Summary
Creating WhatsApp message templates requires following specific formatting rules to ensure they are approved quickly. This guide explains the naming conventions, content formatting, and translation requirements for message templates. Following these guidelines will help streamline the approval process and improve message management.
Note: Meta has a new rule for marketing templates: you can’t use more than 550 characters or 10 emojis. If your template has an issue with character limits, you’ll see an error code after delivery: 2388040.
WhatsApp Template Message Guidelines Update
WhatsApp is reinforcing its rules for message templates to ensure that business messaging remains high-quality and effective. Here’s what you need to know:
Key Template Rules
Parameter limits: Templates cannot have too many placeholders (parameters) compared to the message length.
Example:
❌ Too many parameters:
Hello {{1}}, your order {{2}} for {{3}} has been shipped to {{4}}. Track it here: {{5}}
✅ Correct usage:
Hello {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been shipped. Track it here: {{3}}
Parameter placement: Templates cannot start or end with a parameter.
Example:
❌ Invalid:{{1}}, your appointment is confirmed.
✅ Valid:Hi {{1}}, your appointment is confirmed.
What this means for you:
Currently, templates that don’t follow these rules are created but immediately rejected.
Starting October 1, 2025, such templates will not be created at all. You will receive a clear error message explaining why the template was rejected, so you can fix it before resubmitting.
Template Category Misuse
Using marketing or utility templates for identity verification (instead of authentication templates) may now face stricter enforcement.
The notice period for template rejection in these cases has been reduced from 30 days to 7 days (already in effect).
Tip: Always check that your templates are in the correct category and follow WhatsApp’s parameter rules to avoid rejections.
Instructions
Template Naming Rules
When naming your WhatsApp message template, ensure that it follows these guidelines:
Use only lowercase alphanumeric characters and underscores (_).
Avoid spaces, special characters (except underscores), or capital letters.
Choose a descriptive name to make it easier for both WhatsApp reviewers and your team to manage templates.
Examples of Correct Template Names:
✅ shipping_update
✅ order_followup1
✅ payment_reminder
Examples of Incorrect Template Names:
❌ ShippingUpdate (Uses capital letters)
❌ order follow-up (Contains spaces and hyphen)
❌ message_124a! (Contains special characters other than underscore)
Tip: A clear, meaningful template name speeds up the approval process. Avoid random or unclear names like message_124a.
Template Content Rules
To ensure your template is formatted correctly and gets approved, follow these content guidelines:
Must be text-based (letters, digits, special characters, emojis, and WhatsApp-specific formatting).
Maximum length: 550 characters for Marketing templates and 1024 character for Utility and Authentication templates.
For Authentication templates, the message body can only use the preset from Meta. You can still add more instruction in the template footer.
Cannot include:
New lines or tab spaces.
More than four consecutive spaces.
Use double curly brackets (
{{ }}) for variables (e.g.,{{customer_name}}).The template name field has a maximum limit of 512 characters.
WhatsApp Business Accounts can create up to 100 message templates per hour.
Example of a Correct Template Content:
Hello {{name}}, your order #{{order_number}} has been shipped and is expected to arrive by {{delivery_date}}.
Example of an Incorrect Template Content:
Hello {{ name }}, your order #{{ order_number }} has been shipped and is expected to arrive by {{ delivery_date }}.
❌ Extra spaces, incorrect variable formatting, and unnecessary new lines.
Template Translations
You can send message templates in multiple languages, but WhatsApp does not provide automatic translations. If you want to send messages in different languages, you must submit each translated version separately.
Translations must follow the same formatting rules as the original template.
Ensure the placeholders (
{{variable}}) remain consistent across all translations.
Following these guidelines will help you create WhatsApp message templates that meet WhatsApp's approval requirements and ensure smooth communication with your customers. If you encounter any issues, check your template formatting and naming before resubmitting.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General questions
1. What are WhatsApp message templates?
WhatsApp message templates are pre-approved messages used by businesses for communication with customer. They must follow specific formatting rules to ensure approval.
2. Why do message templates get rejected?
Templates are rejected if they violate rules for naming, formatting, parameters, or category usage.
Template requirements
3. What are the character limits for message templates?
Marketing templates can have up to 550 characters, while Utility and Authentication templates can have up to 1024 characters.
4. What are the rules for parameters in templates?
Templates cannot have too many placeholders compared to message length, and placeholders cannot be the first or last text in the template.
5. Are there rules about spacing and formatting?
Yes. Templates cannot include new lines, tab spaces, or more than four consecutive spaces. Variables must use double curly brackets like {{name}}.
6. Are emojis limited?
Yes. Marketing templates cannot contain more than 10 emojis.
Naming and categorization
7. What naming rules should I follow for templates?
Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores. Avoid capital letters, spaces, and special characters.
8. What happens if a template is submitted under the wrong category?
Incorrect category usage, such as using a marketing template for authentication, can lead to quicker rejection, with a reduced notice period of 7 days.
Troubleshooting
9. What should I do if my template is rejected?
Check the error message, review formatting and naming rules, fix the issue, and resubmit.