Best Practices for WhatsApp API Message Templates and Session Messages. Use WhatsApp Message Templates to engage customers with support messages, notifications, alerts, and two-factor authentication codes.

• WhatsApp Message Templates allow businesses to send structured, pre-approved messages for transactional use cases such as alerts, account updates, or authentication codes.
• Session Messages enable two-way customer communication within the 24-hour Customer Care Window after a user’s initial message.
• Templates must be pre-approved by WhatsApp and comply with strict content and formatting rules — including opt-in, supported categories, and message language consistency.
• 10 key best practices include: proper categorization, avoiding promotional content, using numbered variables correctly, and ensuring clear opt-in consent.
• Avoid short links, mixed languages, or sensitive data requests — all common reasons for rejection.
• Message quality is monitored by WhatsApp; templates rated "low" for over 7 days may be disabled.
• Bird’s WhatsApp Business API simplifies compliance by offering pre-built integrations, Flow Builder automation, and 24/7 support for managing templates and session messages.

• What’s the difference between WhatsApp Message Templates and Session Messages?Templates are outbound, pre-approved messages used for transactional notifications outside the 24-hour customer window. Session Messages are real-time replies sent within 24 hours of customer interaction.
• Why does WhatsApp enforce strict template rules?To ensure user trust and prevent spam or misuse, WhatsApp only allows structured, opt-in messages that follow approved categories like account updates, reservations, or payment confirmations.
• How can I prevent my templates from being rejected?Avoid grammar mistakes, promotional phrases, and mixed languages. Use clear variable formatting ({{1}}, {{2}}, etc.), full URLs, and ensure proper opt-in from users.
• What happens if message quality drops?Templates with low-quality ratings for more than 7 days can be deactivated, affecting your ability to send new messages until improved.
• How does Bird help with WhatsApp compliance?Bird’s WhatsApp API and Flow Builder make it easy to create, test, and manage message templates — while ensuring alignment with WhatsApp’s Business Policy and global compliance standards.

**WhatsApp Message Templates allow you to actively communicate and build engaging experiences with your customers. **You can send templated support messages, notifications, account updates, alerts, and two-factor authentication codes.

If it’s your first time using the WhatsApp API, then be aware that WhatsAppenforces stronger rules and restrictions than other messaging channels. We’ve put together guidelines and best practices to help ensure approval of your template messages — from getting started to sending out WhatsApp Message Templates:

• Message Templates versus Session Messages
• Message formats allowed to be used on WhatsApp API
• Rules to start sending WhatsApp Message Templates
• Best practices to prevent your messages from being rejected
• Start sending WhatsApp Message Templates with MessageBird

The WhatsApp API allows you to interact with your customers in two ways:

• **Session Messages: **These are responses from your business to a customer, when a customer initiates a conversation with your business on WhatsApp.
• **Message templates: These are templated outbound messages you send to customers, that require customer opt-in.

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Customer Care Window The biggest difference between message types is what WhatsApp calls the Customer Care Window**. The Customer Care Window is a 24-hour timeframe that allows you to communicate with your customers and respond to their queries — it starts when your customer sends their first message.**

Session Messages Session Messages include media attachments (images, videos, GIFs, etc.)** and help you provide better and faster customer support.

You don’t need to get these messages pre-approved as long as you follow WhatsApp Business Policy and WhatsApp Commerce Policy.

MessageBird’s WhatsApp API allows the following formats for Session Messages:

• Text messages (supports formatting such as bold, italic, strikethrough & code)
• Text messages with URL (can enable preview URLs & all URLs are clickable)
• Send/receive media messages (audio, document, image, sticker & video)
• Send/receive location
• Buttons (coming soon!)

Following these best practices will help you ensure speedy approval of your templates by WhatsApp so you can start sending messages.

