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WhatsApp to restrict how many messages users can send without replies

To curb WhatsApp’s growing spam problem, Meta will begin testing a monthly cap for how many messages users can send to people who haven’t replied. Here are the details.

Meta takes another crack at curbing WhatsApp spam

Meta has confirmed to TechCrunch that it will soon begin testing a monthly limit on how many messages users and businesses can send to people who haven’t replied.

From the report:

“All messages users and businesses send to others will count against this new per-month limit, unless they get a response. For instance, if you meet someone at a conference and send three messages, that counts against the limit.”

The company didn’t specify what the limit will be, saying the change shouldn’t impact regular users, but rather “people and businesses that blast messages and spam people.” Meta also didn’t specify where the test will take place, telling TechCrunch only that it “will be live in multiple countries in the coming weeks”.

This isn’t the first time Meta has tried to address the growing spam problem affecting WhatsApp’s more than 3 billion users. In recent years, the company has rolled out a series of features and safeguards, mostly targeting political and commercial spam, measures that have been only partly effective, as spammers usually quickly find ways around them.

Meta’s latest move to combat spam comes as WhatsApp prepares to introduce username support, allowing users to connect without sharing their phone numbers, and possibly increasing the opportunities for spam.

Despite not having announced a release date, the company has already been working on a handle reservation screen on Android, and this week, similar code was spotted in the iOS beta.

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Avatar for Marcus Mendes Marcus Mendes

Marcus Mendes is a Brazilian tech podcaster and journalist who has been closely following Apple since the mid-2000s.

He began covering Apple news in Brazilian media in 2012 and later broadened his focus to the wider tech industry, hosting a daily podcast for seven years.