OTP Authentication WhatsApp Template for D2C Brands

How this template stays compliant and approvable

Authentication templates are the strictest category Meta reviews, and that is a feature, not a bug — the tight format is exactly why they get approved fast and rarely get flagged. Submit it as Authentication, keep the body to the code, its validity window, and a security reminder, and attach a Copy-code button (Meta's zero-tap and one-tap autofill options are also available if your app supports them). Do not add a URL, a marketing line, an offer, an emoji-heavy header, or your logo as a promotional element — any of these push it into Marketing or get it rejected. The {{1}} code variable must carry only the passcode, and the {{2}} brand variable should hold a stable, recognisable business name so the message reads as trustworthy at a glance.

• Category must be Authentication — no promotional content, links or offers
• Body limited to code, validity period and a do-not-share reminder
• Use a Copy-code button (or Meta autofill) so the shopper taps once
• Keep {{2}} as your consistent, verified brand name for trust

Personalising it without breaking the rules

Authentication gives you far less room to personalise than a marketing template, and that is deliberate — but the two variables you have still matter. Populate {{2}} with the exact brand name a customer sees on your storefront and packaging so there is no doubt the code is legitimate; a mismatched or generic sender name is the single biggest reason shoppers hesitate to enter a code. Generate a fresh, high-entropy value for {{1}} on every request, expire it server-side at the validity you state (10 minutes here — say what you mean and enforce it), and never reuse a code across sessions. If you serve customers in multiple languages, submit a Hindi or regional-language variant as a separate template rather than translating on the fly, so each version carries its own approval and renders correctly.

What it costs to send

Since Meta retired per-conversation pricing on 1 July 2025, WhatsApp bills per delivered message by category, and OTPs fall under the Authentication rate — typically the lowest of the three categories in India. The free 24-hour service window is not a billing unit here; each authentication message you send is charged individually, and InfiQ layers its own transparent ₹ pricing on top of that (ex-GST) with no surprise line items. Because OTPs are short, single-message, and high-intent, the cost per successful login or verification is usually a rounding error against the order or account it protects — and cheaper than a comparable transactional SMS route once failed-delivery retries are factored in.

• Billed per delivered message at the Authentication category rate
• Free 24-hour service window is not the billing unit — each OTP is charged
• Transparent ₹ pricing, ex-GST
• One message per code keeps the per-verification cost predictable