Template Review & Rejections

Every new or edited WhatsApp message template is reviewed by Meta before it can be sent. Review takes up to 24 hours. Meta uses a mix of automated systems (machine learning) and manual review to check that the template follows WhatsApp's policies and quality standards. Templates with spam, scam-like content or policy violations are rejected.

If the template is approved, you can start sending it straight away. If it is rejected, you can see the reason, fix the template and resubmit it, or appeal if you think the decision is wrong. An appeal is also decided within 24 hours.

Template statuses during review#

When a decision is made, Meta shows a notification in WhatsApp Manager, emails your Meta Business Suite admins, and sends a message_template_status_update webhook.

After approval, a template's status can still change based on customer feedback (for example to Paused or Disabled). See Template Quality Rating & Pausing.

Common rejection reasons#

Problems with variables (parameters)#

Variables are the blanks such as {{1}} that you fill in when sending. Meta rejects templates when:

• a variable is missing curly brackets or has mismatched ones. The correct positional format is {{1}},
• a variable contains special characters such as #, $ or %,
• variables are not in sequence, for example {{1}}, {{2}}, {{5}}, {{4}},
• there are too many variables for the length of the message. Use fewer variables or write more text around them,
• the template starts or ends with a variable. Meta does not allow these "dangling" variables.

Content and policy violations#

• Breaking the WhatsApp Commerce Policy. When you sell goods or services, Meta treats everything about them (descriptions, prices, fees, taxes, legal disclosures) as a transaction, and transactions must follow the Commerce Policy.
• Asking for sensitive identifiers (WhatsApp Business Policy). Do not ask people for full payment card numbers, financial account numbers, national ID numbers or other sensitive identifiers, or for documents that might contain them. Asking for a partial identifier, such as the last 4 digits, is allowed.
• Abusive or threatening content. For example, threatening a customer with legal action or with public shaming.

Text length and format#

The body has character limits that differ by the template's format and tag, and the number of emojis in the body may also be limited. The general component limits are in Message Templates: Parts, Limits & Categories.

Duplicate wording#

If a template has the same body and footer wording as an existing template, it is rejected as a duplicate. Business Support Home shows the name and language of the existing template it matched. This check does not apply to Authentication templates.

Wrong category#

Meta checks the category you chose against the content. If Meta disagrees, the template is rejected with the reason INCORRECT_CATEGORY. There is one exception: since April 9, 2025, a template submitted as Utility that Meta decides is Marketing is approved as Marketing instead of being rejected.

Meta can also reject a template after it was approved. If a Marketing or Utility template should really be an Authentication template (for example, it sends one-time passcodes), you get advance notice. Its status then changes to Rejected on the first day of the following month, with the reason INCORRECT_CATEGORY.

Where to see why it was rejected#

• Business Support Home. Go to Account Overview, then View my accounts, then your business account, then your WhatsApp Business Account, then Rejected message templates. The notification includes the rejection reason.
• Email. Rejection details are also sent by email.
• Webhook. The message_template_status_update webhook has event set to REJECTED, with a reason, for example INCORRECT_CATEGORY.

How to fix a rejected template#

You have three options.

1. 1

   Edit and resubmit

   Fix the problem the rejection reason points to, such as a variable format, a policy issue or duplicate wording, and submit the template again. It goes back into review, which takes up to 24 hours.

2. 2

   Appeal the decision

   If you think the template follows the rules, appeal. An appeal must include a sample. In WhatsApp Manager: open Account tools (the suitcase icon), then Message templates. Select the right account in the top-right dropdown if you have several, then click the template. Edit its contents, click Add Sample, add sample variable values and images, then click Submit. A decision is made within 24 hours.

3. 3

   Create a new template

   You can also create a fresh template with different content, in WhatsApp Manager or through the API.

Rejected for the wrong category#

For an INCORRECT_CATEGORY rejection you can edit the category (or the content) and resubmit, create a new template, or request a category review:

• A review can only be requested in WhatsApp Manager. Open Message Templates in the sidebar, find the rejection banner and click Go to Business Support. Click Template Category Updates, select the templates and click Request Review.
• You can request a review for a Utility or Marketing template that is Rejected, or a Marketing template that is Approved.
• You have up to 60 days from the template's creation date, or 60 days from the date its category was changed.
• Templates under review are listed under Template category updates, on the In review tab. If the review is approved, the category is updated and the template moves to the Reversed tab. If it is not approved, the category stays the same and the template is on the Unchanged tab.

Templates that Meta will reject because they should be Authentication cannot be reviewed. Create a new Authentication template from Meta's template library instead, ideally before the old one is rejected.

Tips to get approved first time#

• Always add sample values. Every variable needs a sample (text or media), and samples help reviewers see what the real message will look like. In WhatsApp Manager, use the Add Sample button.
• Use clean, numbered variables ({{1}}, {{2}} in order) with real text before and after them.
• Match the category to the content. Anything promotional is Marketing. Utility must be a non-promotional update about something specific to the customer.
• Don't reuse the exact wording of a template you already have.

Technical detail#

• Check a template's status at any time: GET /<TEMPLATE_ID>?fields=status returns, for example, {"status": "APPROVED", "id": "..."}.
• Subscribe to the message_template_status_update webhook to be told when a template is approved, pending or rejected. For category rejections, event is REJECTED and reason is INCORRECT_CATEGORY.
• Category changes after approval arrive on the template_category_update webhook.
• Editing a template, or only its category, sends it through category validation and review again.
• Sending a template that is not approved fails. Error 132001 means the template does not exist in that language or has not been approved (see Error Handling & Codes).

Frequently asked#

Gotchas & common mistakes#