WhatsApp opt-in and opt-out: a compliance guide

Compliance on WhatsApp isn't just legal box-ticking — it's what keeps your number healthy and your messages delivering. Two ideas sit at the centre: getting opt-in before you message, and honouring opt-out the moment someone asks to stop.

Opt-in: get permission first

Meta's policy requires that people have opted in to receive messages from your business. Opt-in can be collected many ways — a checkbox at checkout, a form, a keyword, a website widget — as long as it's clear the person is agreeing to hear from you on WhatsApp, specifically, and it names your business.

• Be explicit that messages will come via WhatsApp.
• Name your business so consent is informed.
• Keep a record of when and how each contact opted in.

Opt-out: make stopping easy

When someone wants out, stopping must be easy and immediate. Practically, that means recognising “STOP”-style replies, offering a clear way to unsubscribe, and — the part that matters — actually not messaging them again. Ignoring opt-out is the fastest way to complaints, blocks and a wrecked quality rating.

Why this protects you, not just the customer

WhatsApp's whole ranking of your number is reaction-based. Every block and report from an unwanted message pulls your quality rating down and can cut your daily messaging limit. Respecting consent isn't a tax on growth — it's what allows growth on this channel.

How walpio enforces it for you

walpio treats opt-out as a hard rule, not a suggestion. Mark a contact opted out and walpio blocks every send to them — direct messages and broadcasts alike — enforced on the server across all of your connected numbers, so it can't be bypassed by a stray line of code. You stay compliant by default.

This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Always follow Meta's current WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy and the laws of the markets you message.