Help Article | About chatting with businesses

• Official business account: WhatsApp has determined that a notable and authentic brand owns this account. An "Official business account" has a green checkmark badge in its profile and next to the header in the chat thread. The name of the business is visible even if you haven't added the business to your address book.
• Business account: This is the default status for a business that creates an account on one of the WhatsApp Business products.

• Use a partner: You’ll see “This business works with other companies to manage this chat.”
• Use Facebook’s Hosting Services: You’ll see “This business uses a secure service from the Facebook company to manage this chat.”

If a business is managing their chats by themselves, you’ll see: “Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted. No one outside of this chat, not even WhatsApp, can read or listen to them.”

Even if a business chooses to use Facebook to host their messages, Facebook will not automatically use your messages to inform the ads that you see. Just like with any other communication channel, like call centers or email, businesses are able to use interactions with customers for their own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook or elsewhere. You can always contact a business to learn more about its privacy practices.

If you don’t want to receive messages from a business, you can block them directly from the chat, or delete them from your contact list.

• Download the WhatsApp Business app on Android | iPhone
• About opting-in to business chats
• How to block or unblock a business: Android | iPhone
• How to block and report contacts: Android | iPhone | KaiOS

WhatsApp Features

TEXTS

Simple, Reliable Messaging

Message your friends and family for free*. WhatsApp uses your phone's Internet connection to send messages so you can avoid SMS fees

GROUP CHAT

Groups to keep in touch

Keep in touch with the groups of people that matter the most, like your family or coworkers. With group chats, you can share messages, photos, and videos with up to 256 people at once. You can also name your group, mute or customize notifications, and more.

WHATSAPP ON WEB AND DESKTOP

Keep the Conversation Going

With WhatsApp on the web and desktop, you can seamlessly sync all of your chats to your computer so that you can chat on whatever device is most convenient for you. Download the desktop app or visit web.whatsapp.com to get started

WHATSAPP VOICE AND VIDEO CALLS

Speak Freely

With voice calls, you can talk to your friends and family for free*, even if they're in another country. And with free* video calls, you can have face-to-face conversations for when voice or text just isn't enough. WhatsApp voice and video calls use your phone's Internet connection, instead of your cell plan's voice minutes, so you don't have to worry about expensive calling charges.

* Data charges may apply. Contact your provider for details.

END-TO-END ENCRYPTION

Security by Default

Some of your most personal moments are shared on WhatsApp, which is why we built end-to-end encryption into the latest versions of our app. When end-to-end encrypted, your messages and calls are secured so only you and the person you're communicating with can read or listen to them, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp.

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

Share Moments that Matter

Send photos and videos on WhatsApp instantly. You can even capture the moments that matter to you most with a built-in camera. With WhatsApp, photos and videos send quickly even if you're on a slow connection.

DOCUMENTS

Document Sharing Made Easy

Send PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, slideshows and more, without the hassle of email or file sharing apps. You can send documents up to 100 MB, so it's easy to get what you need over to who you want.

VOICE MESSAGES

Say What's On Your Mind

Sometimes, your voice says it all. With just one tap you can record a Voice Message, perfect for a quick hello or a longer story.