Glossary · 40 terms
Templates
Message templates are how businesses start conversations on WhatsApp. These terms cover template categories, components and variables, the approval and rejection process, quality and pausing, and specialised formats such as carousels and authentication templates.
Foundation· 14
Start here — the concepts everything else builds on.
- Highly Structured MessageHSMHSM (Highly Structured Message) is the original name for WhatsApp message templates, still seen in old docs and dashboards; today it just means a template.Read definition
- Marketing TemplateA WhatsApp template for promotions, offers, announcements and re-engagement: the broadest category, the most expensive per message and the most tightly limited.Read definition
- Message TemplateA pre-approved, reusable WhatsApp message format with variables: the only way a business can start a conversation or message someone outside the 24-hour window.Read definition
- Message Template VariableA placeholder such as {{1}} in a WhatsApp template's header, body or URL button that your send request fills with per-recipient data.Read definition
- Sample ValuesExample content you attach to every template variable and media header at submission, so Meta's reviewers can judge the message customers will see.Read definition
- Template ApprovalMeta's review of each new or edited WhatsApp template — policy, category, format and samples — that must be passed before the template can be sent.Read definition
- Template BodyThe required main text of a WhatsApp message template: up to 1,024 characters with variables, formatting and emoji, set between header and footer.Read definition
- Template CategoryThe marketing, utility or authentication label every WhatsApp template carries, which sets its review rules, delivery limits and per-message price.Read definition
- Template Character LimitsThe maximum length Meta allows for each part of a WhatsApp template: 60 characters for the header and footer, 1,024 for the body, 25 per button label.Read definition
- Template FooterThe optional line of small grey text under a WhatsApp template's body: up to 60 characters, no variables, used for opt-out hints, disclaimers or sign-offs.Read definition
- Template HeaderThe optional top component of a WhatsApp template: a 60-character text line with one variable, or an image, video, document, GIF or location.Read definition
- Template LibraryMeta's catalogue of pre-written utility and authentication templates with fixed wording and fillable parameters, ready to use without drafting your own.Read definition
- Template RejectionMeta declining a submitted WhatsApp template at review, for broken variables, a wrong category, policy issues or duplication, until it is fixed.Read definition
- Utility TemplateA WhatsApp template category for non-promotional messages tied to a user's action or account, such as order updates, payment reminders and alerts.Read definition
Practitioner· 21
What you need once you are running it day to day.
- Authentication TemplateA WhatsApp template category for one-time passcodes: Meta supplies the text, you supply the code, and a copy-code, one-tap or zero-tap button delivers it.Read definition
- Carousel TemplateA marketing template that sends a message with 2 to 10 horizontally swipeable media cards, each with its own image or video, short text and buttons.Read definition
- Copy Code AuthenticationThe OTP button on a WhatsApp authentication template that copies the code for the user to paste; it works on every phone and backs up autofill.Read definition
- Coupon Code TemplateA WhatsApp marketing template with a copy-code button that puts a promo code on the customer's clipboard, so it can be pasted at checkout in one tap.Read definition
- Dynamic URL ButtonA template URL button whose link ends in a variable, so each recipient's tap opens their own page: an order, a booking, an invoice or a tracked landing page.Read definition
- Limited-Time Offer TemplateLTOA WhatsApp marketing template that shows an offer heading, an optional expiry countdown and a copyable offer code inside the bubble, plus a URL button.Read definition
- Marketing vs Utility TemplateThe line between utility and marketing templates: utility must be non-promotional and tied to the user's own transaction, or essential to them.Read definition
- Named ParametersTemplate variables written with descriptive names such as {{first_name}} instead of numbers, matched by name rather than by position when you send.Read definition
- Template AnalyticsPer-template daily counts of messages sent, delivered and read, button clicks and cost, from WhatsApp Manager or the template_analytics API endpoint.Read definition
- Template AppealA request for Meta to review a rejected WhatsApp template, or its category, again when you believe the decision was wrong; decided within 24 hours.Read definition
- Template ButtonsThe tappable actions a WhatsApp template can carry — quick reply, URL, call, copy-code, OTP, Flow and catalogue buttons — up to 10 per template.Read definition
- Template DeletionRemoving a WhatsApp message template from a WABA by name (every language) or by ID, after which an approved template's name stays blocked for 30 days.Read definition
- Template EditingChanging an existing WhatsApp template's content, category or time-to-live in place, keeping its ID and name, after which it goes back through review.Read definition
- Template LanguageThe language code a WhatsApp template is created in. One name can hold many translations, and each send must name an approved one exactly.Read definition
- Template LimitThe cap on how many message templates one WABA can hold: 250 on an unverified portfolio, up to 6,000 once verified with an approved display name.Read definition
- Template Management APIThe Graph API calls that create, list, edit and delete WhatsApp message templates through a WABA's message_templates edge and each template's own ID.Read definition
- Template PausingMeta's automatic stop on a template whose quality rating falls to low: paused for 3 hours, then for 6 hours, and disabled the third time.Read definition
- Template Quality RatingThe rating Meta gives each template from recipients' blocks, reports and read rates: high, medium, low or pending, separate from the number's rating.Read definition
- Template RecategorisationMeta moving a template into a different category, usually from utility to marketing, at review or after approval, which changes what each delivery costs.Read definition
- Template StatusThe lifecycle field on every WhatsApp template — PENDING, APPROVED, REJECTED, PAUSED, DISABLED and more — that decides whether it can be sent.Read definition
- Template Time-to-LiveTTLHow long WhatsApp keeps trying to deliver a template message before dropping it: 10 minutes by default for OTPs, 30 days for utility and marketing.Read definition
Expert· 5
Edge cases, internals and the details that matter at scale.
- One-Tap AutofillAn Android-only authentication-template button that, after an app handshake and signature check, passes the OTP into your app with a single tap.Read definition
- Template MigrationCopying approved WhatsApp templates from one WABA into another WABA owned by the same business, recreating them there rather than moving them.Read definition
- Template NamespaceA legacy ID for a WABA's template library that On-Premises API sends had to quote; the Cloud API finds templates by name and language instead.Read definition
- Template PacingMeta sending only part of a large send on a new or recently unpaused template, holding the rest until early customer feedback shows its quality.Read definition
- Zero-Tap AuthenticationAn Android-only WhatsApp authentication template type that hands the one-time passcode straight to your app, with no tap, copy or typing by the user.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