WhatsApp adds paid partnership label to channels

WhatsApp is rolling out a paid partnership label for channel admins on Android and iOS, giving them an official way to flag sponsored updates instead of relying on manually typed disclosures.

The feature is accessible to limited people in the latest app versions, where its expansion is being done gradually, according to WABetaInfo, which first spotted it while testing.

How do WhatsApp admins apply the paid partnership label?

The process is simple: a channel admin taps and holds any update to open the context menu, where a new "Add paid partnership" option now appears. 

Selecting it applies a visible label that followers see immediately across Android, iOS, Web, and Desktop, with no extra steps required on the viewer's end.

Once used, it would not be possible to switch the paid partnership tag on and off. As reported by WABetaInfo, the only way to get rid of this tag is to completely delete the update in which it is added and then post it once again without the paid partnership tag, thus not leaving any way out to retract from the disclosed information after it is made known to their followers.

WhatsApp has turned out to be an important source of distribution, and with the growing popularity has come the undisclosed deals between creators and brands.

It must be noted that in the US and in the European Union, it is mandatory for creators to disclose such arrangements, while the EU's Digital Services Act also mandates the platforms to provide such options to creators.