WhatsApp Set To Start Charging Businesses For Customer Messages From October 1

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Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, is set to begin charging businesses for certain messages sent through the WhatsApp Business Platform from October 1, 2026, a move expected to affect Nigerian companies that rely heavily on the platform for customer service and transactional communications

The pricing change was disclosed by Meta in a WhatsApp Business Platform pricing update published in July 2026, in which the company announced that charges for certain service and utility messages would resume from October 1.

The new pricing structure applies specifically to businesses using the official WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, which is designed to enable companies to manage large volumes of customer conversations and automate communications.

Banks, fintech companies, e-commerce platforms, telecommunications operators, logistics companies and major retailers are among the businesses that could be affected by the new charges in Nigeria.

However, the development does not mean that ordinary Nigerians will be required to pay to send or receive WhatsApp messages.

It also does not generally affect small businesses that use the standard WhatsApp Business application on their mobile phones.

The charges are targeted at companies using the WhatsApp Business Platform to communicate with customers at scale.

Under the existing system, when a customer initiates a conversation with a business, a 24- hour customer service window is opened.

Within that period, businesses can respond using free-form service messages and certain utility messages without paying Meta for those messages.

That arrangement is set to change from October 1, when Meta will introduce per- message charges for service messages sent during the customer service window.

Meta, in its developer documentation,…