WhatsApp will limit messages to people who don’t reply, here’s why

WhatsApp

Meta is taking another swing at WhatsApp spam. The company will soon start testing a monthly cap on how many messages users and businesses can send to people who haven’t replied — a move aimed squarely at curbing unsolicited messages that have flooded the platform in recent years.

Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that it plans to roll out the test “in multiple countries in the coming weeks,” though it hasn’t revealed the exact message limit yet. Under the new system, every message sent to someone who hasn’t replied will count toward a user’s monthly quota.

For instance, if you meet someone at a conference and send them three follow-up messages without a response, all three will count against your monthly cap. The company says the change won’t affect ordinary users chatting occasionally, but will target individuals and businesses that send bulk messages or spam contacts repeatedly.

WhatsApp, with over 3 billion users worldwide, has become a magnet for political campaigns, marketing push notifications, and fraudulent schemes — despite Meta’s past attempts to curb spam. Features such as message-forwarding limits and click-to-chat reporting tools helped, but not enough to eliminate the problem entirely.

The new restriction arrives as WhatsApp readies another big update: username support. This will allow users to connect without sharing phone numbers — a long-awaited privacy feature that could, paradoxically, open new avenues for spam. Code references to a “handle reservation screen” have already surfaced in recent Android and iOS beta builds.

By linking the upcoming username system with tighter message limits, Meta seems to be drawing clearer boundaries between genuine communication and spam behaviour. Still, the success of the move will depend on how strictly WhatsApp enforces it — and whether spammers once again find a way around.