Help Center - BotSpace
Content & Templates
Template Approvals, Statuses & Common Rejection Reasons
This article describes the approval process and best practices for WhatsApp template approvals.
Message template approval criteria
WhatsApp will generally reject templates for three reasons:
Because placeholders can be replaced with multiple words, WhatsApp does not allow template placeholders to be placed at the beginning or the end of the message. Doing so will result in automatic rejection of the template.
Approval Period
Once you submit your template for approval, WhatsApp typically approves them within minutes through a machine learning-assisted process. Some templates that can't be triaged by Meta's algorithms are submitted for human review automatically and can take up to 48 hours to get approved. If your template are remaining in "pending" state for more than 48 hours, please open a support ticket with BotSpace and include the name of the template that you created.
Template Statuses
WhatsApp Templates can have the following statuses:
Let's dive into how to get templates approved first, then we will cover the paused and disabled statuses.
Tips for Creating Templates
Common Rejection Reasons
WhatsApp most commonly rejects templates for the following reasons, below. So be sure to avoid the following rejection reasons:
Reasons & How to fix it?
Rejection Reason
How to fix it
Variables are placed in the very beginning or end of the message
Add additional words or punctuation before/after the variable.
Variables are placed next to each other, such as " {{1}} {{2}}"
Make sure there is at least one word in between each variable, or simply use one variable instead of multiple. You can substitute a placeholder value with multiple words.
Variables have mismatched curly braces, or use words instead of numbers.
The correct format is {{1}}, not {{one}}
Variable parameters are not sequential. Example: {{1}}, {{2}}, {{4}}, {{5}} lead to a rejected template because but {{3}} does not exist.
Double check that all placeholders are sequential
Newlines, tabs, or more than 4 consecutive spaces
Per Meta's rules, this is not allowed, so please avoid.
Call-to-action have a direct link to WhatsApp, such as "". Meta no longer allows this.
Spell out the number, without including the link. The wa.me is a reserved link that can't be included in a template.
Template is a duplicate. WhatsApp rejects templates submitted with the same wording with a different name, to prevent abuse. Please note that this check does not apply to OTP templates.
Slightly tweak the name and content of the new template
Template contains content violating the or the . Includes: requesting sensitive identifiers from users, such as payment card numbers, financial account numbers, or National Identification numbers.
You must follow WhatsApp's policies to avoid further enforcement action from Meta. If you need to request sensitive identifiers, you can ask for partial identifiers (ex: last 4 digits of Social Security number).
Templates appears to be related to gaming or gambling. Common words such as "raffle" or "win a prize" almost guarantee a template rejection by WhatsApp.
Identify any words that could remotely be perceived as related to gaming/gambling, and replace them.
Templates that are overly vague, such as “Hi, {{1}}, thanks”. are commonly abused to spam users, so they will be rejected.
Surround the parameters with information that clarifies to Meta what type of information will be inserted.
Wrong language was chosen. Example: a template in English was submitted as "Portuguese" language.
Double check that the language is correct.
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Revising rejected message templates
If your message template was rejected, you will see a rejection reason code in the Twilio Console specifying why WhatsApp rejected it. You may submit a new template with a different template name, and delete the rejected template. WhatsApp will not let you use the same template name for 30 days.
These are the rejection reasons that WhatsApp discloses:
If you are having a difficulties getting your template approved, it often helps to provide additional detail in your template to make its use evident to WhatsApp. For example, you may add “You asked us to let you know about [Topic]”. If you feel your templates are being rejected by mistake and resubmissions continue to be rejected, please open a support ticket explaining the issue in detail. Twilio can request that WhatsApp reconsider the rejected template.
Examples of approved and rejected message templates
Approved message templates
Rejected message templates
The following templates don't provide sufficient detail on how they will be used:
The following templates are considered spam, as they do not make it clear to the user why they are receiving this message:
Guidance on template categorization
Meta's Definition of Template Categories
Meta has strict definitions of Authentication and Utility templates. Authentication templates follow a rigid pattern pre-defined by Meta. Utility templates relate to a specific, agreed-upon transaction and accomplish one of the following: confirm, suspend, or change a transaction or subscription. As of October 30, 2023, Utility also includes messages for feedback surveys, managing user-requested opt-in, or continuing a conversation started by a user in another channel. Any templates that do not fall precisely within these strict definitions are likely to be categorized by Meta as "Marketing". This includes any mix of Marketing and Utility content. For the latest guidance .
Guidance for Utility Templates
Meta's categorization engine is not deterministic. Sometimes, legitimate Utility templates can be categorized as Marketing by Meta. To overcome this issue, you may incorporate the following guidance into your template creation process:
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