WhatsApp Evolutions: 3 Key Updates Marketers Need to Know About

They say that the only constant in life is change. As more brands take advantage of WhatsApp to better connect with their customers around the globe, it's not surprising that Meta is making some tweaks to this powerful channel and how it operates in order to ensure that marketers and consumers alike are able to continue to see benefits.

To help marketers understand what's changing and what it means for them, we'll explore three key updates (including the what, why, and when) and how to consider adjusting your marketing strategies to keep up.

Update 1: WhatsApp opt-in policy update

What is the update?

Meta recently released an update to their WhatsApp opt-in policy that impacts when brands can and can’t communicate with their users on this channel. Previously, companies needed to receive channel-specific consent to send outreach via WhatsApp; however, under the updated policy, brands can now message consumers on the platform if an individual has shared their mobile phone number and provided opt-in permission for messaging more generally. In other words, if a brand collects more general permission to send messages to a consumer, they can message that person on WhatsApp without collecting opt-in specifically for the WhatsApp channel.

While this is a significant change, it’s important to note that brands are still required to comply with all local laws and follow to Meta’s overall requirements when obtaining opt-ins, which are:

• The business must clearly state that a person is opting in to receive communication from the business
• The business must clearly state the business's name that a person is opting in to receive messages from
• The business must comply with applicable law

Why are they making this update?

While WhatsApp is known as a marquee way to engage consumers, Meta supports a number of different platforms and channels across its business operations. Accordingly, some brands may choose to collect consent to send messaging not specific to any one channel, removing the requirement to ask users for individualized permission for each channel. This update provides brands with more flexibility to communicate with their customers as they see fit.

When does the update go into effect?

WhatsApp’s updated opt-in policy went into effect in November 2024.

How should you adjust your marketing strategy to accommodate for this change?

Although WhatsApp has loosened their policy, Braze still recommends collecting opt-ins that are explicitly and specifically for WhatsApp as a channel, to foster the best customer experience and engagement rates. And, of course, we recommend collecting separate and explicit opt-ins for other channels that require it and have stricter policies, such as SMS and email. Maintaining strong read rates is always top of mind for marketers, but it is especially important on WhatsApp because of the deliverability updates Meta introduced in 2024. Most notably, Meta implemented a per-user marketing template limit, which caps the number of marketing messages a user can receive across all brands in a given period and doesn’t deliver messages that are less likely to be read. In short, you want to maintain high read rates in order to maximize deliverability. Making sure your customers actually want to receive messaging from you on WhatsApp is the first step in maintaining strong read rates. While collecting channel-specific opt-in is more work, it allows your customers to tell you exactly how they want to be communicated with, and which channels they prefer. As always, check with your legal team to make sure you’re complying with the legal requirements applicable to your use case, as some countries and regions may have stricter local laws that impose different requirements than Meta’s updated policy. Whatever you decide to do, do not message users on WhatsApp if you’ve only collected permission to message them on a different channel, like email or SMS. When in doubt, ask yourself what you’d prefer as a consumer.

Update 2: WhatsApp pauses marketing message sending to US users

What is the update?

WhatsApp will be pausing brands’ ability to send marketing messages on their channel to US users (that is, individuals with US phone numbers). Note that this pause is specific to marketing messages; utility, service, authentication, and response messages will still be allowed in the US. Message sending, including the sending of marketing messages, to individuals in all other supported countries is still allowed and will not be impacted by this announcement.

Why are they making this update?

In their communications around this change, Meta explained that they were implementing the pause in order to maintain the health of the WhatsApp ecosystem in the US, where WhatsApp is growing fast but still at an earlier stage than in many other parts of the world. In other words, marketing messages stateside today may see lower engagement than in other countries and regions as US consumers continue to adopt and get used to using the WhatsApp platform. Meta has said that they will continue to evaluate when the US market is ready to resume marketing messages.

When does the update go into effect?

The pause goes into effect starting April 1, 2025. Beginning on that date, marketing message delivery to phone numbers with US area codes will be rejected by WhatsApp and will return an error code of 131049.

How should you adjust your marketing strategy to accommodate for this change?

If you’re currently sending WhatsApp marketing messages to consumers in the US, it is important to develop a game plan for transitioning your campaigns to a different channel. Looking for an effective alternative? Consider sending on other high-engagement, out-of-product channels like SMS. Or look into a newer, emerging mobile channel like RCS, which boasts similar rich capabilities to WhatsApp, including support for a variety of message types, rich media support, and interactive features like suggested actions. RCS arguably provides the best of both worlds—rich, interactive messaging à la WhatsApp while being delivered through the native, default messaging apps that come pre-installed on a device à la SMS. The benefit? US consumers may be more receptive to marketing messaging on RCS, because it gets delivered on iMessage or Google Messages just like SMS.

Update 3: WhatsApp switches from a per conversation to a per message pricing model

What is the update?

Meta is reworking how brands that send messages to consumers via WhatsApp are billed for that outreach, switching from a “per conversation” model to a “per message” one. According to Meta, the new per message rate will be the same as the current “per conversation” rates that companies are paying. This update applies to marketing, utility, and authentication templates. (Service conversations are free of charge as of November 1, 2024.)

Why are they making this update?

Meta is shifting to a per message model to help brands simplify ROI calculations; that is, this change will make it easier for brands to do apples-to-apples ROI comparisons with other channels that are priced per message. For example, if you’re a marketer overseeing other mobile channels like SMS, you’ll be able to more easily compare ROI between the two channels to determine which one is more impactful.

When does the update go into effect?

This pricing update goes into effect starting April 1, 2025. 

How can I adjust my marketing strategy to accommodate for this change?

We recommend the following best practices to help your organization to account for these changes and maximize your WhatsApp marketing budget:

• Limit sending of multiple message templates of the same type (without a user response) in the 24-hour period. This ensures you aren’t being charged more than you previously were under the per conversation model. This is also a best practice to provide quality experiences for your customers and limit message fatigue.
• Utilize response messaging when responding to end-user messages. Response messaging is free of charge and allows you to respond to end-user messages with a free form message (instead of a template message) that doesn’t need to be approved by Meta.
• Take advantage of the new clarity this shift supports and build out an ongoing testing motion in order to continuously assess the impact of your WhatsApp sends compared to SMS or other channels that might be significant to your brand; that way, you can maximize ROI in connection with sends as your audience’s engagement patterns grow and change over time.

Final thoughts

WhatsApp is a core channel for the more than two billion users who engage with it every month, but it’s also increasingly an essential tool for businesses around the globe as they seek to engage, monetize, and retain their customers. By staying informed about Meta’s ongoing updates to WhatsApp as they happen and making a point of following best practices, marketers can make necessary adjustments and ensure that they’re seeing the full value of this powerful channel.

Interested in learning more about what’s possible with WhatsApp? Check out our WhatsApp Inspiration Guide for more than a dozen different campaigns that can be powered by this flexible, versatile channel.