WhatsApp message templates: create, categorize, and get approved

Any WhatsApp message your app sends first — outside the 24-hour customer-service window — must use a message template that Meta has approved. Templates come in three categories that decide when you're allowed to send and how the conversation is billed, so getting the category right is as important as getting the wording right.

This page explains the categories, the approval process, and how to avoid rejection.

Why templates exist

WhatsApp separates the two ways you message a customer. Inside the 24-hour window that opens when they message you, you can reply freely. To start a conversation outside that window — a shipping update, a reminder, a promotion — you must use a pre-approved template. This is how Meta keeps business-initiated messaging wanted rather than spammy, and it's why template design sits at the centre of any WhatsApp setup.

The three categories

Every template is one of three categories, and the category is not cosmetic — it controls both eligibility and cost. Utility templates carry transactional information tied to an action the customer took, like an order confirmation or an appointment reminder. Authentication templates deliver one-time passcodes. Marketing templates cover promotions, offers and re-engagement, and are reviewed most strictly. Choose the category that genuinely matches the message; a promotional message dressed as a utility template will be rejected or recategorised.

Writing a template

Write the message with placeholders for the dynamic parts — a name, an order number, a date — and keep the tone and content consistent with the category. Clear, specific templates are approved faster and perform better. Avoid vague or overly promotional language in non-marketing categories, and don't try to smuggle marketing intent into a utility template.

Getting approved

Submit the template to Meta for review. Once your business is verified, approval is usually quick — often minutes to a few hours — though marketing templates get closer scrutiny. You can only use a template for business-initiated messages after it's approved.

When a template is rejected

Rejections almost always come down to a mismatch between wording and category, promotional content in a utility or authentication template, placeholder or formatting errors, or content that breaks WhatsApp policy. Adjust the wording or move it to the correct category and resubmit. For a full checklist of causes and fixes, see the template rejected troubleshooting guide.

Using approved templates

Once approved, send the template from your Arino One instance to open a conversation. If the customer replies, the 24-hour window opens and you can continue free-form. Designing your templates and your timing around that window is what keeps WhatsApp both compliant and cost-effective — see the pricing guide in Resources for how conversation categories are billed.

Steps at a glance

1. Pick the categoryChoose utility, authentication or marketing — the category sets when you can send and how you're billed.
2. Write the template with variablesDraft the message with placeholders for the dynamic parts, keeping the intent matched to the category.
3. Submit for approvalSubmit the template to Meta for review before you can use it for business-initiated messages.
4. Fix any rejectionIf it's rejected, adjust wording or category and resubmit — see the troubleshooting guide.
5. Send from your instanceUse the approved template from your Arino One instance to start conversations outside the 24-hour window.

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