WhatsApp Business features in 2026: the complete list, how to use each one well, and what the app still cannot do

This is the full feature list for the free WhatsApp Business app, written for owners who want to get more out of it before paying for anything. Every feature was checked against WhatsApp's own help center in October 2026, and each comes with one line on how to use it well.

By Ritchie, ReplyKit · Published 15 October 2026 · 10 min read

What features does WhatsApp Business have?

Here is every feature we could verify on WhatsApp's help center and business site, with what it costs. "Limited" means WhatsApp says it is rolling out or only available in some countries.

Comparing with regular WhatsApp? Our WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business guide puts them side by side and shows how to switch.

Profile and trust features

These features make a stranger confident enough to send the first message.

• Business profile. Customers see your name, description, address, hours and category, plus the month and year you joined the Business app. Use it well: fill in hours first, because the away message's "outside business hours" option and the default quick replies both depend on it. Our profile guide has description examples.
• Linked Facebook Page or Instagram. Recent posts can show on your profile where available. Use it well: link the account you post on most, so the profile never looks abandoned.
• Meta Verified for Business. A subscription, where available, with a verified badge, impersonation protection, in-app support, verified channels, a business web page and more linked devices. Plans run from Business Standard (four devices) to Business Max (10 devices), and the higher tiers include business broadcasts. Use it well: worth it if people impersonate your brand; most small local businesses can skip it.

Selling features

• Catalog. Each item needs a unique title, at least one image and a country of origin, and can carry a price (in some countries), sale price, description, link and product code. Use it well: add the ten things people ask about most, with prices, before you add everything. More in our catalog guide.
• Collections. Groups of catalog items. Use it well: one collection per question you hear, such as "Under $50" or "Wedding packages".
• Cart. Customers browse your catalog, add items, change quantities and send the cart to you as a message. Use it well: reply to a cart within minutes; it is the warmest message you will get all day.
• Short links and QR code. A link and QR code that open a chat with you, with a default message you can edit. Use it well: set a different default message per placement, so you know which poster or page the chat came from.

Replying and organizing features

• Quick replies. Up to 50 saved messages, including images and video, inserted by typing "/". The app also builds default replies from your profile, such as your hours and address. Use it well: keep a copy outside WhatsApp; the help center says a deleted quick reply cannot be recovered.
• Greeting message. Sent automatically when someone messages you for the first time, or after 14 days of no contact, to everyone or to chosen groups. Use it well: ask one question that moves things forward ("What date are you looking at?") instead of only saying hello. Templates are in our greeting message guide.
• Away message. Sent automatically always, on a custom schedule, or outside your business hours. Use it well: say exactly when you will reply and what to send now, so the morning starts with complete enquiries.
• Labels (becoming lists). Up to 20 colored labels you add to chats, which WhatsApp is gradually renaming lists. Use it well: make them a pipeline (New, Quoted, Booked, Paid) rather than a pile of topics. Our quick replies and labels guide has a ready set.

Note that greeting and away messages both need the phone to have an internet connection, according to WhatsApp, and both are switched off if you turn on Meta Business Agent.

Team and device features

• Linked devices. Use the account on the web, desktop and other devices, up to four at a time plus the phone. Linked devices keep working with the phone offline but log out if the phone is unused for over 14 days, and broadcast lists cannot be created on them. Use it well: name each device after the person using it, and check the list monthly.
• Multi-agent. With a Meta Verified or Meta One subscription that includes it, up to 10 devices, chats assigned to agents, and a record of which agent sent each message; customers do not see who replied. Use it well: only worth paying for when two or more people answer at the same time every day.

Marketing features

• Channels. A one-way broadcast to followers. Followers react and vote in polls but cannot reply, and they do not see your number. Channel insights show reach and follows over 30 days. Use it well: post what regulars want (new stock, open slots) and link the channel from your profile.
• Marketing messages (business broadcasts). Send one message to many customers, paid for each message delivered within five days, priced by the recipient's country. Available in limited countries. Use it well: send only to people who opted in, and give them an easy way to stop.
• Ads from the app. On the web version, create Facebook or Instagram ads that open a WhatsApp chat, set the budget, duration and audience; ad review usually takes up to 24 hours. Use it well: have your away message and quick replies ready before the ad starts, because ad clicks arrive in bursts.
• Ads in Status and Channels. WhatsApp says these are rolling out gradually. Use it well: treat as a test budget until results are proven for your category.

What are the new WhatsApp Business features in 2026?

The new features this year are about AI. Both are limited by country and language, so check the app on your own phone.

• Meta Business Agent. Announced by Meta on 3 June 2026 for businesses of all sizes, after a May 2026 rollout for small businesses in India. In the Business app it answers questions about your hours and location, products, pricing, discounts, payment and shipping, recommends products, and notifies you when a customer needs you. It learns from your catalog, profile and website. WhatsApp's help center notes that turning it on disables greeting and away messages, disconnects linked devices until you re-link them, and that messages in chats where it is on are used to improve AI at Meta. Meta says activation is free for now, with paid options to come. Use it well: fill the catalog and profile completely first, because that is what it answers from. More in our Meta Business Agent explainer.
• Meta AI business assistant. An AI helper for you, the owner, in the app's search bar. WhatsApp lists support for English, Arabic, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese, in limited countries. Use it well: use it to draft replies and catalog descriptions, then edit them yourself.

What can WhatsApp Business not do?

Without AI, the app saves typing but does not answer. These are the gaps owners hit most often:

Where does an AI agent fill the gap?

An AI agent sits on top of your WhatsApp number and does the part the app leaves to you: reading each question, finding the answer in your own information, and replying in seconds, at 2am as well as 2pm. A good one also knows when to stop and pass the chat to a person.

Your options are Meta Business Agent where it is available, an official API platform with an AI add-on, or a QR-paired agent that links to your existing number, which is unofficial and can get a number restricted. The trade-offs, especially the account risk of unofficial pairing, are in our Business app vs AI agent comparison.

Where ReplyKit fits

We make ReplyKit, so weigh this accordingly. ReplyKit answers WhatsApp and website chat from your own content (your website, PDFs, price lists and a product catalog CSV), and when it does not know, it says so and passes the chat to you instead of guessing. It offers real open slots and books them in the chat, captures name, need, budget and timing, scores leads hot, warm or cold, and puts every chat in one inbox. Voice notes and photos are understood on every plan.

It connects to your WhatsApp Business number through Quick Connect, a QR scan that takes about two minutes. That route is unofficial: it is not the WhatsApp Business API, Meta does not sanction it, and a number can be restricted. Read will WhatsApp ban my number? before you connect, and use a dedicated number. Your greeting, away messages, catalog and labels keep working in the app.

Not the right choice if you need broadcasts, a green tick or Shopify order notifications (use the official API), or if Meta Business Agent is available to you and answers your customers well enough. Plans are $29, $49 and $99 a month with AI replies included; try it free for 7 days.

Frequently asked questions

ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. WhatsApp features and availability were checked in October 2026 and differ by country; third-party prices were checked October 2026 and may change.