> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.linkiasoft.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# WhatsApp templates: approval, rejection and how to fix it

> Why WhatsApp needs templates at all, what each rejection reason means, and what to change before resubmitting.

## Why templates exist

WhatsApp only lets you message someone freely for **24 hours** after their last message
to you. Outside that window every message must use a template that WhatsApp approved in
advance.

This is a WhatsApp rule, not ours. It is why a broadcast needs a template and a reply in
an active conversation does not.

## Getting a template

Two routes, and the first is much faster:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Import from the Meta library">
    **Templates → Import from library**. These are written by Meta and are
    **pre-approved** — they go live immediately. Start here.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write your own">
    **Templates → New template**. Yours goes to Meta for review, which usually takes
    minutes but can take up to 24 hours. It arrives as **Pending** and becomes **Approved**
    or **Rejected**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Pick the right category

Choosing the wrong category is the single most common rejection, and it is entirely
avoidable.

| Category           | Use it for                                                                                                           | Not for                                  |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Marketing**      | Offers, promotions, announcements, re-engagement, anything selling                                                   | —                                        |
| **Utility**        | A specific transaction the customer already made: order confirmation, delivery update, appointment reminder, receipt | Anything with an offer or a nudge to buy |
| **Authentication** | One-time passcodes and login codes only                                                                              | Anything else                            |

The trap is Utility. It is cheaper than Marketing, so there is a pull toward it — but
Meta reads the actual wording. "Your order #123 has shipped" is Utility. "Your order #123
has shipped — 20% off your next one!" is Marketing, and submitting it as Utility gets it
rejected.

## Rejection reasons

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="INVALID_FORMAT">
    A structural problem, not a content one. In order of likelihood:

    * **Missing variable samples.** Every `{{1}}` needs an example value. Meta reviews the
      template with your samples filled in, and cannot review what it cannot render.
    * **Bad placeholders.** They must be numbered from `{{1}}` with no gaps. `{{1}}` then
      `{{3}}` is invalid. So is a variable at the very start or very end of the body.
    * **Unsupported button layout.** There are limits on how many buttons of each type you
      can combine.
    * **Formatting.** No two variables next to each other (`{{1}} {{2}}`), and no trailing
      whitespace or newline at the end.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="INCORRECT_CATEGORY">
    Meta thinks this belongs in a different category — nearly always something submitted as
    Utility that reads as Marketing. Re-read the table above, change the category, and
    resubmit. You do not need to rewrite anything if the category was the only problem.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="PROMOTIONAL">
    Same underlying issue seen from the other side: a Utility template containing
    promotional language. Remove the offer, discount, or call to buy — or resubmit it as
    Marketing and keep the wording.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="ABUSIVE_CONTENT">
    Flagged as abusive or policy-violating. Also triggered by content that only *looks*
    like a policy problem — aggressive urgency, all-caps demands, threats about account
    closure, or anything resembling a scam pattern. Rewrite it plainly.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## After a rejection

<Steps>
  <Step title="Read the reason on the template">
    Open the template — the rejection reason is shown on it. Do not guess.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit and resubmit">
    A rejected template can be edited and submitted again. You do not need to start over.
  </Step>

  <Step title="If it is rejected twice for the same reason">
    Change more than the wording. Twice usually means the category is wrong rather than the
    text, even when the reason given is about content.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Repeated rejections count against your WhatsApp Business account quality rating, and a low
  rating reduces how many messages you can send per day. Resubmitting the same template
  hoping for a different reviewer is a bad trade — fix the cause.
</Warning>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Send a broadcast" icon="bullhorn" href="/help/campaigns/broadcasts">
    Using an approved template to message many people at once.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect WhatsApp Business" icon="whatsapp" href="/help/channels/whatsapp-cloud-api">
    Templates need an official WhatsApp Business connection.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>