WhatsApp and artificial intelligence
Message template
A WhatsApp message template is a message with a fixed format and variable placeholders (a name, a time) that is registered and reviewed by Meta before use. It is the only thing that can be sent outside the 24-hour window, and each one belongs to a category: utility, marketing or authentication.
Also known astemplate · WhatsApp template · template message · HSM
What it is exactly
| Category | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Utility | Messages tied to something the person has done or asked for, or essential to them: the status of a fault, a parcel at the porters' lodge, a safety notice. They cannot be promotional. |
| Marketing | Anything promotional or with mixed content: an open day, an available place. Meta treats anything unclear as marketing. |
| Authentication | One-time codes to verify identity, with a button for the code and no links, images or emojis. |
A template is written once with its placeholders ("Hola {{1}}, te ha llegado un paquete a conserjería", hello, a parcel has arrived for you at the porters' lodge), sent for review and, if approved, can be sent even when the person's 24-hour window is closed. If it is rejected, it cannot be sent. The category also counts towards what Meta charges for each message, and Meta can change it after approval if the messages do not fit. It is a part of the WhatsApp Business Platform, not of the app.
Worth knowing
What people take for granted: that an approved template is valid for ever and for anything. If a service notice is used to promote something, Meta can move it to marketing. A residence is better off with a few clear templates tied to something specific, as in announcements or parcels.
Sources
Related terms
- WhatsApp Business PlatformThe WhatsApp Business Platform is Meta's platform for organisations to handle WhatsApp at scale from their own software, through the Cloud API, instead of by hand from the WhatsApp Business app on a phone. It comes with its own system of approved templates and sending rules.
- 24-hour windowThe 24-hour window, or customer service window, is the period that opens every time someone messages a WhatsApp Business Platform number: for 24 hours from their last message you can reply freely; once it closes, you can only write to them with an approved template.