ChatSyncs Help Center
Sign in
Browse guides

Templates

WhatsApp message templates: parts and limits, categories, review and rejection, quality rating and pausing, utility, authentication and marketing templates.

7 pages

  1. Message Templates: Parts, Limits & CategoriesWhat a WhatsApp message template is and why you need one: the only message a business can send outside the 24-hour customer service window. Covers the parts of a template (header, body, footer, buttons) and Meta's limits (header 60 characters, body 1024, footer 60, up to 10 buttons, button labels 25, 2 URL buttons, 1 phone button), variables like {{1}} or {{first_name}} with required sample values, the three categories (Marketing, Utility, Authentication), how Meta checks and re-categorises them (a Utility template that reads as promotional is approved as Marketing), how the category sets the price, and account limits (250 templates unverified, 6,000 verified, 100 created per hour).
  2. Template Review & RejectionsHow Meta reviews WhatsApp message templates, how long it takes (up to 24 hours) and why templates get rejected. Covers the template statuses (In Review / PENDING, Active / APPROVED, Rejected / REJECTED, Appeal Requested), the common rejection reasons (wrong {{1}} variable format, special characters like # $ % in variables, variables out of order, too many variables for the text length, starting or ending with a variable, Commerce Policy or Business Policy violations such as asking for full card or ID numbers, threatening content, duplicate wording of an existing template, wrong category with reason INCORRECT_CATEGORY), where to see the rejection reason (Business Support Home and email), and how to fix and resubmit, appeal (decision within 24 hours) or request a category review within 60 days.
  3. Template Quality Rating & PausingHow WhatsApp rates each message template's quality and why a template gets paused or disabled. Covers the quality ratings (GREEN / High, YELLOW / Medium, RED / Low, UNKNOWN / Quality pending) and what lowers them (negative feedback from multiple WhatsApp users, low read rates), automatic pausing when a template reaches Low quality (1st time paused 3 hours, 2nd time 6 hours, 3rd time disabled), error 132015 (paused) and 132016 (permanently disabled), template pacing (messages held_for_quality_assessment), whether paused sends are charged, the effect on the phone number, and how to recover: wait for the automatic unpause, unpause manually, edit the template, change targeting, or create a new template.
  4. Per-User Marketing Limit (Error 131049)Why some marketing template messages fail for some people with error 131049 ("This message was not delivered to maintain healthy ecosystem engagement"): WhatsApp caps how many marketing templates one person receives from all businesses, based on that person's recent marketing read rate and how busy their inbox is. Covers which messages count (every delivered marketing template; not marketing templates sent inside a 24-hour customer service window the person opened by replying), the retry rule (wait at least 24 hours; repeated retries within 24 hours can block that person for up to 24 hours), the status webhook with status failed and code 131049, how it differs from 131050 (person stopped your marketing), and that WhatsApp does not currently deliver marketing templates to US (+1) numbers.
  5. Utility Templates (Order Updates & Confirmations)What a WhatsApp utility template is and what you can send with one: order confirmations, shipping and delivery updates, refunds, account alerts, payment reminders, opt-in confirmations, feedback requests about a specific order, and messages continuing a conversation the user started elsewhere. A utility template must be non-promotional AND either specific to or requested by the user, or essential to them; any promo, upsell, discount, cart reminder or renewal push makes it marketing (since April 9, 2025 Meta approves it as MARKETING instead). Covers components (1 optional header, body up to 1024 characters, optional footer up to 60, up to 10 buttons), automatic re-categorization and misuse penalties, and pricing: charged per delivered message at the utility rate with monthly volume tiers; since October 1, 2026 utility templates sent inside the 24-hour customer service window are charged too (they were free from July 1, 2025); free only in a free entry point window.
  6. Authentication Templates (One-Time Passwords)How to send one-time passwords (OTP) and verification codes on WhatsApp with authentication templates, the only template category allowed for identity-verification codes. Covers the fixed text ("123456 is your verification code."), the optional security disclaimer and expiry warning (1-90 minutes), and the three delivery options: copy code button (works everywhere), one-tap autofill button (Android, needs a handshake from your app) and zero-tap (Android, code goes straight into your app); plus iOS 26+ keyboard suggestions that autofill numeric 3-8 digit codes. Rules: no URLs, media or emojis, code up to 15 characters, sent twice in the payload (body and button); default time-to-live 10 minutes, settable 30 seconds to 15 minutes; codes go only to the user's primary device; forwarding disabled.
  7. Marketing Template Types (Carousel, Coupon, Catalog & More)The kinds of WhatsApp marketing templates and what each one is for: custom marketing templates (header, body, footer, up to 10 buttons), coupon code templates (one copy code button, code up to 20 characters, not on WhatsApp Web), limited-time offer templates (countdown timer and expiry, offer text 16 characters, code 15, no footer, not on web or desktop), media card carousel (2-10 image or video cards, up to 2 buttons each, opens your website), product card carousel (up to 10 catalog products, buy inside WhatsApp), catalog templates (View catalog button), multi-product templates (up to 30 products in up to 10 sections), single-product templates, and call permission request templates. Also covers what applies to every marketing template: the per-user marketing limit (131049), the Offers and announcements stop setting (131050, user_preferences webhook) and no delivery to US numbers.