WhatsApp is testing a new “Offers & Updates” folder that will automatically move messages from large businesses — such as banks and airlines — out of users’ main chat inbox, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. The feature was disclosed in July 2026 and is currently being piloted with select partners on WhatsApp’s Business Platform.
When a user receives a message from a large business, WhatsApp will automatically relocate it to the new folder after a set number of hours. Meta said it is testing different durations of up to 24 hours before messages are moved. Users can turn the setting off to keep business messages in their main timeline, though they cannot control the exact timing of when messages are automatically moved.
Meta said the goal is to reduce inbox clutter, so that messages like discount codes and delivery updates are separated from personal and group chats. For businesses, the folder gives users a dedicated place to find their communications rather than having them buried across all chats.
Small businesses and individual accounts using WhatsApp Business are currently exempt from the feature, though WhatsApp said it could explore extending the folder to small business messages in the future. The company plans to expand the test based on observations from its initial rollout.
The move is part of a broader effort by WhatsApp to manage business message volume. Since 2024, the platform has introduced opt-out tools for marketing messages, limits on broadcast messages, and restrictions on the number of messages businesses can send without receiving a user response.
The context matters for Meta’s bottom line: during its Q2 2026 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said other revenue in the family of apps segment crossed $1 billion, driven largely by WhatsApp paid messaging and subscriptions. WhatsApp also made its AI business agents available globally in June 2026, with more than one million businesses already using them — a factor that could increase the volume of automated business messages on the platform.
Source: TechCrunch