WhatsApp cracks down on spam with new monthly message limit for unanswered chats
The company is implementing in-app warnings, via banners or pop-ups, to alert accounts as they approach the ceiling, providing a chance to adjust their outreach strategy before facing an outright block.
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WhatsApp is moving aggressively to combat unsolicited messaging by piloting a new monthly cap on outbound messages sent to non-responders. The unprecedented control measure targets high-volume senders—including businesses and spammers—who flood inboxes without receiving engagement.
Under the new rule, currently being trialled across multiple markets, every outgoing message sent to a user or business that has not replied will count against a sender's unfinalized monthly allotment. Once the cap is hit, the account will be temporarily blocked from sending further messages to non-responsive contacts for the remainder of the month.
WhatsApp, which has not yet disclosed the precise limit, stated that the move is specifically designed to stop "large-volume broadcasters and business accounts." Regular users who primarily message known contacts with reciprocal chats are expected to remain unaffected, as conversations with people who reply do not contribute to the limit.
The company is implementing in-app warnings, via banners or pop-ups, to alert accounts as they approach the ceiling, providing a chance to adjust their outreach strategy before facing an outright block. This measure is the latest in a series of anti-spam efforts, which have included trialling limits on business marketing pushes and expanding broadcast-message caps in markets like India, home to over 500 million users.
The change signals a required shift for businesses relying on cold, bulk messaging. Those campaigns will now be penalized for low response rates. To avoid temporary outbound blocks, companies will need to focus on aggressive opt-in collection and conversational flows that actively elicit a quick acknowledgement from recipients. The controlled rollout will continue in the coming weeks before a global ceiling is finalized.
