WhatsApp message template approval: create, submit and fix a rejection
Once a customer writes to you, you can reply freely. But if you want to start the conversation, or too much time has passed since the last message, you need a pre-approved template. You prepare the template in Chatinbox; Meta approves it.
If you start the conversation, or more than 24 hours have passed since the customer's last message, you need a pre-approved template. Chatinbox writes the template in the right category and submits it to Meta; Meta approves it. If it is rejected, the reason is read, the text or category is fixed and it is submitted again.
What you provide
- What the message is for
- The details that change (name, date, amount)
- When it should be sent
What Chatinbox handles
- Writing the template in the right category
- Setting up variables within the rules
- Reading a rejection and fixing it
- The three template categories and when each applies
- The most common reasons for rejection
- How to fix a rejected template
Three categories
Service notice
- Appointment reminder
- Order and shipping updates
- Payment and invoice notices
Authentication
- One-time codes
- Account verification messages
Marketing
- Campaigns and discounts
- New service announcements
- Win-back messages
The category is not a free choice: trying to send promotional content under a service notice is one of the most common reasons for rejection. Meta can also reclassify a template itself.
Step by step
Be clear about the purpose
What does the message tell the customer — a reminder, a campaign, a code? The category follows from that answer.
Write the text and place the variables
Details that change, such as name, date or amount, go in as placeholders. A message cannot begin or end with a variable, and variables are numbered in order.
Submit it for approval
The template goes from Chatinbox to Meta and enters review.
Meta decidesWatch the result
A template is approved, rejected, or sent to manual review. Review is usually quick; wording that raises a policy question can take longer.
Fix it if rejected
The stated reason is read, the text or the category is corrected, and the template is resubmitted. Sending the same text again unchanged does not work.
Chatinbox handles itMost common rejection reasons
Coming from the text
- Promotional content filed under a service notice
- Variables written incorrectly or out of order
- A message that starts or ends with a variable
- Text so generic that its purpose is unclear
Coming from policy
- Restricted products and services
- Templates paused after customer complaints
- Misleading or pressuring wording
Let's write your first templates together
In a 15 minute call we work out which of your messages need a template.
Meta's template rules and category definitions can change. This page was checked on 17 August 2026.
