Glossary
What is an opt-out on WhatsApp and how should you handle it?
When a customer asks you to stop messaging them on WhatsApp: how to spot the request, what to change and why ignoring it hurts your account.
By Broadchat teamPublished 3 min read
Definition
Opt-out: An opt-out is a customer's request to stop receiving WhatsApp messages from a business. It can be a reply such as STOP, a tap on an opt-out button, a request to an agent or a choice in a preference form. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy requires businesses to honour opt-out requests, so the contact must be removed from future marketing sends and other unwanted messages.
Also called: Unsubscribe, STOP request, Withdrawal of consent
What counts as a WhatsApp opt-out
A WhatsApp opt-out is any clear sign that a person no longer wants your messages. It does not have to be one magic word. "STOP", "unsubscribe", "please don't send these" and "band karo" all mean the same thing. So does a tap on a quick-reply button labelled Stop promotions at the bottom of a marketing message. Treat each of them as an opt-out, even when the wording is informal or in Hindi.
An opt-out cancels the earlier opt-in for the kind of messages the person rejected. If someone says "no more offers" but still has an order on the way, you can keep sending updates about that order. When in doubt, ask once and respect the answer.
Worked example
Sunrise Clinic sends a monthly health-check offer to past patients. Arjun replies:
The front-desk agent marks Arjun as unsubscribed, adds a tag "opted-out-oct-2026" and replies once: "Done, Arjun. You won't get offers from Sunrise Clinic on WhatsApp any more." Arjun is still free to message the clinic later; if he books again, the clinic can reply inside the customer service window.
Why ignoring opt-outs is costly
- Policy: Meta's policy asks you to honour opt-out requests. Repeated messages to people who said stop are a policy problem.
- Blocks and reports: a person who already asked to stop is the most likely to block or report you next time. That lowers your quality rating.
- Wasted spend: every delivered template is charged by Meta (see WhatsApp API pricing). Sending to people who will not read it costs money and earns nothing.
Make opt-out easy. A footer line such as "Reply STOP to opt out" or a quick-reply button on marketing templates gives people a calm way to leave instead of the block button.
Opt-outs in Broadchat
Each contact in CRM → Contact has a subscribed or unsubscribed status, and the contact list can be filtered by it. Campaigns sent to all contacts from CRM → Bulk Campaign include only subscribed contacts. In a campaign's report you can filter replies that start with STOP (shown as Stop Notification), so you can find the people who asked to leave and update their status. Broadchat does not change the status for you on a STOP reply, so give someone on your team this job after each send. The broadcast campaigns page and the opt-in best practices cover the full consent cycle.
Sources
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy — WhatsApp, checked 12 October 2026
- Getting opt-in for WhatsApp — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I have to stop all messages after an opt-out?
Stop the kind of messages the person rejected, which is usually marketing. You may still answer when they write to you, and you can finish updates about an order they already placed. If the request is unclear, ask once.
Can a customer opt back in?
Yes. If the person later asks for offers again or ticks an opt-in box, record the new consent with its date and source and set the contact back to subscribed.
Should every template have an opt-out line?
It is good practice for marketing templates. Meta lets you add a footer of up to 60 characters or a quick-reply button, and both give people a polite way to leave instead of blocking you.