Template categorization

1. Consider template category guidelines before creating a new template
2. Stay updated on your template’s approval status after template creation
3. Learn about automatic category updates to templates in production

• Marketing templates – Enable businesses to achieve a wide range of goals, from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers.
• Utility templates – Enable businesses to follow up on user actions or requests, since these messages are typically triggered by user actions.
• Authentication templates – Enable businesses to verify a user’s identity, potentially at various steps of the customer journey.

• Templates with mixed content (for example, both utility and marketing, such as an order update with a promo or a feedback survey with promotional content).
• Templates where contents are unclear (for example, where contents are only “{{1}}” or “Congratulations!”).

• Must be non-promotional, not containing any promotional or persuasive intent.
• Must ALSO be either specific to or requested by the user (clearly related to their order, account, services or transactions) OR essential or critical to the user (for example, to ensure user safety).

• New account creation
• Account integrity, access or recovery
• New or existing orders/transactions

• Use Cloud API authentication message templates in Template Library: These templates include optional add-ons like security disclaimers and expiry warnings.
• Configure a one-time password button: Such as copy-code or one-tap
• Follow content restrictions: URLs, media, and emojis are not allowed for authentication template content or parameters. Parameters are also restricted to 15 characters.

• Create a new message template via WhatsApp Manager or the API.
• Edit the template’s category, and resubmit for approval.
• Request a review.

• Notice period — A 1-day advance notice is provided before the template category is updated to marketing.
  • As of April 16 2025 — If you are warned for template categorization misuse:
    • 24 hour notice will not be provided before changing template categories from UTILITY to MARKETING
    • Category changes will be instant
• Template category — The template category is changed to MARKETING
• Template status — There is no change to template status; it remains APPROVED and can continue to be used to send messages.

• Notice period — Advance notice is provided.
• Template category — There is no change in the template’s category.
• Template status — On the first day of the following month, the template status is changed to REJECTED and can no longer be used to send messages.
  

• Create a new template
• For utility templates that will be updated to marketing:
  • You can request a review:
    • If the review is approved – The template’s category will not be updated as previously notified.
    • If the review is not approved – The template will be updated to marketing, as previously notified.
• For marketing or utility templates that will be rejected:
  • You cannot request a review.
  • Businesses on Cloud API can browse the template library to identify available options for your identity verification use case. It is recommended that businesses browse, choose and create a new template from the template library before the utility/marketing template is rejected, to avoid workflow disruptions.

GET /<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_ID>/message_templates?fields=category,correct_category

• If the values match (for example, they are both MARKETING), the template’s category has already been updated with the correct_category value.
• If they mismatch and the correct_category is not an empty string or null (for example, category is UTILITY but correct_category is MARKETING), the template’s category will be updated on the first day of the next month with the correct_category value.
• If the correct_category value is an empty string or null, the template has not been impacted.

• The template will undergo category validation and template review again.
• If the template passes validation and review, its category will be updated and a template_category_update webhook will be triggered.
• The new_category property in the webhook payload will indicate its new category.

1. Select your template
2. Edit the content so it aligns to the guidelines of that category
3. Re-submit the template for approval

• It is categorized as UTILITY or MARKETING and status is REJECTED
• It is categorized as MARKETING and status is APPROVED

• Review is approved – The category will be updated. A template_category_update webhook will be triggered. The new_category property in the webhook payload will indicate its new category.
• Review is rejected – The category will not change.

• Email: Sent to all WABA admins (people with Full control of the WhatsApp Business account) when a warning, restriction, or lift occurs.
• Webhook: An account_update webhook is triggered with the restriction_info object reflecting the current enforcement state.

{
  "field": "account_update",
  "value": {
    "event": "ACCOUNT_RESTRICTION",
    "violation_info": {
      "violation_type": "<violation_type>"
    },
    "restriction_info": [
      {
        "restriction_type": "<restriction_type>",
        "expiration": "<unix_timestamp>"
      }
    ]
  }
}