WhatsApp message limit is coming soon: What is it and how you will be affected

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WhatsApp is testing a new sending cap to reduce unsolicited messages on the platform. The rule counts every outgoing message sent to someone who has not replied. Once a user or business reaches the yet-to-be-finalised cap, WhatsApp will prevent further outbound messages to non-responders for that month.

The company has not disclosed the precise limit because different thresholds are being tested across markets. All outbound messages to people who do not answer — whether personal, marketing or informational — are included. A banner or pop-up will warn accounts as they approach the ceiling to prevent sudden blocking.

The intent is to stop large-volume broadcasters and business accounts from flooding inboxes. WhatsApp told TechCrunch that typical users who message known contacts are unlikely to hit the limit. In practice, if someone writes three times to a new number from a conference and never gets a reply, all three count toward the monthly allotment.

The change arrives after several earlier anti-spam controls. Since mid-2024, WhatsApp has trialled limits on business marketing pushes, added a one-tap unsubscribe option for commercial updates, and expanded broadcast-message limits in more than a dozen countries — including India, which has more than 500 million users.

How users will feel the change

For everyday users, there is little behavioural shift: conversations with people who reply do not count, and most personal chats are reciprocal. The users most exposed are those who habitually message unknown numbers or operate informal list-based broadcasts without consent.

What this means for businesses

Businesses that rely on bulk outbound messaging may need to re-sequence campaigns, obtain opt-ins more aggressively, or shift to flows that elicit a quick acknowledgement so subsequent messages no longer count against the cap. Those who ignore the warning prompts risk temporary outbound blocks to non-responsive recipients.

The controlled rollout will expand to multiple countries in the coming weeks before WhatsApp settles on a final ceiling.