The song was featured in the Pilot episode of the Freeform series "The Bold Type".
The lyrics were written by Teddy Park and Bekuh BOOM, and the music was composed by Teddy, Future Bounce, and Bekuh BOOM.
To promote the single, Black Pink performed "Whistle" on SBS's music program Inkigayo on August 14, 2016.
"Whistle" was released on August 8, 2016 at 8 p.m. KST as a digital single titled "Square One" along with "Boombayah" through various digital portals in South Korea and on iTunes for the global market.
On August 18, the dance practice for "Whistle" was released.