WhatsApp Tests a Separate Inbox for Offers and Business Updates

WhatsApp is testing an Offers & Updates folder that automatically moves messages from large businesses out of the main chat list after a set period. The company is experimenting with delays of up to 24 hours and says users will be able to disable the behavior if they prefer a single timeline.

The test targets messages from organizations such as banks, airlines and large retailers using the WhatsApp Business Platform. Small businesses and individual WhatsApp Business accounts are currently excluded. Meta may consider expanding the system after it evaluates how the first group of users and partners respond.

Business messaging has become financially important to Meta. Revenue outside advertising and subscriptions in its family of apps passed $1 billion, driven largely by paid WhatsApp messages and related services. More than one million businesses are also using WhatsApp's AI agents for sales, support and marketing.

Growth has made the personal inbox harder to manage. WhatsApp previously added marketing opt-outs and limits on unsolicited or unanswered business messages, but delivery updates, discount codes and support notifications can still overwhelm conversations with friends and family. A separate folder may improve organization without blocking useful messages.

Business senders will also adjust behavior around the new folder. Some may try to make promotional messages resemble personal support conversations so they remain in the main timeline. WhatsApp will need enforceable classifications and penalties for misuse, or the product could begin another cycle in which filters become less effective as senders learn how to evade them.

Separating commercial updates could improve the main inbox, but it may also give Meta a new advertising surface. Users should be able to mute the folder, control which businesses can reach them and leave marketing lists without ending a support relationship. Small merchants need clear rules that do not require expensive tools simply to send an order update. WhatsApp should publish how it classifies messages and whether payment or business status affects delivery. A cleaner inbox is valuable only if the platform does not fill the new section with promotions users never requested.

The design gives WhatsApp significant control over when a business communication loses visibility. Companies will want assurance that time-sensitive alerts are not buried, while users may want their own rules for sorting senders. The feature will work best if it becomes a transparent filter users can configure, not another automated decision they must learn to reverse.