Template Categorization

Template Category Guidelines

For each category, we outline the message objective, business goal and example templates.

Marketing templates

Marketing templates are our most flexible. They can enable businesses to achieve a wide range of goals, from generating awareness to driving sales and more.

Also considered marketing templates are:

• Templates with mixed content (e.g. Both utility and marketing, such as order update with a promo or offer).
• Templates where contents are unclear (e.g., contents are only “{{1}}” or “Congratulations!”).

Utility templates

Utility templates are typically triggered by a user action or request. They must include specificity about the active or ongoing transaction, account, subscription or interaction to which they relate. For example, an order confirmation must contain an order number.

Authentication templates

Authentication templates enable businesses to authenticate users with one-time passcodes (usually 4-8 digit alphanumeric codes), potentially at multiple steps in the login process (e.g., account verification, account recovery, integrity challenges).

Authentication templates are our most restricted. For a template to be classified as authentication, a business must:

• Use WhatsApp’s preset authentication message templates, which include optional add-ons like security disclaimers and expiry warnings
• Configure a one-time password button (copy-code or one-tap)
• Follow content restrictions: URLs, media, and emojis are not allowed for authentication template content or parameters. Additional length restrictions of 15 characters also apply to parameters.

How we assign a category to a template

Here we outline the template category approval process for all new templates.

When you create a message template, you select the category you believe applies, based on the template category guidelines outlined above. We then determine the template’s category, based on the template contents and these same guidelines. If we agree with the category you designated, we set the template status to PENDING (it then goes through template review to ensure it is in compliance with our policies. If we disagree, we set it to REJECTED.

We outline how this works via the API and WhatsApp Manager below.

Via the API

When you create a template, you must designate its category as MARKETING, UTILITY or AUTHENTICATION. We then validate this category using our category guidelines and set your template's status based on the results of this validation.

If we agree with the category you selected, the template status is set to PENDING; the template will then go through template review. The API responds with the template ID, status, and category. For example:

{
    "id": "678513060995850",
    "status": "PENDING",
    "category": "MARKETING"
}

The template will then go through template review. Based on this review, its status will be set to either APPROVED or REJECTED and a corresponding message template status update webhook will be triggered.

If we disagree with your category designation, the template status is set to REJECTED, and the API will respond with the template ID, status, and category. For example:

{
    "id": "678513060995850",
    "status": "REJECTED",
    "category": "UTILITY"
}

In addition, a corresponding message template status update webhook will be triggered with reason set to INCORRECT_CATEGORY.

{
  "name": "<NAME>",
  "category": "<CATEGORY>",
  "allow_category_change": true, // Set to true to have us assign a category
  "language": "<LANGUAGE>",
  "components": [<COMPONENTS>]
}

This is only possible during template creation. We will assign a category based on the template contents and our guidelines and set its status to PENDING; the template will then go through template review.

Via the WhatsApp Manager

When you create a new template in WhatsApp Manager, you select its category. We then validate this category using our category guidelines and set your template's status based on the results of this validation.

If we agree with the category you selected, we set the template status to Pending and it will then go through template review. If it passes this review, its status will be set to Active - Quality Pending. If it does not pass this review, its status will be set to Rejected.

If we disagree with the category you selected, we will recommend a category that will prevent the template's status from immediately being set to Rejected.

If you choose the recommended category, the template status is set to Pending. The template will then go through template review.

• If it passes this review, its status will be set to Active - Quality Pending.
• If it does not pass this review, its status will be set to Rejected.

If you continue with your category selection (utility in the example above), the template status is set to Rejected.

Changing the category of a template

If you believe your template should have a different category, you have several options based on the status of your template.

Template status is APPROVED

Create a new template (via the API or WhatsApp Manager) and select a category based on the guidelines above, since a template's category cannot be changed once the template is approved.

Template status is REJECTED

You can update your template's contents or its category via the API or WhatsApp Manager.

Via the API

If upon template submission the API immediately responds with template status REJECTED, you can:

• Edit the components of the template so it aligns to the guidelines of that category; maintain the category selection; and re-submit the template for approval.
• Edit only the category of the template and re-submit the template for approval. Once the components or category selection have been updated, the template will undergo category validation and template review again. We will send a template status webhook update to notify you of the result.
• Create a new template and select a category based on our template category guidelines.

Via WhatsApp Manager

• Edit the content of the template so it aligns to the guidelines of that category; maintain the category selection; and re-submit the template for approval.
• Edit only the category of the template and re-submit the template for approval. To see the category we determined, select the rejected template to load it in the template editor. Submit the template. This will prompt the "Category does not match" warning shown above, reflecting the template's current category and the category we determined (labeled as Recommended). You can then dismiss the modal, change the category to the recommended category, and resubmit.
• Create a new template and select a category based on our template category guidelines.

Requesting Review

If you believe the category we have determined is not consistent with our template category guidelines, you may request a review of the template via Business Support (it is not possible to do this via the API). To request a review:

In WhatsApp Manager, select the rejected template to load it in the template editor. In the This template has been rejected banner, click Go to Business Support.

Click Rejected message templates, select the rejected template, and click the Request review button to begin the review process.

Select Correct category was rejected as the reason.

Once you submit, the template status is then updated to In Review.

If the category review is not approved, the template status remains REJECTED and displayed in WhatsApp Manager as Rejected. If the category review is approved, the template status is set to PENDING and subsequently goes through template review; if the template passes this review, the template status is updated to APPROVED and displayed in WhatsApp Manager as Active - Quality Pending.

How we communicate template category changes

You are notified of any change in category for any template via:

• Email — We send one email per template to each business admin email address.
• Webhooks — You should subscribe to the template_category_update field to ensure you receive a webhook when a template's category changes. You can also query the WhatsApp Message Template endpoint and request the category and previous_category fields.
• WhatsApp Manager — Will display templates whose category has changed in the Alerts banner.