According to the official WhatsApp Business Policy, businesses are prohibited from sending unsolicited marketing or solicitation messages directly to end users. The conversation must be initiated by the end user. Once a user messages you, you have a 24-hour window to respond. If you need to communicate with a user who has not contacted you previously, or if the 24-hour window has expired, you are required to use either the text message fallback feature or a WhatsApp message template.
Payment Method Required: To utilize message templates, a valid payment method must be attached to your WhatsApp Business Account. This can be configured at https://business.facebook.com/billing_hub/.
Bulk Sending: To dispatch a specific message template to a group of users simultaneously, please utilize the direct messages functionality.
Meta’s free tier covers up to 1,000 user-initiated conversations per WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) monthly.
Text Message Fallback
To activate the text message fallback option, you must configure your SMS settings by navigating to Settings > Notifications > Text message notifications. You can find comprehensive details regarding this setup here.
WhatsApp Message Templates Format
A WhatsApp message template is a pre-approved message format designed for repeated use to contact users once they have opted in and granted your application permission to message them. You are not permitted to input the actual content of your conversation directly into the template. Instead, the template should be used to notify the user of a new incoming message and provide instructions on how to access it, such as supplying a link to your website where the chat interface is hosted.
Management: To retrieve the Template name and organize your templates, visit https://business.facebook.com. Navigate to the Left menu > Settings > More system settings. From there, proceed to Accounts > WhatsApp accounts > Settings and select WhatsApp Manager.
Languages: In the Template languages field, input all language codes that your template supports, separated by commas. You can find the list of valid language codes here (copy only the code, e.g., it, es, en_US). If a template supports multiple languages, the system will automatically select the one matching the user’s language. If no match is found, the default template language will be utilized.
Header & Body Variables: In the sections for Header variables and Body variables, input the values separated by commas. You are free to use merge fields such as {recipient_name} and {recipient_email}. Ensure that the count of parameters entered here exactly matches the number of parameters defined in your template. Utilize this feature if your template relies on dynamic values. regarding image headers, the image URL should be passed as the first parameter. The sequence is crucial; the first merge field corresponds to the first template parameter.
Button Variables: In the Button variables section, enter the links for your custom buttons or the text for quick replies prefixed with quick_reply_ (e.g., quick_reply_abcde). Separate each value with a comma. The number of parameters here must align with the template’s parameters. If your buttons or call-to-actions use static values (like a fixed URL), enter skip_parameter. The order is vital, as the first merge field applies to the first template parameter.
Twilio Configuration: Locate the Template SID and the template attributes. Enter these values, separated by commas, into Settings > Twilio template.
Enter the Template SID and the template attributes separated by commas into
CHAT.devad.io > Settings > Twilio template.
Get the Namespace value from Left menu > WhatsApp accounts > Details.
Get Template name and Template default language from your 360dialog templates area.
In Custom parameters Enter the values separated by commas, you can use the following merge fields: {recipient_name}, {recipient_email}. Use this feature if your template uses dynamic values. Order is important, the first merge field will be used as the first template dynamic value.
CHAT.devad.io will try to use the template with the same language as the user, if it is not available, it will use the template with the default language. The following template languages are not compatible: en_GB(use en_US), pt_PT(use pt_BR), zh_HK and zh_TW(use zh_CN), es_AR and es_MX(use es_ES).
Namespace: Retrieve the Namespace value by navigating to Left menu > WhatsApp accounts > Details.
Template Details: Obtain the Template name and the Template default language directly from your 360dialog templates dashboard.
Custom Parameters: In the Custom parameters field, enter the values separated by commas. You may use merge fields like {recipient_name} and {recipient_email}. Use this capability if your template requires dynamic values. The sequence is important; the first merge field is assigned to the first template dynamic value.
Language Matching: CHAT.devadio will attempt to utilize the template matching the user’s language. If that is unavailable, it defaults to the template’s standard language. Note that the following languages are incompatible: en_GB (use en_US), pt_PT (use pt_BR), zh_HK and zh_TW (use zh_CN), es_AR and es_MX (use es_ES).
Template Fallback! Configure the WhatsApp template to be used as a fallback by navigating to Settings > WhatsApp > Cloud API template fallback. If you operate multiple numbers associated with different WhatsApp Business Accounts, a specific template must be generated for each account. You may assign a different template to each number, provided the template name and language code remain consistent. The test template button initiates a test message from the primary number.
Sending Templates to New Contacts
Account ID Setup: In Settings > WhatsApp > Cloud API settings > Business Account ID, input your Business Account ID. You can locate this ID at https://developers.facebook.com/. Select your application and navigate to Left menu > WhatsApp > API Setup.
Select Recipients: To dispatch the template to specific individuals, access the Dashboard Users section and select the intended recipients. Afterward, click the WhatsApp icon found in the top right corner.
Automatic Language: If you utilize the WhatsApp Cloud API with a template that supports multiple languages, the system will automatically choose the language matching the user. If no match exists, the default template language is applied.
Twilio Parameters: If you are using Twilio and your template includes parameters, input the parameter values separated by commas into the Body section.
Further Details: For comprehensive information, click here.
WhatsApp Flows
For additional details regarding WhatsApp Flows, please visit here.
Built-in Flows
Our App automatically creates and dispatches the following flows. To regenerate a flow, utilize the Settings > WhatsApp > Clear flows button.
Registration: This flow is triggered when a new user sends their initial message to the WhatsApp number, provided the Settings > Users > Require registration option is active.
Follow-up: This flow triggers if the Settings > Messages & Forms > Follow-up message option is enabled and the user has not provided an email address.
Send Custom Flows
To send custom flows, use the specific merge field format. Replace “123” with your unique flow ID and populate the header, body, and button attributes with your text.
{wa_flow id="123" header="Your Header" body="Your Body Text" button="Button Text"}
Essential Information & Limitations
Contact Rules
You cannot send a WhatsApp message to a user who contacted you more than 24 hours ago or has never messaged you. WhatsApp strictly prohibits this. Instead, use a WhatsApp template or send a text message fallback. An “Error message: Re-engagement” indicates this specific issue.
Troubleshooting Sending Issues
If you aren’t receiving WhatsApp messages, ensure conversations aren’t being assigned to a department and that the test number isn’t an admin or agent number. For non-cloud versions, verify the WhatsApp webhook URL setup. If messages fail to send, check the admin area for specific error messages.
Support Scope for Providers
We do not provide support for Twilio or 360dialog configurations or related issues. Additionally, we cannot assist in getting your WhatsApp account or message templates approved by Meta.
AI & Rich Features
Supported features include language detection, spelling correction, multilingual translation, and Google search. You can also send rich messages. For menus with more than 3 options, use the whatsapp="Your menu text" shortcode attribute.
Sandbox & Limitations
If testing with the sandbox, re-link your phone number after 72 hours if sending fails. Be aware that Twilio and 360dialog have limitations, such as Twilio’s 1600-character limit. We strongly recommend using the Official WhatsApp API.
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