WhatsApp to limit unanswered messages in spam crackdown

WhatsApp will begin limiting the number of messages users and businesses can send to people who haven’t responded, in a new effort to curb spam on the world’s most popular messaging app.

The Meta-owned platform said the restriction, which counts every message sent without a reply against a monthly limit, is designed to deter mass outreach from businesses and individuals spamming unknown contacts.

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The company has not disclosed the exact threshold, saying it is testing different limits across countries in the coming weeks. A pop-up warning will alert users and businesses as they approach their cap, helping them avoid being blocked from sending further messages.

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WhatsApp told TechCrunch that most users are unlikely to be affected, as the new controls are primarily aimed at accounts that send large volumes of unsolicited messages.

The app, which began as a simple tool for personal communication, has evolved into a multipurpose platform hosting communities, business chats, and marketing broadcasts — leading to a surge in message volume.

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Meta has gradually introduced anti-spam measures over the past year. In 2024, WhatsApp began testing limits on marketing messages and offered users an option to unsubscribe from business notifications. Earlier this year, it also expanded its experiment restricting broadcast messages in more than a dozen countries, including India, its largest market with over 500 million users.

The new rules mark WhatsApp’s latest step in tightening controls on its increasingly commercialized messaging ecosystem while trying to preserve its appeal as a private, personal communication tool.