Overview
The opt-out list belongs to the whole account. A contact on it receives no campaign at all, of any category (marketing, utility or authentication) and on any channel (official WhatsApp or WhatsApp Web, SMS and API).
A contact joins the list in three ways:
- by sending exactly one of the opt-out keywords, such as "stop" or "unsubscribe";
- by tapping a template quick-reply button whose text is one of those keywords, for example "Pause messages";
- by being added by an administrator on the opt-out screen.
This list is different from WhatsApp's own "Stop promotions", which the customer turns on inside the app. That one only covers marketing and only the number they stopped, and the platform already honors it on its own. The two protections work together.
Prerequisites
- Administrator access to view the list, add or remove contacts and change the settings.
- For the button to work, the template needs a quick-reply button whose text is the opt-out keyword.
Step by step
View the list
- Open Campaigns → Opt-outs.
- Search by name, phone or email.
- Each row shows how the contact joined, since when, the keyword they sent and the link to the conversation.
Set up the keywords and the confirmation
- Click Opt-out settings.
- Review the opt-out keywords, one per line. Accents, uppercase letters, emojis and punctuation at the edges are ignored: "⏸️ Pause messages" counts as "pause messages".
- Optional: set keywords to receive campaigns again.
- Optional: turn on Send a confirmation to the contact and write the text in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
- Click Save settings.
Add or remove a contact
- Add contact: choose the contact, write a note (for example "asked by phone") and confirm.
- Remove from list: click Remove from list on the contact's row and confirm. Only do this when the contact asks to receive campaigns again.
Settings & options
| Option | Default | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Recognize opt-out keywords | on | When off, only administrators add contacts. |
| Opt-out keywords | parar, sair, pausar mensagens, descadastrar, stop, unsubscribe, baja | The whole message must equal the keyword. |
| Keywords to receive campaigns again | empty | They take the contact off the list. |
| Send a confirmation to the contact | off | Turn it on only if no flow or bot already answers the button. |
Use cases
- "Pause messages" button on the template: the customer's tap now really opts them out, instead of only becoming a text message in the conversation.
- Request by phone or email: the administrator adds the contact with a note.
- Data protection audit: the history shows when and how each contact joined or left the list.
Tips, limits & best practices
- Matching is exact: "I don't want to stop now" opts nobody out; only "stop" on its own does.
- Prefer short, unambiguous keywords. Avoid words common in a conversation, such as "ok" or "no".
- If a flow already answers the opt-out button, leave the confirmation off so the contact does not get two answers.
- The audience preview shows how many contacts were left out because they are on the list.
- Known limitation: the list lives in the contact's consent history. If a contact's data is erased under a data protection request, their place on the list is erased with it. A contact created again later receives campaigns until they opt out again.
Troubleshooting
- The contact tapped the button and did not join the list: check that the button text is among the opt-out keywords and that the recognition is on.
- The contact received two answers: turn off Send a confirmation to the contact or the flow that answers the button.
- A contact taken off the list still receives nothing: check whether they stopped promotions inside WhatsApp. That block belongs to the customer and applies to marketing campaigns.