A WhatsApp broadcast sends one message to many people at once, with each copy arriving as a normal private chat. Recipients do not see each other, replies come back to you individually, and nothing marks the message as bulk. Done right, it is the highest-open-rate announcement channel a small business has.
It also has sharp edges: a hard recipient limit, a delivery rule that silently drops most lists, and real ban risk when it is used as a spam cannon. This guide covers all of it, from the built-in broadcast lists to what businesses use when they outgrow them.
How a broadcast list works
A broadcast list is a saved set of recipients. When you send to the list, WhatsApp delivers a separate one-to-one message to each person. It behaves like BCC in email: private, individual, no shared thread. A group, by contrast, is one shared room where everyone sees everyone.
Replies to a broadcast arrive as ordinary private chats. The recipient cannot tell whether the message came from a list or was typed just for them, which is exactly why broadcasts feel personal when the content is.
How to create and send a broadcast
- 1
Open broadcast lists
On Android: three-dot menu, New broadcast. On iPhone: Broadcast Lists at the top of Chats, then New List. The WhatsApp Business app works the same way.
- 2
Pick recipients
Select up to 256 contacts. Only people saved in your phone’s contacts can be added.
- 3
Send like any chat
The list appears in Chats. Anything you send there (text, images, documents, voice notes) goes out to every recipient as a private message.
- 4
Edit as you go
Open the list, tap its name, and add or remove recipients any time. The list is reusable; create several to segment customers.
Broadcast lists are created and managed on the phone. WhatsApp Web and linked desktop devices can continue conversations that replies open, but list creation itself lives in the mobile app.
The delivery rule that silently breaks broadcasts
A broadcast message is only delivered to recipients who have YOUR number saved in THEIR contacts. Anyone who never saved you simply does not get the message: no error on your side, no notice on theirs. This is WhatsApp’s built-in spam brake, and it is the number one reason "my broadcast didn’t arrive".
So a broadcast list is only as good as the habit behind it: ask customers to save your number (a QR code on the counter or a wa.me link makes that a one-tap action), and expect silent non-delivery for everyone who has not.
Related: WhatsApp QR codes and linked devices · How to send links on WhatsApp
Broadcast vs group: which one you actually want
- Privacy: broadcast recipients never see each other; group members all see each other’s numbers and messages.
- Replies: broadcast replies are private 1:1 chats; group replies are public to the room.
- Size: broadcast lists cap at 256 recipients each; groups scale far larger.
- Tone: broadcasts read as personal messages; groups are a community space with its own dynamics and moderation load.
- Rule of thumb: announcements to customers = broadcast (or several lists). Discussion among people who know each other = group.
Broadcasting as a business: app, API, or linked-device tools
The free WhatsApp Business app gives you the same 256-contact broadcast lists, plus labels and quick replies. For a shop announcing a sale to a few hundred regulars, that is often enough, managed by hand.
The WhatsApp Business API is the official large-scale lane: pre-approved template messages, per-message pricing, a separate dedicated number, and no requirement that recipients save you. It fits high-volume notification traffic, and it costs per conversation and requires an approval process.
In between sit linked-device tools such as Spun, which connect to your existing number the way WhatsApp Web does and add campaign sending on top: send announcements to lists you define, without recipients needing to save your number first, with sending deliberately paced to stay inside safe limits, on a flat monthly price instead of per-message fees. Replies land in a shared team inbox so the people answering see full history.
How to broadcast without getting banned
- Message people who expect to hear from you. Consent is the whole game: bought lists and cold blasts are what WhatsApp’s systems (and its report button) exist to punish.
- Keep frequency low. A weekly useful update survives; daily promotions train customers to block you, and blocks plus reports are the signals that restrict business numbers.
- Make content personal and useful. Broadcasts arrive as private messages; write them like one.
- Honor opt-outs instantly. "Reply STOP to stop" and actually removing people costs nothing and prevents reports.
- Pace bulk sending. Blasting hundreds of messages in seconds is classic bot behavior. Tools with built-in pacing exist precisely because no tool, on any lane, can promise immunity if you spam.