You Will Probably Start Seeing Autoplay Ads in Messenger

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Messenger Autoplay Ads

You read that correctly, arguably the most annoying type of ad might make it’s way to Facebooks messenger app. Autoplay ads are currently in the trial stage, and Facebook will be monitoring how users respond to them.

When can I expect them to show up

it’s not yet clear when Facebook is thinking of implementing this for all users. Stefanos Loukakos, Messenger’s head of advertising stated that when messenger tested static ads in some countries, they observed no changes in how people used the app. They claim that “Top priority for us is user experience”

There is no mention of how the autoplay ads will appear. Some are claiming that they will appear while you’re messaging someone and that you will need to scroll past it. While I wouldn’t put that past Facebook, the more sensible placement is in the menu, just above the “Stories”. There is also the problem of burning data. And as of yet, there is still no mention if you can turn off the autoplay.

As much as I hate to admit it: This move makes sense

I know what you’re thinking:y tho

But let’s take a set back. Facebook is a publicly traded company. This means they need to be constantly growing in order to keep investors happy. Facebook’s business model is running adverts. In 2018 alone, advertising accounts for 98.6% of their revenue, earning them a cool $11.8 Billion in just 3 months. So we can’t really blame them for taking this route.

For the time being, we, unfortunately, need to wait and see how these trials go. If (or when) the ads are implemented, messenger lite is allegedly being spared from the ads, so you can always swap to that. You will, however, have a stripped down version. This means no chat heads, no nicknames, and no GIFs. Or there is always swapping to a different messaging app. Just a gentle reminder that Whatsapp is also owned by Facebook.

Do you think Facebook is going too far with ads? Would this make you stop using Messenger? Let us know in the comments below.

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