WhatsApp tests an Offers & Updates folder for business messages

WhatsApp is testing a separate Offers & Updates folder that automatically moves routine messages from large businesses out of the main chat list after a delay, cutting clutter in the primary inbox while keeping those messages accessible later. The test is limited to selected partners on the WhatsApp Business Platform, not a broad rollout, and the immediate effect is fewer promotional and update messages sitting alongside personal chats.

The Offers & Updates folder WhatsApp is testing

The new setup changes placement, not whether business messages exist on WhatsApp at all. Messages from large companies are shifted from the main inbox into a separate Offers & Updates area, giving users a cleaner chat list without fully removing retail, airline, banking, or similar update traffic. For operators, that means inbox visibility becomes more conditional: routine messages may still reach users, but they may not stay in the main chat list for long.

The move is automatic rather than something users trigger manually message by message. That matters because placement no longer depends only on whether a business can send a message through the platform, but also on how WhatsApp classifies that traffic once it lands. WhatsApp has not indicated that the feature replaces the main inbox, and the current test remains confined to selected WhatsApp Business Platform partners.

Who gets moved and how the timing works

The scope is narrow. WhatsApp is testing this with large businesses, while small businesses and individual WhatsApp Business accounts are outside the change for now. The company has also not explained what qualifies as a large business in this test, so operators should not assume the rule applies across all business senders.

Meta is experimenting with different delay windows before a message is moved, ranging from several hours to as long as 24 hours. Users can switch the feature off, but they cannot choose their own delay setting. In practice, that means a routine business message may still appear in the main inbox at first, then move later based on whatever test window WhatsApp is applying.

For businesses that rely on WhatsApp for promotions, reminders, or service updates, the practical consequence is straightforward: message timing and message type matter more when routine traffic may be pushed out of the main chat list automatically. A campaign that depends on lingering visibility in the primary inbox may perform differently from one built around immediate opens or direct replies.

WhatsApp's longer cleanup push around business messaging

This test extends a broader cleanup effort that WhatsApp has been building over the last two years. In 2024, WhatsApp added unsubscribe tools for promotional messages, giving users a more direct way to stop marketing traffic without blocking a business entirely. That established a clearer split between wanted service communication and unwanted promotional messaging.

WhatsApp tightened the rules further in 2025 with broadcast-message limits and caps on repeated sends before a user replies. Those controls aimed to reduce spammy behavior from businesses that keep pushing messages into a user's inbox without engagement. The new folder follows the same logic: keep important business communication available, but reduce how much routine business traffic competes with personal chats in the main inbox.

What remains unclear is how far the test will expand, what the final folder name will be, and whether notifications, unread badges, or search behavior change once a message is moved. For now, the clearest takeaway for WhatsApp business operators is that message placement is becoming a more active part of the platform's business-messaging rules, especially for high-volume senders on the WhatsApp Business Platform.

Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI. Images are for illustrative purposes only.