WhatsApp is changing the way businesses are charged for communicating with customers in India from October 1, 2026. The change applies to the WhatsApp Business Platform and could affect companies that use WhatsApp to send order updates, delivery notifications and customer-service messages.
What is changing?
Until now, businesses could send certain utility messages to customers without a separate charge when the customer-service conversation was active.
From October 1, Meta is introducing charges for utility messages delivered within the 24-hour customer-service window. In India, the reported rate for these messages is ₹0.115 per delivered message, excluding GST.
For example, if a company sends 1,000 chargeable utility messages, the basic messaging cost would be ₹115 before GST.
What about customer-service replies?
There is some relief for businesses. Each business phone number gets 1,000 free service replies per month.
After those 1,000 free replies are exhausted, additional service messages will be charged at the applicable rate.
This could be particularly relevant for businesses that handle a large number of customer queries through WhatsApp.
Will customers have to pay?
No.
The new pricing is a charge imposed on businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform. Regular WhatsApp users will not be charged simply for receiving a business message or contacting a company.
So, if an online store sends you an order confirmation or delivery update, you won't suddenly see a WhatsApp charge added to your bill.
What about normal WhatsApp users?
The change does not mean that WhatsApp itself has become a paid messaging service for ordinary users.
It specifically concerns the WhatsApp Business Platform used by companies and organisations to communicate with customers.
Why is this important for businesses?
For businesses that send thousands of automated messages every month, even a small per-message charge can increase communication costs.
Companies may therefore review how frequently they send order updates, customer-service notifications and other utility messages through WhatsApp.
Small businesses that use the regular WhatsApp Business app rather than the Business Platform should also check which service they are actually using before assuming the new charges apply to them.
What should customers know?
For ordinary WhatsApp users, there is no action required.
You can continue to:
- Message businesses on WhatsApp
- Receive customer-service replies
- Receive order and delivery updates
- Use WhatsApp normally with friends and family
The key change is on the business side: companies using Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform now need to account for the new messaging costs.
