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Guide · WhatsApp Business app · For the owner sending updates to many customers

Business broadcasts on the WhatsApp Business app: sending one message to many customers as private chats, and what Meta says it does

The WhatsApp Business app has a tool for sending one update to many customers at once, each arriving as a private one-to-one chat. Meta calls it business broadcasts. This guide covers what Meta says it does, how to send one, and what to read afterwards.

Published 7 October 2026

What business broadcasts are

Meta describes business broadcasts as private one-to-one messages sent to many people at once, from inside the WhatsApp Business app. Each customer receives the message in their own chat with the business; it is not a group.

Who it reaches
Meta says a business broadcast reaches customers even if they have not saved the business's number, which it presents as the fix for the main problem with older broadcast lists.
Who it goes to
A custom audience the business picks, or one of the ready-made options. Meta's examples are customers who recently contacted the business and customers tagged with a label.
What the message can carry
Buttons to book, order or call, so the customer can act in one tap.
When it goes
Straight away, or scheduled for a later time without the owner needing to be there.

Sending one, and what it costs

  1. Get the contacts ready. Meta says to make sure the list is up to date and relevant to the message before sending.
  2. Open Tools, then business broadcasts in the WhatsApp Business app.
  3. Choose the contacts the message is for.
  4. Write the message and add buttons for the next step, such as booking or ordering.
  5. Send it now or schedule it for when customers are most likely to notice.
  6. Review the results once it has gone out.

WhatsApp's Help Center fills in the detail. Broadcasts are sent only from the WhatsApp Business app. A broadcast can carry an image, a video or a document, and one action button:

Catalog
Opens one item from the catalog, or the whole catalog.
Custom reply
Sends the business a reply the owner wrote in advance, with one tap.
Phone call
Calls the business's number.
Website
Opens a website the owner chooses.

Meta reviews each broadcast before it is sent, to keep WhatsApp users safe, and says it cannot see the messages once they are in customers' chats. Broadcasts are charged: the business pays only for messages delivered within five days of sending. Charges add up and are billed once the balance passes a set amount or on the billing date. With prepaid funds, the business pays for every chosen recipient up front and is credited back for any message not delivered. The price depends on each recipient's country code, Meta keeps rate cards in currencies including UAE dirhams and Saudi riyals, and the app shows the total cost and estimated tax before checkout.

Reading the results

Meta lists three numbers for each broadcast: the read rate, the replied rate and message engagement. Its advice is to compare broadcasts, see which ones customers interact with most, and use that to improve the next one.

The Help Center adds that each broadcast shows the date it went out and how many were delivered, read and replied to, and that some of these numbers may be estimates. Read numbers leave out customers who have turned off read receipts. A broadcast that has gone out cannot be taken back: editing makes a copy, and deleting it does not remove it from the chats of people who already received it.

Meta suggests starting with one simple use: an update about a holiday sale, an appointment reminder or a birthday greeting. It also says to keep messages relevant and respectful of each customer's messaging preferences. Asking permission before sending promotions is covered in the opt-in guide.

Not the same as a channel

A WhatsApp channel is a one-way feed that anyone can follow. A business broadcast goes to contacts the business chooses, and each one arrives as a private chat the customer can reply to. Channels are covered in the channels guide.

Where broadcasts sit next to the Platform

Business broadcasts are a tool in the WhatsApp Business app. Meta's September 2026 announcement of Meta One lists more business broadcast credits on WhatsApp among what its plans add; the Meta One guide covers the subscription. WhatsApp's Help Center adds that some businesses get extra broadcasts with Meta Verified, as a trial.

Our reading: a business that sends promotions through the WhatsApp Business Platform instead uses marketing templates, which Meta approves and charges per message. That route is explained in the marketing messages guide, and the difference between the app and the Platform in the app or Platform guide.

Questions

Do customers need to have saved our number to get a business broadcast?

No. Meta's page says business broadcasts reach customers even if they have not saved the business's number.

Can customers see who else received the message?

Meta describes each business broadcast as a private one-to-one message, so each customer sees it in their own chat with the business.

Can we schedule a broadcast for later?

Yes. Meta says a broadcast can be sent straight away or scheduled ahead of time.

Can we take back a business broadcast after sending it?

No. WhatsApp's Help Center says deleting a sent broadcast does not remove it from the chats of people who already received it, and editing it makes a new copy.

How do we know if a broadcast worked?

Each broadcast shows its read rate, replied rate and message engagement. Meta suggests comparing them to see what customers respond to.

What does a business broadcast cost?

WhatsApp's Help Center says the business pays for each message delivered within five days, priced by the country code of each recipient, and the app shows the total and estimated tax before checkout. Meta One and some Meta Verified accounts include extra broadcasts.

Sources

More plain-language notes like this one are on the guides page.

Want every chat in one place you own?

We set up a business's WhatsApp number on a system its team runs, so every customer conversation sits in one place the business owns. A short call is the easiest way to see how that would work for you.

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