The chat platform WhatsApp said today it will limit the number of broadcast messages that individual users and businesses can send to app curb spam.
In the coming weeks, the company will begin testing limits for individual broadcast messages. Under these restrictions, WhatsApp will place a monthly limit on the number of broadcasts. There is a travel limit during the test, but one example of the example given by Meta was to allow 30 messages per month.
Meta said that status updates or channels can be used if individual users want to send more messages to a large number of people.
The company is also considering placing similar guardrails in broadcast messages from business accounts. Until now, WhatsApp business accounts could send free and unlimited broadcast messages, but the company will soon introduce a paid version of the feature with some additional tools.
Over the next few months, Meta will test new customized broadcast messages for product updates or holiday sales. Additionally, business account users can also schedule messages. During the pilot period, merchants will need to get 250 customized messages for free and pay for additional messages. Currently, the company is not putting a price on these messages.
The company’s thinking behind this is that users can receive broadcast messages from time to time without being overwhelmed. WhatsApp has taken several steps to reduce spam in users’ inboxes, including limiting the number of marketing messages users get in one day. Last year, the company began experimenting with a “unsubscribe” feature, in which users signal that they don’t block accounts and not receive certain types of messages from their businesses.
For the past few years, the WhatsApp business has been a key asset to META. As company executives mention in their quarterly revenue calls, revenue is rising. The company’s spirit is to offer a WhatsApp business app for free, with several features, including landing pages, business profiles with details, and the ability to create catalogs. Then, if merchants use solutions with APIs, they will charge for various types of messages, including marketing, utilities, services, authentication, etc.
Outside of API charging for different types of conversation, meta is billed only for optional meta-validated subscriptions. The new broadcast messaging feature will be one of the first paid features for merchants who do not use APIs. It will also be another revenue stream for the meta.
In addition to changing how broadcast messaging works, the company is also tweaking the logo for its WhatsApp business app.
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