WhatsApp is rolling out a new measure to reduce spam by limiting how many messages individuals and businesses can send to people who haven’t responded.
The Meta-owned messaging platform, which began as a simple tool for chatting with personal contacts, has evolved to include group chats, communities, and business messaging. As a result, users now receive more messages than ever, often from unfamiliar senders.
Under the new policy, all outgoing messages to unknown recipients will count toward a monthly limit, unless the recipient replies. For example, if someone sends three messages to a new contact after meeting at a conference, those three count against the limit.
WhatsApp has not disclosed the exact threshold but said it is currently testing different limits. When users or businesses approach their monthly cap, they will receive a warning pop-up showing how many messages they have left.
The company told TechCrunch the test will roll out in several countries over the coming weeks. It added that typical users are unlikely to be affected and that the measure is aimed primarily at curbing spammers and businesses that mass-send marketing messages.
Over the past year, WhatsApp has introduced several tools to address spam. In July 2024, it began testing caps on how many marketing messages businesses can send per month. It also introduced options for users to unsubscribe from business messages while still receiving essential updates. Earlier this year, the platform began experimenting with broadcast message limits in more than a dozen countries, including India — one of its largest markets, with over 500 million users.
