WhatsApp broadcast list: how to create and send one on Android and iPhone, and why some people never get it

The short answer

A WhatsApp broadcast list is a saved group of contacts you can message together without them seeing each other. You create one in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app, add up to 256 contacts, and send a message that each person receives as a private chat from you. Replies come back to you one-to-one. It is free, it takes a few minutes, and it works only on phones: WhatsApp's help centre says broadcast lists are not supported on Windows, Mac or Web.

The catch that confuses most businesses: only people who have saved your number in their phone receive the broadcast. Anyone else on the list gets nothing, and the app does not warn you. This guide shows the exact steps on Android and iPhone, why messages go missing, and how to tell when you have outgrown broadcast lists. If you are comparing the app with the API in general, our WhatsApp Business app vs API article covers that decision.

Broadcast list, group or API broadcast?

WhatsApp itself says a broadcast list is one-to-many: if you want people to talk to each other, create a group instead. For a business that sends offers or updates, the broadcast list is almost always the better of the two app options, because customers' numbers stay private. The WhatsApp API broadcast entry in our glossary explains the API side in more detail.

Step 1: get customers to save your number

This step decides whether the broadcast works at all. A broadcast only reaches contacts who have your number in their phone's address book. WhatsApp's own advice, if someone is not receiving your broadcasts, is to ask them to add you to their contacts.

Practical ways to ask, without nagging:

• On the bill or packing slip: "Save +91 98765 43210 as Rangoli Home to get new arrivals on WhatsApp." (Sample number.)
• At the counter: a small standee with the number and the same line. Staff can ask, "Have you saved our number? Then you will get the sale message."
• In your greeting message: add one line asking new customers to save the number. Our guide to the WhatsApp Business auto reply has ready-to-copy greeting texts.

Asking also gives you a clear yes from the customer. Messaging people who never agreed to hear from you leads to blocks and reports, on the app as much as on the API; see WhatsApp opt-in best practices.

Step 2: create a broadcast list on Android

1. Open WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business and tap Chats.
2. Tap the More menu (three vertical dots) and choose Broadcast lists.
3. Tap the new-list button (the check mark icon in WhatsApp's help article).
4. Search for or select the contacts you want to add, up to 256.
5. Tap the check mark to create the list.

To edit it later, tap the list in Chats, open More, then Broadcast list info. From there you can Change broadcast list name, and add or remove people with Edit recipients. To delete it, choose Delete broadcast list on the same screen, then Delete.

Step 3: create a broadcast list on iPhone

1. Tap Settings or your profile picture.
2. Tap Broadcast messages, then New List.
3. Search for or select the contacts you want to add.
4. Tap Create.

To edit a list, go back to Broadcast messages and tap the i next to the list. In List Info you can rename it or tap Edit list to add or remove people. To delete a list, swipe left on it in Broadcast messages and tap Delete.

Step 4: write and send the message

Open the list and type the message like any other chat. Photos, videos and documents work too. Each recipient sees it as a normal message from you in their Chats tab, with no sign of who else received it. If they reply, the reply comes to you as a separate chat and nobody else on the list sees it.

Because there is no personalisation, write one message that works for everyone on that list. A good broadcast has one offer and one action:

The STOP line matters. Honour it the same day by removing that person from every list.

Step 5: manage lists as you grow

You can create as many broadcast lists as you like, so split by interest instead of keeping one big list. A Jaipur home-decor shop with about 900 saved customers (an illustrative figure) might keep four lists: bedsheets, curtains, gifting and wholesale buyers. Each list stays under 256 people, and each message is relevant to everyone on it, which means fewer people blocking you.

Add new customers to the right list on the day they buy, and once a month remove people who have not replied or bought in a long time. Keep the lists on the main business phone, because broadcast lists cannot be created or sent from WhatsApp Web or the desktop apps.

Why broadcast messages are not delivered

About the monthly limit: WhatsApp's help centre says people in some countries might see one, that it is rolling out gradually and may not be available everywhere, and that where it applies you can send up to 35 free broadcast messages a month. Check your own app rather than assuming it applies to you.

Some WhatsApp Business app users also see Business broadcasts (earlier called marketing messages) under Tools. That is a separate, paid feature in select countries: you pay per message delivered within five days, messages are reviewed by Meta, and you can add buttons such as Website or Phone call. If you see it, read WhatsApp's pricing in the app before sending.

When to move to API broadcasts

Broadcast lists suit a small shop that messages a few hundred loyal customers now and then. You have outgrown them when:

• Many customers never saved your number, so a large part of every send goes nowhere.
• You keep splitting people into 256-contact lists and sending the same message again and again.
• You want each message to carry the customer's name, order or due date.
• You need to know who received, read or replied, not just see ticks chat by chat.
• Several staff need to see the replies and answer from one shared inbox.

On the WhatsApp Business API, a broadcast goes to opted-in contacts whether or not they saved your number, using an approved message template with variables, and each delivered message is charged by Meta, for example ₹0.8631 per delivered marketing message to India (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026, excl. GST). How many people you can reach in a day depends on your business portfolio's messaging limit, starting at 250. Read how to send bulk WhatsApp messages without getting blocked before your first large send, and see the WhatsApp broadcast page for how scheduling, segments and reports work in Broadchat.

Planning the bigger picture? The WhatsApp marketing strategy guide for India puts broadcasts alongside opt-in lists, ads and follow-ups. Agencies that run broadcasts for several local businesses can offer the API version under their own brand through the white-label partner program.