WhatsApp Flows

Sending a Flow

Updated: Mar 27, 2026

On this page, we will explore the different ways of sending a Flow to users.

Prerequisites

You will need to verify your business and maintain a high message quality.

Postman Collection

All the API requests mentioned below are documented in the Flows API postman collection⁠ which you can use to make API requests and generate code in different languages.

Business Initiated Messages

To send a business initiated message with a Flow, you can create and send a message template with a WhatsApp Flow attached to it. We introduced a new button type called FLOW. Use this type to specify the Flow to be sent with the message template.

To send a Flow message template you need to:

Create a message template with a Flow

Send a message template with a Flow

Create a message template with a Flow

You can quickly build a Flow in the playground and pass the Flow JSON in the message template creation request. Or you can specify the ID or name of an already published Flow.

Below is an example request to create a message template with a Flow, see this page for full reference:

Sample request

curl -i -X POST \
  https://graph.facebook.com/<API_VERSION>/<WABA_ID>/message_templates \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d'
  {
    "name": "example_template_name",
    "language": "en_US",
    "category": "MARKETING",
    "components": [
      {
        "type": "body",
        "text": "This is a flows as template demo"
      },
      {
        "type": "BUTTONS",
        "buttons": [
          {
            "type": "FLOW",
            "text": "Open flow!",
            "flow_id" : "<FLOW_ID>",
            // or
            "flow_name" : "<flow_name>",
            // or
            "flow_json" : "{\"version\":\"5.0\",\"screens\":[{\"id\":\"WELCOME_SCREEN\",\"layout\":{\"type\":\"SingleColumnLayout\",\"children\":[{\"type\":\"TextHeading\",\"text\":\"Hello World\"},{\"type\":\"Footer\",\"label\":\"Complete\",\"on-click-action\":{\"name\":\"complete\",\"payload\":{}}}]},\"title\":\"Welcome\",\"terminal\":true,\"success\":true,\"data\":{}}]}"
         }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }'

buttons object Parameters	Description
`type` string	Required. Button type. Default value is `FLOW`
`text` string	Required. Button label text. 25 characters maximum.
`flow_id` string	Required. The unique ID of the Flow. Cannot be used if `flow_name` or `flow_json` parameters are provided. Only one of these parameters is required.
`flow_name` string	Required. The name of the Flow. Supported in Cloud API only. The Flow ID is stored in the message template, not the name, so changing the Flow name will not affect existing message templates. Cannot be used if `flow_id` or `flow_json` parameters are provided. Only one of these parameters is required.
`flow_json` string	Required. The Flow JSON encoded as string with escaping. The Flow JSON specifies the content of the Flow. Supported in Cloud API only. Cannot be used if `flow_id` or `flow_name` parameters are provided. Only one of these parameters is required.
`flow_action` string	Default value is `navigate`. Either `navigate` or `data_exchange`.
`nagivate_screen` string	The unique ID of the Screen in the Flow. Default value is `FIRST_ENTRY_SCREEN`. Optional if `flow_action` is `navigate`.

Message templates can be created and sent in these languages.

Sample Response

{
  "id": "<TEMPLATE_ID>",
  "status": "PENDING",
  "category": "MARKETING"
}

Sample Response

{
  "id": "<template-id>",
  "status": "PENDING",
  "category": "MARKETING"
}

Send template with Flow

Ensure that your template passes all required reviews so that status is APPROVED instead of PENDING.

Now you can send a message template with a Flow using the request below

Sample request

curl -X  POST \
 'https://graph.facebook.com/v16.0/FROM_PHONE_NUMBER_ID/messages' \
 -H 'Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN' \
 -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
 -d '{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "PHONE_NUMBER",
  "type": "template",
  "template": {
    "name": "TEMPLATE_NAME",
    "language": {
      "code": "LANGUAGE_AND_LOCALE_CODE"
    },
    "components": [
      {
        "type": "button",
        "sub_type": "flow",
        "index": "0",
        "parameters": [
          {
            "type": "action",
            "action": {
              "flow_token": "FLOW_TOKEN",   //optional, default is "unused"
              "flow_action_data": {
                 ...
              }   // optional, json object with the data payload for the first screen
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}'

Sample Response

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "contacts": [
    {
      "input": "<phone-number>",
      "wa_id": "<phone-number>"
    }
  ],
  "messages": [
    {
      "id": "<message-id>"
    }
  ]
}

User-Initiated Conversations

You are able to send your WhatsApp Flow once you have created it. You can send a Message with a Flow in a user-initiated conversation using a Message with a Call To Action (CTA). You send this message through the Cloud API with information specific to the Flow. The Flow is triggered when the user taps the CTA button.

Go here to read more about message types, limits, and timing.

As mentioned earlier, a message with a Flow is not much different from other types of messages. It uses the existing APIs, which are described on the following pages:

Cloud API Interactive Messages documentation page describes how to send Interactive Messages with the Cloud API.

To send a message with a Flow, we have introduced a new type of the Interactive Object named flow with the following properties.

