WhatsApp Broadcast Limits 2026: Send Bulk Messages Safely

In the WhatsApp Business app, a broadcast list holds up to 256 contacts, and only people who saved your number receive the message. WhatsApp has also started testing monthly caps on app broadcasts and on messages to people who haven’t replied, without publishing a single fixed number.

On the WhatsApp Business API, there is no list size: you can send approved templates to any opted-in contact, up to your messaging limit, which starts at 250 unique people per 24 hours and rises automatically to unlimited. This guide explains both, and how to send in bulk without risking your number.

WhatsApp broadcast limits in 2026: the short answer

Broadcast lists in the WhatsApp Business app

A broadcast list sends the same message to up to 256 contacts at once, and each person receives it as a normal one-to-one chat. Only people who saved your number in their phone receive it, and broadcast lists aren’t available on WhatsApp Desktop or Web.

New in the app: business broadcasts and monthly caps

WhatsApp has introduced paid business broadcasts in the Business app in a limited set of countries; WhatsApp tells businesses to send them only to people who opted in, and a spam report can suspend broadcasts for three days without appeal. These aren’t available on the API.

WhatsApp has also announced tests of a monthly cap on broadcasts in the app and, in October 2025, a monthly cap on messages sent to people who haven’t replied. The exact numbers haven’t been published by WhatsApp, so treat any specific figure you see online with caution.

Broadcast vs group vs community vs channel

• Broadcast list (app): one-to-many, replies come back privately. Good for small, loyal lists.
• Group: everyone sees everyone’s messages and numbers. Good for small teams or communities, not for customers who don’t know each other.
• Community: groups organised under one umbrella with an announcement group.
• Channel: one-way updates to followers who chose to follow you; you can’t message them individually.
• API campaign: one-to-many templates to opted-in contacts, each delivered privately, with reporting and automation.

Note that the WhatsApp Groups API for businesses is only for Official Business Accounts and limited to 8 participants, so it isn’t a broadcast tool.

Sending in bulk through the WhatsApp Business API

Messaging limits

Your messaging limit caps how many unique people your business portfolio can send templates to in a rolling 24 hours. New portfolios start at 250. You reach 2,000 through business verification or by delivering 2,000 high-quality templates in 30 days, and then limits rise automatically to 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited when you use at least half your limit over seven days with high quality.

Portfolio and template pacing

Since December 2025, portfolios that sent fewer than 500,000 templates in the past year have large campaigns released in batches (portfolio pacing), so WhatsApp can watch early feedback. New or non-Green templates may be paced too.

Per-user marketing caps

WhatsApp limits how many marketing templates each person receives, based on how they engage. A send blocked by this cap returns error 131049; wait at least 24 hours before trying that person again. Marketing messages sent inside a window opened by the person’s reply don’t count.

Rate limits

A number sends up to 80 messages per second by default, and you can send one message every six seconds to the same person (error 131056 if you go faster).

Why numbers get restricted

When people block or report your messages, your quality rating drops. WhatsApp’s enforcement escalates from a warning, to a 1–3 day block on templates, to 5, 7 or 30-day blocks on all messages, to an account lock and finally permanent removal; severe abuse can mean immediate offboarding. Unauthorised third-party tools and unsolicited bulk messaging are prohibited.

10-point checklist for safe bulk sending

1. Send only to contacts who opted in, and keep a record.
2. Use the official API through a platform, never a browser extension or bulk-sender hack.
3. Verify your business to raise your limit.
4. Segment: send each campaign only to the people it’s for.
5. Start smaller and grow: limits rise with high quality, not with volume alone.
6. Personalise with names and relevant details.
7. Add a clear “Stop promotions” button and honour opt-outs.
8. Send at reasonable hours.
9. Watch read rates, replies and blocks after every campaign.
10. Pause or rewrite templates that get low quality ratings.

Running a compliant campaign in Automate AI

In Automate AI Marketing, you choose an approved template, pick an audience (all contacts, by tags, filtered by group, status, date or country, or a pasted list), send now or schedule, and watch sent, delivered, read and failed counts live. You can resend to failed numbers and retarget by delivery status.