WhatsApp platform
Template category
Template category is Meta's classification of a WhatsApp template as marketing, utility, or authentication, which determines both what it may contain and what it costs.
Also calledmarketing templateutility templateauthentication template
Marketing covers promotions and anything that sells. Utility covers messages about a transaction the customer already has, such as an order update. Authentication covers one-time passcodes. Meta may reclassify a template on review, and getting the category wrong is a common reason for rejection or an unexpected bill.
More in WhatsApp platform
Worth knowing alongside it.
- Message template
- A message template is a message format submitted to Meta for review in advance, which a business may then send to a customer outside the conversation window with variables filled in.
- Template rejection
- Template rejection is Meta declining to approve a submitted WhatsApp template, usually because of its category, its content, or missing example values for its variables.
- Per-message pricing
- Per-message pricing is Meta's current WhatsApp billing model, which charges for each delivered template message according to its category and the recipient's country.
- Opt-in
- An opt-in is a recorded agreement from a customer to receive messages from a business on a specific channel for a specific purpose.