Interactive message parameters

Property	Type	Description
`interactive.type`	String	Value must be `flow`
`interactive.action.name`	String	Value must be `flow`
`interactive.action.parameters.flow_message_version`	String	Value must be `3`.
`interactive.action.parameters.flow_id`	String	Unique ID of the Flow provided by WhatsApp. Cannot be used with the `flow_name` parameter. Only one of these parameters is required.
`interactive.action.parameters.flow_name`	String	The name of the Flow that you created. Changing the Flow name will require updating this parameter to match the new name. Cannot be used with the `flow_id` parameter. Only one of these parameters is required.
`interactive.action.parameters.flow_cta`	String	Text on the CTA button. For example: “Signup” CTA text length is advised to be 30 characters or less (no emoji).
`interactive.action.parameters.mode`	String	The Flow can be in either `draft` or `published` mode. `published` is the default value for this field.
`interactive.action.parameters.flow_token`	String	Flow token that is generated by the business to serve as an identifier. Default value is `unused`.
`interactive.action.parameters.flow_action`	String	`navigate` or `data_exchange`. Default value is `navigate`
`interactive.action.parameters.flow_action_payload`	String	Optional if `flow_action` is `navigate`. Should be omitted otherwise.
`interactive.action.parameters.flow_action_payload.screen`	String	The `id` of the first screen. Default is `FIRST_ENTRY_SCREEN`
`interactive.action.parameters.flow_action_payload.data`	String	Optional. The input data for the first screen of the Flow. Must be a non-empty object.

Interactive messages parameter	Description
`interactive` object	The interactive message configuration. Available parameters: `action` object – Required. Available parameters: `name` string – Required. Value must be `"flow"`. `parameters` object – Required. `type` string – Required. Value must be `"flow"`.

action.parameter Parameter	Description
`flow_action` string	`navigate` or `data_exchange`. (Default value: navigate)
`flow_action_payload` object	Optional if `flow_action` is navigate. Should be omitted otherwise. Available values: `screen` string – The ID of the screen displayed first. It needs to be an entry screen*. (Default value: `FIRST_ENTRY_SCREEN`) `data` string* – Optional input data for the first Screen of the Flow. If provided, this must be a non-empty JSON object serialized as a string.. (Default value: `null`)
`flow_cta` string	Text on the CTA button. For example: “Signup” CTA text length is advised to be 30 characters or less (no emoji).
`flow_id` string	Required if not using `flow_name`. Unique ID of the Flow provided by WhatsApp. Cannot be used with the `flow_name` parameter.
`flow_message_version` string	Value must be `"3"`.
`flow_name` string	Required if not using `flow_id`. The name of the Flow that you created. Supported in Cloud API only. Changing the Flow name will require updating this parameter to match the new name. Cannot be used with the `flow_id` parameter.
`flow_token` string	Flow token that is generated by the business to serve as an identifier. (Default value: ‘unused’)
`mode` string	Status of the message. Can be `draft` or `published`. (Default value: published)

*In case you edited published flow and now it is in the draft state, use “mode=draft” to send the current draft flow version, or “mode=published” (default value) to send the last published flow version.

See Flow JSON reference for entry screen details.

Cloud API Sample Request (with minimum parameters)

curl -X  POST \
 'https://graph.facebook.com/v18.0/FROM_PHONE_NUMBER/messages' \
 -H 'Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN' \
 -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
 -d '{
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "whatsapp-id",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "flow",
    "header": {
      "type": "text",
      "text": "Flow message header"
    },
    "body": {
      "text": "Flow message body"
    },
    "footer": {
      "text": "Flow message footer"
    },
    "action": {
      "name": "flow",
      "parameters": {
        "flow_message_version": "3",
        "flow_name": "appointment_booking_v1", //or flow_id
        "flow_cta": "Book!"
      }
    }
  }
}'

Cloud API Sample Request (with all parameters)

curl -X  POST \
 'https://graph.facebook.com/v18.0/FROM_PHONE_NUMBER/messages' \
 -H 'Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN' \
 -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
 -d '{
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "whatsapp-id",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "flow",
    "header": {
      "type": "text",
      "text": "Flow message header"
    },
    "body": {
      "text": "Flow message body"
    },
    "footer": {
      "text": "Flow message footer"
    },
    "action": {
      "name": "flow",
      "parameters": {
        "flow_message_version": "3",
        "flow_token": "AQAAAAACS5FpgQ_cAAAAAD0QI3s.",

        "flow_name": "appointment_booking_v1",
        //or
        "flow_id": "123456",

        "flow_cta": "Book!",
        "flow_action": "navigate",
        "flow_action_payload": {
          "screen": "<SCREEN_NAME>",
          "data": "{\"product_name\":\"name\",\"product_description\":\"description\",\"product_price\":100}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'

Sample Response

{
  "contacts": [
    {
      "Input": "+447385946746",
      "wa_id": "47385946746"
    }
  ],
  "messages": [
    {
      "id": "gHTRETHRTHTRTH-av4Y"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "api_status": "stable",
    "version": "2.44.0.27"
  }
}

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