WhatsApp, the popular messaging platform, has reached over 200 million monthly users, with many businesses utilizing the platform to send messages to customers. However, this has led to concerns about spam, with users previously having only two options: receive all messages or block the business account altogether.

To address this issue, WhatsApp is now testing a new feature that enables users to provide feedback on the type of messages they want to receive from businesses. This includes buttons such as "interested/not interested" and "stop/resume" for specific categories of messages, giving users more control over the content they receive.

The feature is expected to be rolled out globally, with users able to indicate their preferences for receiving messages from businesses, such as marketing offers, utility updates, or authentication codes. This move is seen as a step towards reducing spam and improving the overall user experience on the platform.

According to Nikila Srinivasan, VP of product management for messaging monetization at Meta, educating businesses on what constitutes spam and providing users with more granular controls will help reduce unwanted messages. The company has also been restricting the number of marketing messages a person can receive in a day, although the exact limit has not been disclosed.

The introduction of this feature is significant for the tech and startup community, as it highlights WhatsApp's efforts to balance its revenue growth with user experience. With the WhatsApp Business platform being a key driver of revenue for the company, finding a balance between monetization and user satisfaction is crucial for its continued success.