Glossary · 45 terms
Messages & interactivity
Everything a WhatsApp message can be — text, media, buttons, lists, reactions, locations and calls — plus the delivery statuses and the 24-hour customer service window that govern when and how a business can reply.
Foundation· 24
Start here — the concepts everything else builds on.
- 24-Hour Customer Service WindowThe 24 hours after a customer's last message, during which a business may reply on WhatsApp with free-form messages instead of approved templates.Read definition
- Call-to-Action (CTA) ButtonA WhatsApp message button that takes the customer out of the chat to open a web page or dial a phone number, instead of sending a reply back.Read definition
- Contacts MessageA WhatsApp message carrying one or more contact cards, with names, phone numbers, emails and addresses, that the recipient can save in one tap.Read definition
- Delivery ReceiptThe delivered status, shown as two grey ticks, confirming that a WhatsApp message reached the recipient's device — not that it was read.Read definition
- Document MessageA WhatsApp message that delivers a file such as a PDF invoice, ticket or statement, with a filename and optional caption, up to 100 MB.Read definition
- Image MessageA WhatsApp message that sends a JPEG or PNG image of up to 5 MB, with an optional caption, which WhatsApp may compress on delivery.Read definition
- Interactive MessageA WhatsApp message with tappable controls, such as reply buttons, a list, a URL button or a Flow, that customers answer with a tap instead of typing.Read definition
- Link PreviewThe title, description and image WhatsApp shows for the first URL in a text message when the send sets the preview_url flag.Read definition
- List MessageAn interactive WhatsApp message whose one button opens a menu of up to ten rows in titled sections, returning the customer's pick as a list_reply.Read definition
- Location MessageA WhatsApp message carrying a map pin with latitude, longitude and an optional name and address, used for store locations and delivery points.Read definition
- Mark as ReadAn API call that marks a customer's message as read, turning its ticks blue on their phone and optionally showing a typing indicator.Read definition
- Media MessageA WhatsApp message whose content is a file (image, video, audio, document or sticker) sent by media ID or link, with an optional caption on most types.Read definition
- Message StatusThe lifecycle WhatsApp reports for every message a business sends — sent, delivered, read or failed — as status webhooks keyed to the message's wamid.Read definition
- Quick Reply ButtonA tappable WhatsApp button that sends a fixed reply back into the chat — up to 3 on an interactive message, up to 10 on a template.Read definition
- Reaction MessageAn emoji reaction a business or user attaches to a specific earlier message by its ID, a lightweight acknowledgement that can also be removed.Read definition
- Read ReceiptThe read status, shown as two blue ticks, that WhatsApp reports when a user opens a business's message — unless they have switched read receipts off.Read definition
- Reply Buttons vs List MessageThe choice between up to three tap-to-reply buttons and a list of up to ten rows, made on option count, label length and how fast users can answer.Read definition
- Session MessageA free-form WhatsApp message — text, media or interactive — that a business sends inside an open 24-hour customer service window, with no approved template.Read definition
- Session Message vs Template MessageWhen a WhatsApp business may send a free-form session message (inside the customer's 24-hour window) and when it must use an approved template instead.Read definition
- Sticker MessageA WhatsApp message that sends a WebP sticker, static up to 100 KB or animated up to 500 KB, referenced by media ID or link.Read definition
- Text MessageThe simplest WhatsApp message: a plain text body of up to 4,096 characters, with an optional preview for the first link it contains.Read definition
- Two-Way MessagingMessaging in which customers can reply and the business answers them in the same thread, in context, instead of sending notifications nobody can answer.Read definition
- WhatsApp Message TypesEvery kind of message the WhatsApp Cloud API can send or receive, from text, media and location to interactive, reaction and template messages.Read definition
- WhatsApp Text FormattingThe markup WhatsApp renders in message text, such as asterisks for bold, underscores for italic, tildes for strikethrough and backticks for code.Read definition
Practitioner· 18
What you need once you are running it day to day.
- Call Permission RequestA WhatsApp interactive message or template asking a user to allow business-initiated calls, with their answer returned to the business by webhook.Read definition
- Calling SettingsThe per-number configuration that switches WhatsApp calling on and sets call-icon visibility, business calling hours and callback behaviour.Read definition
- Contextual ReplyA WhatsApp message sent as a reply to a specific earlier message, referenced by its message ID, so it appears with that message quoted above it.Read definition
- Group Invite LinkA shareable link that lets people join a business-created WhatsApp group, generated and revoked through the Groups API, with optional join approval.Read definition
- Interactive CTA URL MessageAn interactive WhatsApp message with body text and a single link button, letting a free-form reply send users to a web page without a raw URL.Read definition
- Interactive ReplyThe webhook payload a user's tap creates, such as a button_reply or list_reply, carrying the ID you set so your system knows which option was picked.Read definition
- Location Request MessageAn interactive WhatsApp message with a Send location button that asks the user to share where they are, returning their pin as a reply.Read definition
- Media File LimitsThe formats and maximum sizes the Cloud API accepts for each media type: 5 MB images, 16 MB video and audio, 100 MB documents and small WebP stickers.Read definition
- Message Character LimitsThe maximum lengths for session message fields, such as 4,096 characters of text or 20 for a reply-button title, beyond which the send fails.Read definition
- Outbound Message OrderingThe order in which a burst of WhatsApp messages reaches a user, which can differ from send order unless each send waits for the last delivery status.Read definition
- System MessageA message WhatsApp itself generates and delivers by webhook, such as a notice that a user changed their phone number, rather than one a person wrote.Read definition
- Typing IndicatorThe typing signal a business shows a user while a bot or agent prepares a reply, sent with a mark-as-read call and cleared by the reply or a timeout.Read definition
- Unsupported Message TypeAn inbound message the Cloud API cannot represent, such as a poll or view-once media, which reaches your webhook as type unsupported with an error.Read definition
- User-Initiated CallA WhatsApp voice call a customer starts from the call icon or a call button in a business chat, answered through the Calling API and not charged.Read definition
- Voice Call ButtonA button in a WhatsApp message or template that starts a WhatsApp voice call to the business in one tap, instead of dialling a phone line.Read definition
- Voice NoteA recorded audio message sent as OGG/Opus and flagged as voice, so WhatsApp plays it as a voice note rather than an attached audio file.Read definition
- WhatsApp Business Calling APIThe Cloud API feature set for WhatsApp voice calls between customers and businesses, signalled through Graph API calls and webhooks or over SIP.Read definition
- WhatsApp Groups for BusinessSmall WhatsApp groups of up to 8 participants that a business creates and messages through the Cloud API's Groups API, joined by invite link.Read definition
Expert· 3
Edge cases, internals and the details that matter at scale.
- Business-Initiated CallAn outbound WhatsApp voice call that a business places to a user through the Calling API, possible only once that user has granted call permission.Read definition
- Identity Change CheckA Cloud API safeguard that blocks sends to a user whose WhatsApp security identity has changed, as after a reinstall, until you recheck it.Read definition
- WhatsApp Calling over SIPA Calling API option that connects WhatsApp voice calls to a contact centre or PBX over SIP, so you need not handle WebRTC media yourself.Read definition
Put these terms to work.
Go live on the official WhatsApp Business API in 2 hours with a 7-day free trial — no card required.
7-day free trial Enterprise-grade reliability Live in 2 hours Built for Indian businesses