Meta Limit

WhatsApp’s New Per-user Messaging Limits

Discover how WhatsApp’s per-user message limits impact businesses worldwide. Improve user experience and interaction quality with XpressBot features.

This is valid for all businesses worldwide starting from May 23, 2024.

New Limits on template Messages on WhatsApp

Meta has set a policy to limit how many marketing messages users get over a period. Fewer messages at the start are less likely to be read. The limit applies to the total number of marketing messages a user receives from all businesses.

The limit only applies to new marketing conversations. If a marketing conversation is already open, you can send more marketing template messages without issue.

Why is WhatsApp implementing these per-user message limits?

WhatsApp is implementing limits to improve user experiences by ensuring timely and relevant marketing communications. These limits help avoid message overload, making interactions more meaningful and engaging, which reduces user fatigue and enhances interaction quality.

How do I recognize the failure?

If a marketing template message is not delivered to a user due to the limit, it will return a Message Undeliverable error code. Note that this error code covers a wide range of issues that can result in non-delivery. For privacy reasons, Meta does not disclose if the message was not delivered specifically due to the limit. See error code: 131026 in Error Messages for Cloud API and 1026 in Error Messages for Cloud API.

Here’s the Tip:

If you receive this error code and suspect it’s due to a limit, avoid resending the template message immediately, as this will likely cause another error. Instead, wait a bit longer each time you try sending it. The limit might change over time, so eventually, your message should get through.

What are the new WhatsApp per-user messaging limits?

WhatsApp is setting per-user marketing template message limits globally, after an initial pilot in India. These limits are based on the total number of marketing messages a user receives from all businesses, rather than from any individual business.

This global rollout begins 23 May 2024.

The exact number of messages users will be allowed to receive and in which time frame is not available to businesses, and may be further refined in the future.

What has the impact been in India?

Initial data from 360dialog during the rollout in India in February indicates that some businesses experienced a 30–50% decrease in marketing message delivery due to the new limits. However, this impact varies across industries and was influenced by audience quality and the relevance of the messages.

Why is WhatsApp implementing these per-user message limits?

WhatsApp is introducing these limits to enhance user experiences by ensuring that marketing communications are timely and relevant. These limits help prevent message overload, making interactions more meaningful and engaging, thus reducing user fatigue, and improving the quality of interactions.

How will these limits affect how I use WhatsApp for marketing?

With the new global per-user message limits, marketers are encouraged to prioritize quality over quantity, ensuring that each message is impactful and relevant. To broaden your reach, consider exploring alternative channels such as Meta advertising.

Leverage features like Click to WhatsApp (CTWA)  to directly engage users through ads, reaching those who may not have received your messages.

What happens if I send a message that exceeds the limit?

If you attempt to send a message to a user who has already reached their limit of number of marketing messages, this message won’t be delivered and you will receive a callback with an error code.

Resending the message immediately is not advised as it will trigger another error.

Instead, adjust your messaging strategy by revising your scheduling and campaign targeting to ensure compliance with these limits.

Can ongoing conversations continue without being affected by these limits?

Yes, these new limits primarily target marketing template messages intended to start new conversations. Messages within an existing marketing conversation with a WhatsApp user are exempt, allowing uninterrupted communication.

How should I prepare for these changes?

To effectively adapt to WhatsApp’s new messaging limits, consider taking the following steps:

Review Marketing Message Templates:

Assess your marketing message templates for greater impact and relevance. Tailor your content to better align with audience preferences within the new constraints. Prioritize sending specific templates for segmented audiences based on interest or previous interactions with your company instead of a single template to your whole contact list.

Audit Your Audience:

Review how your audience segments were opted in and analyze non-delivery reports. Clean up your lists by removing inactive or disengaged users to improve targeting efficiency and reduce wasted messages.

Check Message Template Classifications:

Carefully distinguish between marketing and utility messages in your templates. It’s crucial that utility messages strictly serve their intended purposes, such as notifications or confirmations, and are not misclassified as marketing communications. This differentiation helps to maintain compliance with WhatsApp’s new limits and makes sure that utility messages remain effective in their function without inadvertently impacting your marketing message quota.

Optimize Messaging Schedules:

Modify how often you send out marketing messages. Coordinate your messaging frequency with your strategic objectives to maintain high engagement levels without exceeding the new limits.

Pause Templates based on Read Rates:

Meta is introducing a new approach to template engagement by incorporating read rates as a pivotal metric in our quality rating system. Alongside traditional metrics like blocks and reports, read rates will now play a significant role in determining the quality of marketing message templates. 

This means that marketing message campaigns with low read rates may be temporarily paused, allowing businesses to refine and iterate on their templates for optimal engagement before scaling up their volume. 

These changes will commence on April 1, 2024, and will be rolled out globally.

What steps can we take to improve our message read rates?

Here are some strategies to improve your message read rates and increase your engagement with XpressBot:

1. Audience: Tailor your messages to specific user segments for more relevant communication.
2. Timing: To maximize chances of engagement with your templates, consider not sending on days when many businesses are competing for your customer’s attention, such as weekends or seasonal peaks.
3. Frequency of Messages: Monitor how many marketing conversations a customer receives per day and week to avoid overloading the customer.
4. Cooldowns: Give customers who have stopped engaging with your templates a break. Always include the option to opt out of marketing conversations on WhatsApp.
5. Opt-in: Opt-in before any business-initiated messaging is required, but additional opt-in for marketing content is a recommended best practice to avoid negative feedback.
6. Opt-out: Always include the option to opt out of marketing conversations on WhatsApp.
7. Relevance of the Message: Make sure the subject line or preview text clearly indicates the message’s relevance. Similarly, if previous interactions have been negative, this may discourage people from reading messages.
8. Optimize the first 60-65 characters: This is what people see first in their message preview on WhatsApp. Make it engaging, convey the main point, personalize it, and test different approaches to see what works best.

