WhatsApp is testing a new folder for messages from large businesses
WhatsApp is testing an “Offers & Updates” folder that would automatically move messages from large businesses, such as banks and airlines, out of users’ main chat lists after a set period. The move aims to reduce inbox clutter as paid business messaging becomes a growing source of revenue for Meta, while preserving a way for customers to find promotional and service messages.
The test will begin with selected WhatsApp Business Platform partners, with messages moved after varying periods of up to 24 hours; users can disable the feature but cannot choose the timing. Small businesses and individual WhatsApp Business accounts are initially excluded, though Meta may include them later. WhatsApp has already introduced marketing-message unsubscribes and limits on broadcasts and unanswered business messages, amid concerns that increasing use of AI business agents could worsen spam.
In short
- WhatsApp is testing a separate folder for large-business messages.
- Messages may move from the main inbox within 24 hours.
- The feature aims to curb clutter as business messaging expands.
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The case for
A separate Offers & Updates folder could keep personal chats easier to manage while retaining business messages for people who need booking details, bank notices or promotions. Automatically sorting messages may be simpler than asking users to manage each sender, and the option to disable the feature offers some control as WhatsApp expands paid business messaging.
The case against
Moving messages automatically, especially without letting users choose when it happens, could make important updates harder to notice or find. Because business messaging brings revenue to Meta, users may also question whether the feature primarily serves their interests; excluding smaller businesses at first could leave the sorting rules feeling uneven.
Explained simply
WhatsApp is a messaging service owned by Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram. Businesses use its tools to send customers updates such as flight information, bank alerts and special offers.
Large companies can send these messages through the WhatsApp Business Platform, a service that helps them communicate with customers at scale. Meta charges for some business messaging, making it a source of income as well as a way for companies to reach customers.
WhatsApp has introduced controls such as limits on some business messages and ways to unsubscribe from marketing. These changes matter to customers who want useful updates without an increasingly crowded chat list, and to businesses and Meta, which rely on messaging to reach people.