stopped from being removed under the IT rules.

Meta’s lawyer gave important argument in the court
During the hearing of the case in Delhi High Court, Meta’s lawyer told the court that the word defamation has been removed from the IT rules. As an intermediary we cannot decide what is indecent and what is not. This matter should be decided in the court itself. On this argument, the court said that whatever content you can remove, remove it. When a complaint is received, take action as per the rules and tell us the next day what was removed and what was not. Not everyone can come to court.

Court asked for details from Kumar Sanu’s lawyer
During the hearing of the case, Delhi High Court asked Kumar Sanu’s lawyer to make a table of all the social media accounts and URLs and tell what relief is required against him. Meta and Google were also given time to review the URL suggested by Kumar Sanu.

Kumar Sanu’s lawyer’s argument – it is being used without permission
The lawyer appearing on behalf of singer Kumar Sanu in the Delhi High Court argued that his face and voice are being used in many GIFs, videos and audios without permission, due to which his image is being tarnished and he is having to endure unwanted ridicule.

In this, merchandise is also being made by cloning their voice and video using AI technology. All these contents are becoming a source of income for the company on the basis of views and clicks on social media. At present, Delhi High Court will hold the next hearing in this case on October 15.