WhatsApp may soon move business messages to separate 'Offers & Updates' folder
Washington, August 1
WhatsApp is testing a new feature designed to help users keep their main chat list organised by automatically moving messages from large businesses into a dedicated "Offers & Updates" folder after a set period of time.
According to a new report by GSM Arena, the messaging platform is addressing a common issue faced by users who receive multiple conversation threads from large businesses such as banks and airlines.
According to GSM Arena, these chats can quickly crowd the main inbox, making it harder to keep track of personal conversations.
The feature under testing will automatically move messages from large businesses into the new "Offers & Updates" folder after a predefined number of hours has passed since the messages were received.
WhatsApp is reportedly testing different durations for the feature, with time limits of up to 24 hours.
Users who do not want the feature will have the option to disable it through the app's settings. However, the report notes that users will not be able to choose their own preferred duration. Instead, they will either have to use the timing decided by Meta or turn the feature off completely.
The primary goal of the new folder is to keep promotional content, such as discount codes, along with delivery updates, out of the main chat list, creating a cleaner messaging experience.
For now, the feature applies only to messages from large businesses. Small businesses and personal accounts are currently exempt.
As per GSM Arena, the report adds that WhatsApp will explore extending the same functionality to messages from small businesses in the future.
The feature remains under testing, and there is no information yet on when it could be rolled out more widely.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good initiative, but why can't we choose our own timeframe? Some of us want to check business messages sooner than 24 hours. Being forced to either accept their timing or switch off completely is a bit restrictive, yaar.
Makes sense for banks and airlines, but I hope they don't start moving messages from my local grocery shop or the small businesses I regularly order from. Those are important to me, especially during festivals.
This is actually smart. My mother's WhatsApp is filled with promotional messages from every store she ever ordered from once. She keeps missing my messages because of that clutter. This will help her stay connected with family.
I have a mixed feeling about this. On one hand, it's useful. On the other hand, I sometimes miss important order confirmations or delivery updates from businesses because they end up in spam-like folders. Automation is good, but a manual option would have been better.
This is long overdue. In India, we get so many messages from big companies during sales like Diwali and Great Indian Festival. Keeping them separate will definitely make the app cleaner. Just hope they make the settings flexible soon.
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