How do I create and approve WhatsApp templates in Whatsable?
Create WhatsApp message templates in Whatsable, submit them to Meta, read their status, send a test, duplicate one to change it, and use it in broadcasts, the inbox and the API.
A message template is a message that Meta approves before you send it. You need an approved template to start a conversation, and to write to anyone who has not messaged you in the last 24 hours. Inside that 24-hour window you can reply with free-form text.
In Whatsable, templates live under Templates in the main menu of the app (sign in). You create a template, Whatsable submits it to Meta, and you can use it once Meta approves it: in a broadcast, in the inbox, through the API, or from Make, Zapier and n8n.
Who can create templates
- Every plan. Templates are on Bulk Message, Pro and Agency, and on the free tier.
- Every role. An Owner, an Admin and a Member can all create, duplicate and delete templates. Bulk Message has one user, the owner.
- A connected number. A template is created for one WhatsApp Business number. With no number connected, the screen says No business number available and links to Business Numbers. See Embedding process and Connect WhatsApp with Coexistence.
A sample on your first number
When you connect your first WhatsApp number and that account has no templates yet, Whatsable copies one utility template from Meta's template library onto the account. Library templates are messages Meta already wrote. If Meta returns the copy as approved, Get Started asks for a phone number and sends that sample, so you can watch a message arrive before you write your own.
The copy is listed as Sample message. A later number, or an account that already has templates, is left as it is. If the copy is still pending, it shows under Templates once Meta approves it, and you can send it from there.
Create a template
- Open Templates and click New template.
- If you have more than one number, Whatsable asks Which number is this template for? Pick the number and click Continue. A template belongs to that number's WhatsApp Business Account for good.
- Fill in the sections below. The Submission check panel lists what is still missing, and the preview shows the message as the customer sees it.
- Click Submit for review. Whatsable sends the template to Meta.
Save draft keeps your work in this browser only. Reopen New template to continue. Another browser or another teammate does not see it.
Basics
- Template name: a name you can read, such as "Order shipped". See The template name.
- Language: one language per template. Other… takes a language code such as
fr_FR. A second language is a second template. - Category: pick the one that matches the message. Meta can reject a template whose category does not fit.
| Category | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Utility | Order updates, receipts, appointment reminders. Anything the customer asked for. |
| Marketing | Offers, launches, re-engagement. Needs an opt-out line and recipients who opted in. |
| Authentication | One-time codes. Meta writes and translates the body for you. |
Name, language and category lock after Meta's review.
Header (optional)
Choose None, Text, Image, Video or Document.
- Text: up to 60 characters, one variable at most, no emoji and no new lines.
- Image, Video or Document: upload a sample file. Meta reviews the sample. The real file is chosen each time you send. An image is a JPG or PNG up to 5 MB, a video an MP4 or 3GPP up to 16 MB, and a document (such as a PDF) up to 100 MB.
Body
The body is the main text, up to 1,024 characters. Insert variable adds a numbered placeholder: {{1}}, {{2}}, and so on. The toolbar adds bold, italic, strikethrough and emoji.
Meta's rules, which the editor checks as you type:
- The body starts with fixed text, not a variable.
- The body ends with fixed text, not a variable.
- Two variables never sit next to each other.
- Variables are numbered 1, 2, 3 with no gaps.
Example: Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has shipped.
Under Samples for review, give each variable a sample that reads as real data, such as "Nadia" or "A-4821". Meta rejects templates whose samples look like "test" or "xxx". The samples are only for the reviewer. The real values are filled in when you send.
Footer (optional)
Up to 60 characters, with no variables and no emoji. A Marketing template must say how to opt out, for example "Reply STOP to opt out".
Buttons (optional)
Up to 10 buttons in total. Button text is at most 25 characters.
| Button | Limit | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Quick reply | Up to 10 | The customer's tap arrives in the inbox as a reply with this text. |
| Visit website | Up to 2 | Opens a link. Static: every recipient opens the same URL. Dynamic: a value is added to the end of the URL at send time. |
| Call a number | 1 | Starts a call. |
| Copy offer code | 1 | Copies a code. You give a sample code; the real code is chosen at each send. |
Button URLs must use https, must not use a link shortener, and can only carry a variable in the path or the query.
Authentication templates
For an Authentication template, Meta writes the body and translates it by language. You choose the Copy-code label, how long the code lasts (Code expires after, 1 to 90 minutes), and whether to Add security recommendation, which adds "For your security, do not share this code."
The template name
Each template has two names:
- The name you type, such as "Order shipped". This is the name you see in Whatsable. Customers never see it.
- The name Meta uses, which Whatsable derives from yours: lowercase, with accents removed, each run of spaces and underscores turned into one underscore, and no underscore at either end ("order_shipped"). The API and automation tools address a template by this name.
