Opt-out

Mechanism by which the customer cancels receiving commercial messages — mandatory by law and WhatsApp's own policy.

Opt-out is the mechanism by which the customer unsubscribes from receiving commercial messages. It is mandatory by law (LGPD in Brazil, GDPR in Europe) and by WhatsApp's own policy. All mass communication needs to offer a clear and easy opt-out.

How to offer opt-out on WhatsApp

Keyword — "To stop receiving, reply EXIT" (or STOP, CANCEL).
Link — "To unsubscribe, click here: [link]" (ideal for opt-out by category).
Button — available in approved template messages via API.
Auto Reply — "OK! You will no longer receive commercial messages from our company."

Good practices

Comply immediately — register opt-out and stop sending messages within 24 hours.
Honor opt-out by category — if the customer has withdrawn from promotions, they can still receive operational communication (order confirmation).
Do not ask for double confirmation — opt-out has to be instantaneous, without “are you sure?”.
Keep history — record of when, how and why the customer left.

Consequences of ignoring opt-out

LGPD Fine — up to 2% of revenue (limited to R$50 million).
Reports — customer blocks the number and marks it as spam. WhatsApp ban algorithm.
Reputation — customers tell others, social networks amplify.

Opt-out in practice with Zapext

Configure automatic tag: when the customer sends "QUIT", "STOP" or "CANCEL", Zapext automatically applies the "opt-out" tag and removes this contact from future message sending. No manual action from the team.

See also: opt-in and sending LGPD-compliant messages.