WhatsApp Tests New Folder to Separate Business Messages from Personal Chats

WhatsApp is testing a new feature that automatically separates promotional and business messages from personal conversations. The update introduces an “Offers and Updates” folder, designed to organize marketing communications from businesses while keeping users’ main chat list focused on personal interactions.

The feature reflects Meta’s broader strategy to improve the messaging experience while expanding the commercial capabilities of WhatsApp Business.

New Folder for Business Communications

Under the new system, messages sent by large businesses, including promotional offers, product updates and marketing campaigns, will move into a dedicated Offers and Updates folder instead of appearing alongside personal chats.

The goal is to reduce clutter in users’ primary inbox while making commercial messages easier to find when needed.

According to WhatsApp, the feature is still under testing, and the company is evaluating how long business messages should remain in the main chat list before being transferred. Current testing includes a timeframe of up to 24 hours.

Meta Continues to Expand WhatsApp Business

The announcement comes as Meta reported that revenue from its non-advertising products exceeded $1 billion during the second quarter of 2026. Much of that growth came from WhatsApp Business, which has become an increasingly important platform for companies to communicate with customers.

Meta also revealed that more than one million businesses now use artificial intelligence features within WhatsApp Business to automate customer interactions, improve support services and deliver personalized experiences.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp continues to grow as one of the world’s largest messaging platforms, serving more than three billion users globally.

Users Will Keep Control

WhatsApp says users will be able to disable the automatic sorting feature if they prefer to receive all messages in a single chat list.

Maintaining user choice remains an important part of the company’s approach, especially as business messaging becomes a larger part of the platform.

Part of a Broader Effort to Reduce Unwanted Messages

The new folder builds on several previous initiatives aimed at reducing unwanted business communications.

In 2024, WhatsApp introduced options allowing users to stop receiving promotional messages from businesses.

The platform also limited the number of broadcast messages that users can send simultaneously. Later, in October 2025, WhatsApp introduced additional restrictions on how many promotional messages businesses can send to customers who have not responded.

These measures seek to balance commercial communication with a user-friendly messaging experience.

What It Means for Users and Businesses

For individual users, the feature could create a cleaner messaging environment by separating conversations with family and friends from promotional content.

Businesses may also benefit because customers interested in offers and updates can find them more easily without overwhelming personal conversations. However, companies may need to adjust their communication strategies as promotional messages become less visible in users’ primary chat lists.

As digital messaging increasingly serves both personal and commercial purposes, features like the Offers and Updates folder demonstrate how messaging platforms are adapting to support business growth while protecting the overall user experience.