WhatsApp Business API answers

The WhatsApp Business API is Meta's programmatic interface that lets businesses send and receive WhatsApp messages at scale through software instead of a phone. It has no chat screen of its own — messages flow through a platform, CRM or backend, enabling notifications, chatbots, a shared inbox and automations.

The WhatsApp Business Platform is Meta's umbrella name for the business side of WhatsApp built on the API. It covers the Cloud API and On-Premises API, WhatsApp Business Accounts, message templates, per-message billing and the messaging rules — the whole framework businesses use to message customers at scale.

The 24-hour customer service window opens when a customer messages your business and stays open for 24 hours from their last message. During it you can reply with free-form messages — no template needed. Outside the window, any business-initiated message must use a pre-approved template.

Embedded Signup is Meta's in-app onboarding flow that lets a business connect its WhatsApp Business Account through a partner in minutes. You click a button, log in with Facebook, pick or create a Business Manager and WABA, add a phone number, verify it, and the partner receives access automatically.

Messaging limits cap how many unique customers your number can start conversations with per rolling 24 hours. New numbers begin at 250; verified businesses scale through tiers of 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and then unlimited as message volume and a good quality rating are sustained. Replies within open conversations do not count.

Meta bills WhatsApp business messaging per delivered message, priced by template category — Marketing, Utility and Authentication. Rates vary by country and category, and utility and service messages inside an open 24-hour window can be free. See your dashboard rate card for the exact rates.

The WhatsApp Business API has two cost layers: WhatsApp's message charges (billed by Meta per delivered message, varying by country and template category) and your provider's platform fee. InfiQ plans start at Rs.999/month, with Rs.2,999 and Custom tiers, and a 7-day free trial with no card required.

Marketing templates promote — offers, launches, re-engagement — and are the most expensive category and the strictest to approve. Utility templates support a specific transaction the customer already has, like order updates, receipts and appointment reminders. Utility is cheaper and easier to approve; sending marketing content in a utility template risks rejection.

Authentication templates deliver one-time passwords and verification codes over WhatsApp. They follow a fixed Meta format — a code, a short expiry note and a copy-code or one-tap autofill button — with limited free-form text. They are their own billing category, approve quickly when compliant, and must not carry marketing content.

WhatsApp business verification timing varies. Once you submit valid documents in Meta Business Manager, review typically takes a few days, though it can be same-day or stretch to a couple of weeks if documents are unclear or details don't match. You can start sending on a limited tier before verification completes.

The green tick — the Official Business Account badge — is granted by Meta at its sole discretion based on your brand's notability, not by application alone. Complete business verification, build a strong verifiable public presence, and request it through your provider. Meta reviews notability; it cannot be guaranteed or bought.

Quality rating is Meta's per-number score — Green (high), Yellow (medium) or Red (low) — based on recent customer signals like blocks and reports. A high rating helps you climb messaging tiers; a low one can restrict your number. Send relevant, opted-in, well-timed messages to keep it healthy.

Yes. WhatsApp requires businesses to obtain and record opt-in before sending business-initiated messages. Customers must actively agree to hear from you on WhatsApp, and you should log when, where and how consent was given. Messaging without valid opt-in risks blocks, low quality ratings and number restrictions.

WhatsApp templates are most often rejected for wrong category (marketing content in a utility template), policy issues, formatting problems (broken or mismatched variables, placeholder gaps), or unclear, spammy or misleading wording. Fix the specific cause, resubmit, and keep the template tightly scoped to one clear purpose.

WhatsApp numbers are usually banned or restricted for policy or quality reasons: messaging without opt-in, high block and report rates, a quality rating that fell to red, prohibited content, or sudden abnormal sending. Fix the root cause, appeal through Business Manager, and rebuild quality with clean, opted-in messaging.

Webhooks let WhatsApp push events to your server in real time. You expose an HTTPS endpoint, register it and a verify token in your app configuration, pass Meta's verification challenge, then subscribe your WABA to event fields like messages and message status. WhatsApp then POSTs JSON payloads for each event.