By leveraging XpressBot products and services, we provide comprehensive guidance to implement these strategies effectively. With our support, you can navigate WhatsApp’s evolving landscape while nurturing valuable connections with your audience.

FAQs Enhancing Template Engagement: Please read this for more detailed information below – 

Q: Will these changes be launched globally?

A: Yes, it will roll out globally on April 1, 2024.

Q: What are the new changes to the message quality rating system?

A: We have updated our system to include read rates as a key factor in determining the quality of marketing message templates. This is in addition to traditional metrics like blocks and reports. We may temporarily pause marketing message campaigns with low read rates, giving businesses time to iterate on the templates with the lowest engagement before scaling volume.

Q: Why are read rates being included in quality assessment?

A: Read rates are a crucial measure of user engagement and interest. They provide insight into the relevance and value of messages to people. Curbing low-quality messaging is expected to improve engagement metrics overall for the platform, such as read rates, and ultimately better return on investment for businesses.

Q: How does template pausing work today?

A: If a message template reaches the lowest quality rating (a status of Active – Low quality), it will automatically be paused for a period of time to protect the quality rating of phone numbers that have used the template. Pausing durations are as follows:

• 1st Instance: Paused for 3 hours
• 2nd Instance: Paused for 6 hours
• 3rd Instance: Disabled

While templates will unpause on their own after satisfying the pause duration, you may also unpause a template immediately by using WhatsApp Manager (unpause button) or by using the API (unpause endpoint). See the Message Template Guidelines developer documentation for more details.

Q: What are the charges for the Blocked Messages

A: No, businesses will not be charged for messages that are blocked due to these limits.

Q: What is the threshold for read rates that could lead to a template being paused?

A: We do not provide a specific threshold as it may vary over time depending on overall user engagement on the platform. However, most businesses with strong customer engagement maintain read rates of 65-80%.

Q: How can we track our message read rates?

A: Businesses can monitor message read rates in real time via a dedicated dashboard with message template metrics in WhatsApp Manager.

• From Overview in WhatsApp Manager, hover over the Account tools suitcase icon in the left sidebar.
• Select Message templates. The metrics are displayed in the table.
• Select any message template, then click the template Insights tab to see additional metrics, including “Messages Read”.

You also receive a read event webhook for each message (if the user has turned the “read receipts” setting on) via the messages webhook.

Q: How are we accommodating the timing of messages? 
For example, people may not check messages during work hours, which could result in low read rates.

A: Our system accounts for variations in user availability by analyzing read rate trends over an appropriate period, rather than solely relying on immediate response times. This ensures a fair and realistic assessment of message engagement.

Q: Will we receive any warnings when our templates are at risk of being paused from low read rates?

A: We will continue to provide notifications about changes in template quality, just as we do currently.

These notifications will be sent via webhooks and through the WA Manager when the status of a template changes from green (good quality) to yellow (medium quality/warning), or from yellow to red (low quality/template paused). 
Notifications about paused templates will:

• Be surfaced in the Business Manager Notifications Center
• Appear in the banner in WhatsApp Manager
• Be sent as an email to all admins set in the Business Manager
• Be sent as a webhook notification

Q: What information is available in the quality change webhook?

A: The values below will be available in the webhook, which are all self-explanatory.

• “previous_quality_score”
• “new_quality_score”
• “message_template_id”
• “message_template_name”
• “Message_template_language”

Q: What information will be included in the error codes and how can I ensure my business receives them?

A: Ensure you are on the latest versions of the API to receive error codes for paused templates as below:

Error codes on the On-Premises API

• Paused templates:
  • Error code: 2061
  • Message: Template status is PAUSED so cannot be sent.
• Disabled templates:
  • Error code: 2062
  • Message: Template status is DISABLED so cannot be sent
• Paused templates:
  • Message: Template is temporarily unavailable to use because it was paused due to low quality.
• Disabled templates:
  • Message: Template is permanently disabled due to consistent low quality and multiple pauses. It is no longer available to use.

While WhatsApp’s recent policy changes regarding marketing messages may seem daunting at first, they actually present a unique opportunity for businesses to evolve and enhance their engagement strategies. With XpressBot’s comprehensive range of innovative solutions, including our tailored WhatsApp products and services, you’re not only prepared to navigate these transitions effortlessly but also positioned to excel in today’s dynamic digital landscape.

Our suite of offerings, encompassing Campaign, Chatbot, Live Chat, Voice, and Call Center functionalities, empowers you to transcend the traditional one-way communication model of WhatsApp and provider Conversations. By infusing context, personalization, and expert guidance into your messaging approach, you can effectively overcome these challenges and cultivate robust connections with your audience.

Remember, the key to success lies in building an engagement channel that not only delivers relevant messages but also adds genuine value to your audience’s individual needs and preferences where you can trust XpressBot.