WhatsApp will limit the number of messages people and businesses can send without a response

WhatsApp tries to solve the spam problem by limiting the number of messages that individual users and businesses can send to unknown people without getting a response.

Although the app started out as an easy way to send messages to personal contacts, over time, it has become more sophisticated with groups, communities, and business correspondence. With these changes, people are receiving more messages than ever before, and it’s hard to keep up with them all.

All messages sent by users and businesses to others will count toward this new monthly limit, unless they receive a response. For example, if you meet someone at a conference and send three messages, that will count against the limit.

WhatsApp did not say what the maximum is, as it is testing different limits during this time.

However, when a company or individual is about to reach the limit, the app will display a warning to those users with a pop-up window stating the number, so they can avoid being blocked from sending messages.

The company told TechCrunch that this test will be live in several countries in the coming weeks. It also said that regular users will typically not reach the limit, and their messaging experience will not be affected. Instead, the controls are designed to be effective against people and companies that attack messages and send spam to people.

When I look at my WhatsApp inbox, I often find more than 50 unread messages. When I try to find out who sent them, I find that a number of them are from unknown companies and people. People around me have had similar experiences, as WhatsApp serves as a versatile communication tool for a market like India, where I reside.

Over the past year, WhatsApp has tried to curb some of this unwanted behavior through tools and guardrails. In July 2024, the company began testing the limits of the number of marketing messages the company could send to people in one month. In 2024, it began offering an option for users to opt out of marketing messages from companies. This way, they can receive updates or get support from a company without receiving spam.

Earlier this year, WhatsApp began experimenting by placing a limit on the number of broadcast messages that users and businesses can send to others. The company said it has begun expanding this experience in more than a dozen countries, including India, which is one of the company’s largest markets with more than 500 million users.