Application of Limits on Broadcast Messages by WhatsApp

 WhatsApp will soon apply limits on Broadcast Messages users and businesses can send 

Chat platform WhatsApp said that it will limit the number of broadcast messages individual users and businesses can send to curb spam on the app. WhatsApp revealed its plan to combat spam but limiting the broadcast messages for business as well as individual users soon. In coming weeks, it plans to put monthly limit on broadcast messages. It hasn’t confirm what will be the exact number of broadcasts allowed but the limit will be changing during the testing period. The company will start testing limits on individual broadcast messages. Under these limits, WhatsApp will put a monthly limit on the number of broadcasts. While there will be moving limits during the test, one example Meta gave was allowing 30 messages per month.

There have been examples of other platforms that have applied smart rules to fight spammers. Telegram has a nice rule where by if a user is sending too many messages to strangers or if someone reports a user message as spam, telegram will put limits on user account. Then you can’t send messages to other users unless they have saved you as a contact in their mobiles. Meta said that if individual users want to send more messages to a large number of people, they could use Status updates or channels. The company is also thinking about putting similar guardrails around 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.

The company’s thinking behind this is that users can still receive occasional broadcast messages without feeling overwhelmed. WhatsApp has taken a few steps to reduce spam in user inboxes, like limiting the number of marketing messages users get in a day. Last year, the company started experimenting with an “unsubscribe” feature that lets users signal they would rather not receive certain types of messages from a business without blocking the account. In the near future, Meta will test new customized broadcast messages for product updates or holiday sales. Plus, Business account users will be able to schedule messages as well. During the pilot period, merchants will get 250 customized messages for free, and then they will have to pay for additional messages. Currently, the company hasn’t put a price on these messages.

Meta has said that if individual users want to message to a large number of people, they should use either Status feature or create Channels. For business users, a new feature of paid messages will be introduced along with some other tools as well to attract the businesses. WhatsApp Business app is already providing tools to businesses to create a business profile, landing page and a catalogue page. WhatsApp Business has become an important asset for Meta since its inception, revenue is growing, as the company executives have mentioned in quarterly earnings calls. The company’s ethos is to give merchants the WhatsApp Business app for free with some features such as a landing page, a business profile with details, and the ability to create a catalogue. The company then charges for various kinds of messages, including marketing, utility, service, and authentication, when merchants use the solution powered by its API.

Outside of the API charges for different kinds of conversations, Meta only charged for the optional Meta Verified subscription. The new broadcast messaging feature will be one of the first paid features for merchants who don’t use APIs. It will also become another revenue source for Meta. With the addition of new features, Meta is set to create another revenue stream for itself. Earlier Meta just charged for API usage for WhatsApp along with the Meta verified profile option. Meta is also going to change the logo for the WhatsApp Business apps in Android and iOS stores.