1. WhatsApp Message Templates categories

Make sure that your messages fall into one of the following categories:

• Account Update: Give customers updates about changes to their accounts.
• **Alert Update: **Send notifications on order updates or delivery services.
• Appointment Update: Send appointment reminders and confirmations.
• Auto-Reply: Send automatic messages during your Holidays or outside of work hours.
• **Issue Resolution: **Respond to questions, issues or information customers need from you.
• **Payment Update: **Confirm that payments were successfully processed.
• **Personal Finance Update: **Update customers on personal finance queries.
• **Reservation Update: **Keep customers up to date with their reservations.
• **Shipping Update: **Send shipping updates on new purchases or orders.
• **Ticket Update: **Confirm and send ticketing update status.
• Transportation Update: Update customers on transportation related tickets.

2. Grammatical Errors and Language Selection

Misspelling and grammatical errors can automatically flag your messages as spam or untrustworthy. Make sure to check — and double check — the spelling of your messages before you submit them.

Your Message Template must also match the language you’ve selected. If you are sending a message in Bahasa, but you’ve selected English as the message language, your message will be automatically rejected. Here is a list of supported languages by WhatsApp.

3. Formatting Rules

The name of your message template can only contain lowercase alphanumeric characters and underscores, with a 1024-character limit excluding new lines, tabs, or more than 4 consecutive characters. Text must be letters, digits, special characters, emojis, and WhatsApp formats. Messages support bold, italics, strikethrough, and monospace formatting.

4. Variables for your Message Templates

Use numbered placeholders like {{x}} for variables that get replaced with letters, digits, special characters, or spaces during actual sending.

5. Using URLs for your messages

WhatsApp recommends sending links or URLs from your business domain using full URLs rather than shortened links or third-party shorteners like Bitly.

6. 24-hour rule

Understand the Customer Care Window operates for 24 hours after customer initiation. Beyond this window, only send messages via approved Message Templates.

7. The Opt-in rule

You must receive explicit opt-in from the end user before sending template messages. Opt-in must clearly state messaging intent and your business name, and cannot be assumed.

8. Don't collect customer data or try to run promotions

Avoid upselling, coupon codes, cold calls, or data collection surveys unless participating in WhatsApp's beta program in specified regions.

9. Chat automation with escalation paths

Chatbots may operate within the Care Window, but require clear and direct escalation paths to human agents including transfer options, phone, email, web support, or in-store visits.

10. Improve the quality of your messages from low to medium within 7 days

If you are not able to improve the quality rating within seven days, WhatsApp disables templates and prevents new message sending.

There are a number of reasons as to why messages can be rejected. We wanted to share some examples of messages that were rejected so that you don’t make the same mistake:

• Promotional coupon:* Hi {{1}}. Thank you for buying your shoes. Get 5% on your next purchase with this coupon code {{2}}. Here is your boarding pass, with seat assignment and gate information. If you would like to save 5% on your in-flight dinner, order your meal through our app.*‍
• Wrong formats:* Hi {{1}} | Order Information: {{2}}*‍
• **Mix of languages: ***Hi {{1}}! This is Shoe Co, Gracias por comprar tus zapatos.*‍
• Sensitive information:* Hi! Please share your full banking account number to process your quests*
• ‍Surveys:* Hi, we're interested in knowing how you feel about certain food groups. Do you mind participating in a survey?*‍
• Cold calls:* Is not a good time to talk? Thank you for your interest. Can we speak now?*

For additional examples, please refer to our guide "Why has the message template been rejected?".

MessageBird’s WhatsApp Business API connects you to your customers on the world’s most popular messaging app via our powerful APIs, tools like Flow Builder and Inbox,, or native integrations like Zendesk. Our customers use WhatsApp for customer support, sending alerts and notifications, and even two-factor authentication.

‍‍‍MessageBird’s WhatsApp Business API offers:

• **Easy integration: **Send and receive WhatsApp messages without having to host, manage or take care of software updates.
• End-to-end WhatsApp encryption: All your information is secure.
• Rich messaging: CTA and quick-reply buttons, share and receive images, locations, files, audio, and inbound videos.
• **24/7 support: **Our offices around the world provide unparalleled support in every time zone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Join today and start sending WhatsApp Message Templates for your business!

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