New Delhi, Oct 19 : WhatsApp is planning a big change to stop spam and unwanted messages.

The messaging app is testing a new rule that limits how many messages users and businesses can send to people who are not in their contact list and do not reply.

This move is aimed at giving users a quieter and more organized inbox.

Over the years, WhatsApp has grown from a simple chat app into a large platform that includes communities, business accounts, and customer service channels.

But with this growth, the number of unwanted messages and promotions has also increased, frustrating many users.

According to a report by 'TechCrunch', WhatsApp is now testing a monthly limit on messages sent to people who don't respond.

Each message sent to a non-contact counts toward this limit. For example, if someone sends three messages to a person who doesn't reply, it will use up three of their allowed messages for that month.

The company has not revealed the exact message cap yet, saying it is still experimenting with different limits.

Users who come close to reaching the cap will likely receive a warning. Once they hit the limit, they might be temporarily stopped from messaging new contacts.

However, WhatsApp said that regular users who chat with friends and family normally won't be affected by this change.

This new feature is part of WhatsApp's broader effort to reduce spam, especially in India, where the app has more than 500 million users.

Over the past year, WhatsApp has introduced several anti-spam tools, including restrictions on marketing messages, unsubscribe options for business chats, and limits on broadcast messages.

Businesses that use WhatsApp to reach customers may now have to focus on building real connections instead of sending mass messages.

For ordinary users, this change is expected to bring a cleaner, more personal chat experience.

While it may not completely remove spam, WhatsApp's new message limit is a strong step toward restoring the app's original purpose -- helping people connect through private and personal conversations.

/IANS