What is a WhatsApp broadcast list?
A WhatsApp broadcast list is a saved list of up to 256 contacts you can message at once. Each recipient gets your message as a normal one-to-one chat from you, and replies come back only to you. Only contacts who saved your number receive it, and you can create as many lists as you like.
That makes a broadcast different from a group. In a group, everyone sees every message and, usually, every member's number. In a broadcast, recipients don't know who else got the message and can't talk to each other. A WhatsApp broadcast message is simply the message you send to a list.
How to know if a message is a broadcast: you usually can't. Nothing in the chat labels it. A broadcast looks exactly like a personal message, so the only clues are wording written for many people and the lack of a personal greeting.
How to create a broadcast list on Android and iPhone
Broadcast lists live on your phone. You can't create or view them on WhatsApp Web, the Windows or Mac apps, or other linked devices.
On Android (WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business):
- Open the Chats tab.
- Tap More options (⋮) › Broadcast lists.
- Tap the new list button.
- Search for or select the contacts you want to add.
- Tap the checkmark to create the list.
On iPhone:
- Tap Settings or your profile picture.
- Tap Broadcast messages › New List.
- Select the contacts to include.
- Tap Create.
To send a broadcast message on WhatsApp, open the list and type as you would in any chat. Photos, videos and documents work too. Give each list a clear name, such as Customers, VIP or Wholesale, so you can find it later.
How to find (and search) your broadcast lists
Searching for a broadcast list is one of the most common WhatsApp frustrations, mostly because the menu has moved. Here is where lists live now:
- Android: in the Chats tab, tap More options (⋮) › Broadcast lists to see every list. A list you've already used also appears in your Chats tab like a conversation.
- iPhone: tap Settings or your profile picture › Broadcast messages. Older versions showed a Broadcast Lists link at the top of the Chats screen; current versions keep it in Settings.
- Monthly usage: where WhatsApp's broadcast limit has rolled out, Settings › Broadcasts shows it.
- Not on your computer: lists don't appear on WhatsApp Web or Desktop, so check your phone.
If a list seems to have vanished, make sure you're on your main phone and WhatsApp is up to date. Two Business app changes also affect lists: turning on Meta's AI agent can block broadcast lists, and connecting your number to an API platform in coexistence mode makes them read-only, as covered below.
How to edit or delete a broadcast list
Android: open the list from the Chats tab, then tap More options (⋮) › Broadcast list info. From there you can rename it (⋮ › Change broadcast list name), add or remove people with Edit recipients, or delete it with Delete broadcast list.
iPhone: go to Settings › Broadcast messages and tap the i next to a list to rename it, or tap Edit list to change recipients. To delete a list, swipe left on it and tap Delete.
Deleting a list doesn't unsend anything. Messages you already sent stay in each recipient's chat.
Broadcast list rules and limits
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| 256 contacts per list | Make as many lists as you like, but each one stops at 256. |
| Saved number required | Only people who saved your number receive the message. |
| One-to-one delivery | Recipients can't see each other, and replies come only to you. |
| Monthly cap in some countries | WhatsApp is rolling out a limit of up to 35 free broadcast messages per month. |
| Phone only | Not on WhatsApp Web, Desktop or linked devices. |
| No personalization | Everyone gets the same text. No names or variables. |
| No reporting | No open rate, click tracking or sales attribution. |
| Reports count against you | Recipients who block or report you hurt your account. |
The saved-number rule is the one that bites. If half your customers never saved your number, half your broadcast never arrives. The limits, including the new monthly cap, are covered in depth in our WhatsApp broadcast limit guide.
Broadcast lists in WhatsApp Business
A broadcast list in WhatsApp Business works exactly like the personal version: same 256-contact cap, same saved-number rule, same menus. There is no separate broadcast group in the Business app. What it adds, in some countries, is business broadcasts, previously called marketing messages:
- You find them under Tools › Business broadcasts.
- They reach customers who haven't saved your number.
- You can attach an image, video or document and add a button to open your catalog, send a pre-filled reply, call you or visit a website.
- You can send now or schedule for later, then see how many people received, read and replied.
- Meta reviews each broadcast, and you pay per delivered message once your free messages are used up.
If a broadcast list message didn't reach everyone, the app can turn it into a marketing message: open the list, tap the banner at the top, edit, then send or schedule it. The audience is set automatically to the customers who didn't receive the original.
WhatsApp's rules apply either way. You need customers' permission, you must honor opt-outs, and if enough people report or block your broadcasts, WhatsApp warns you, then suspends business broadcasts for three days, with longer suspensions if it keeps happening.
WhatsApp broadcast message examples
Broadcast lists can't insert names, so write messages that read well to everyone: lead with the news and end with one clear action. Here are eight examples of WhatsApp broadcast messages to adapt:
New arrival
Flash sale
Back in stock
Open appointment slots
Event invite
Holiday hours
Policy update
Thank-you and feedback
Add a line such as “Reply STOP to stop these messages” to promotional broadcasts. It costs a few characters and saves you blocks. For more copy, see our WhatsApp message templates.
When to move from broadcast lists to API broadcasts
Broadcast lists are fine for a few hundred loyal customers. The signs you've outgrown them:
- Your list is past a few hundred people and growing.
- Customers reach you from ads or your website but never save your number.
- You want names, order details or offers personalized per customer.
- You need to schedule sends, segment your audience or see what each message earned.
- More than one person answers the replies.
Broadcasts on the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) solve those problems, with a different set of rules:
| App broadcast list | API broadcast | |
|---|---|---|
| Reach per send | 256 per list | Your messaging limit: 250 to unlimited people per 24 hours |
| Saved number needed | Yes | No |
| Consent tracking | None | Opt-in required; good platforms record it |
| Format | Free text | Meta-approved templates with variables and buttons |
| Scheduling | No | Yes |
| Reporting | None | Sent, delivered, read and replies |
| Cost | Free, within any monthly cap | Meta's per-message fee plus software |
Two things to know before you switch. Meta's documentation says marketing templates currently aren't delivered to US phone numbers. And if you connect your WhatsApp Business app number to an API platform in coexistence mode, Meta disables broadcast lists on that number: you can't create new ones and existing lists become read-only. Your broadcasts move to the platform instead.
Recoverly's WhatsApp broadcast campaigns send approved templates to opted-in contacts from your own number, schedule by date and time, go out in measured waves and report sent, delivered and read. They're part of the Lite plan at $19 a month with no message caps, and Meta's fees are billed at cost.