About opting in and opting out of chats with businesses

WhatsApp wants you to be in control of who’s chatting with you. This is why a business can’t have an ongoing conversation with you unless you’ve opted in to chatting with them.
WhatsApp will not give your number to a business, and our policies prohibit businesses from contacting you on WhatsApp without first receiving your approval to do so.
When a business first messages you, you’ll have three types of interactions to choose from. Tap:
  • Block to add the business to your Blocked contacts list. When you block a business, they will not be able to message you directly. However, you’ll still have access to their business profile and catalog. You’ll also be able to interact with them if you’re in any of the same groups.
  • Report to report a business you think is violating our WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy. You can also use this option to block the business.
  • Continue to continue chatting with the business. You can also opt in by sending the business a message.

Opt out of marketing messages from a business

Some businesses may provide an option to opt out of receiving marketing messages by tapping the Opt out of marketing messages button in your chat with the business (the exact text on the button may differ). Tapping this button will notify the business that you’d like to remove your WhatsApp number from their marketing mailing lists. Businesses may have to remove your number from their mailing lists manually, so there could be a delay between when you opt out and when you stop receiving marketing messages.
Businesses may ask you to provide a reason for your opt-out; you can elect to not provide a reason. This way businesses can learn from your feedback and ensure their messages are relevant to their customers. Additionally, when they send you an opt-out confirmation, some businesses may include the option to opt back into receiving marketing messages in case you change your mind or if you opted out accidentally.

Opting out of marketing messages versus blocking a business

While blocking a business stops the business from sending you messages, it also stops you from being able to send messages to that business. Using the Opt out of marketing messages button sends a request to the business to remove you from its marketing mailing list, but still allows for individual messages between you and the business to continue. This way, you can still reach out to the business with questions about their products or services, and they can send you messages related to your transactions with them such as shipping updates. Other privacy features such as disappearing messages or controlling who can add you to groups, provide an optional, extra layer of privacy when using WhatsApp.

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