Meta is rolling out new features for WhatsApp that will give businesses broader capabilities to send promotional direct messages to users — with guardrails designed to limit spam and maintain user trust. The new tools are part of Meta’s ongoing effort to monetize WhatsApp’s massive global user base, which now exceeds 2 billion.
To prevent inbox saturation, Meta has set daily limits on the number of promotional messages a user can receive. According to the company, “We want messages from businesses to be helpful and expected” – meaning that this kind of promotion needs to be both unobtrusive and properly targeted towards the right audience, both of which require a delicate touch to achieve.
The latest update introduces a “broadcast” feature that allows businesses to send promotional messages to users who have previously interacted with them on the platform. These messages can be delivered outside the usual conversational windows governed by WhatsApp’s business messaging policies, signaling a more aggressive push into marketing outreach.
However, Meta is also implementing measures to avoid overwhelming users. Recipients will be able to opt out of future messages or mark individual promotions as “Not interested.” Meta says it will monitor these responses closely and will limit message frequency to ensure businesses maintain what it calls “high quality, engaging and relevant marketing conversations.”
