WhatsApp is no stranger to spam. It’s an issue that has plagued Meta’s messaging service for years now, and it may have finally found a novel idea on how to ‘fix’ it. First reported by TechCrunch, Meta is currently investigating a hidden message cap that could automatically block another contact for sending too many messages without ever receiving a reply. That’s assuming the user in question hasn’t already blocked them.
WhatsApp is eating the spam
Of course, it’s almost impossible to root out spam messages entirely as the app opens itself up to larger groupchats, communities, and business messages — likely filled with users not saved as a personal contact. But a hidden limit that could take notice of when the recipient isn’t responding before halting the messages could work.
At the moment, WhatsApp is busying itself trying to find the perfect sweet spot to implement what would work for a monthly cap. It’s aiming for a number low enough to weed out the spammers that can’t take a hint, but still high enough that it won’t accidentally affect personal contacts. Meta reckons this is unlikely for the average user.
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When an individual or business is close to hitting that cap, they’ll be greeted with a pop-up warning them that they’re about to be blocked. This feels slightly counterintuitive, as it allows spammers to take advantage of the cap by sending just enough messages before going dormant until the next month kicks off, and the cap is reset.
The cap could also be reset by the recipient actually replying to the messages, which would notify the system that the messages aren’t technically ‘spam’. TechCrunch reports that the messenger is looking to begin testing the feature in multiple countries over the coming weeks, though which countries are involved wasn’t mentioned.
