WhatsApp has begun testing a new feature designed to keep users’ main chat list free of promotional and transactional business messages, the company confirmed.
Under the new system, messages from large companies — including banks, airlines and retailers — will be automatically moved to a dedicated folder called ‘Offers and Updates’ after a set period of time, making the primary inbox less crowded and more organized.
According to Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, the feature is currently being trialled with different time intervals. In some cases, business messages will be shifted to the new folder after a few hours, while in other cases, the move will occur after 24 hours.
Users will have the option to turn the feature off completely, however, they will not be able to manually customize the time frame for when messages are moved.
The company clarified that the test is currently limited to select partners using the WhatsApp Business platform. Small businesses and individual WhatsApp Business accounts are not included in this initial phase.
Meta added that the scope of the feature could be expanded in the future depending on the results of the ongoing tests.
The move is seen as part of WhatsApp’s broader effort to balance business communication with personal chat experience, as business messaging continues to grow rapidly on the platform.