The name can use letters, numbers, spaces and underscores. Accented Latin letters are allowed. Any other character is removed as you type, and a note names what was removed. The name must start with a letter. Letters with no Latin equivalent, and non-Latin scripts, are not accepted.
Two templates cannot share the same name and language. A deleted name cannot be reused for 30 days.
Review and status
After you submit, Whatsable shows Sent to Meta for review. Most templates are decided within 15 minutes; some take up to 24 hours. Submit campaign templates a day before you need them.
The Templates list groups templates by WhatsApp Business Account. Filter by Approved, Pending or Rejected, search by name or body text, or open Preview. Refresh asks Meta for the current status of every template.
- Approved: ready to send.
- Pending: Meta is still reviewing it. It cannot be sent yet.
- Rejected: open Why it was rejected to read Meta's reason, word for word, and what usually fixes it. The most common causes are the wrong category and samples that do not look like real data.
Statuses come from Meta and can change after approval. If customers block or report a template, Meta can pause it. Click Refresh before a large send to check that nothing was paused.
Templates that an AI agent wrote for its follow-ups are marked Written by the agent.
Send a test
Send an approved template to your own WhatsApp number before a broadcast. You check the variables and the message as the recipient will read it.
On Templates, three places open the same dialog:
- Send a test at the top of the page. You choose an approved template.
- Send a test in an approved template's menu. The template is already chosen.
- Send a test at the bottom of Preview for an approved template. Preview closes, then the dialog opens.
Pending and rejected templates do not offer Send a test.
Type the WhatsApp number that should receive the test, and a sample for each variable. For a header file, paste a link that starts with https://. If the template already keeps the file it was approved with, leave the link empty and Whatsable sends that file.
Send test sends the message. The dialog stays open and says Test sent. The button then reads Send again.
Meta bills a test the same way it bills any other template message. The price depends on the recipient's country, so the dialog does not show a cost.
The test also creates a contact and a conversation with that number. The message shows in your inbox, the same as a message you sent to a customer.
These approved templates still open the dialog, and Send test stays off:
- A one-time-password template.
- A coupon template.
- A template that uses a format Whatsable cannot fill, including named variables.
- A template whose account has no active number.
Change a template: duplicate it
Whatsable has no edit button for a submitted template. To change one, copy it:
- In the template's menu, click Duplicate to draft.
- The editor opens a copy named after the original with "copy" at the end, for example "Order shipped copy". Nothing is sent until you submit.
- Change what you need, rename it if you like, and click Submit for review.
What the copy leaves out:
- The header file. The header type stays selected; upload the file again.
- Parts the editor cannot build, such as carousel cards, a limited-time offer and some button types. A notice lists them.
- Named variables become numbered variables, in the order they appear.
The copy replaces the draft saved in this browser. If you have one, Whatsable asks first: Keep my draft or Replace and duplicate.
Once the new template is approved, delete the old one if you no longer need it.
Delete a template
In the template's menu, click Delete, then Delete template. Deleting removes the template at Meta as well. Automations that call it by name start failing, and the name cannot be reused for 30 days.
A template that any broadcast has used cannot be deleted, even when the broadcast has finished. A broadcast keeps the template it sent, so its results stay readable. Whatsable says so and deletes nothing, at Meta or in your list. To change what such a template says, duplicate it and use the copy.
When a template's account has no connected number left, Whatsable cannot reach Meta, so Remove locally removes it from your list only.
Where you use a template
- Broadcasts: send one approved template to a list. See Broadcasts.
- Inbox: start a conversation, or write again after the 24-hour window closes. See Team inbox.
- API v1: list templates, read the variables a send needs, and create a template. See Create a template.
- Automation tools: Make, Zapier and n8n send your approved templates.
A template belongs to one WhatsApp Business Account. Numbers on the same account share its templates. To send from a number on another account, submit the template again under that account.
What a template message costs
Meta bills each delivered template message, by category and by the recipient's country. Replies inside an open 24-hour conversation are free. Cost per message on the Templates screen lists Meta's rates by country and category, in US dollars, with the date they were last updated. Your Whatsable plan is billed separately; see Plans.
Related
Broadcasts
Send an approved template to a list of recipients.
Team inbox
Start a conversation with a template.
Plans
Bulk Message, Pro and Agency. Templates are on all three.
API v1: templates
List, read and create templates from your own code.
FAQ
Who can create a template in Whatsable?
Anyone on the team: an Owner, an Admin or a Member. Templates are on every plan. You need a connected WhatsApp Business number.
Where do I create templates?
Under Templates in the main menu. Click New template.
How long does Meta approval take?
Most templates are decided within 15 minutes; some take up to 24 hours. Click Refresh to check.
Can I edit a template after I submit it?
Not in Whatsable. Use Duplicate to draft, change the copy, and submit it as a new template. Then delete the old one if you no longer need it.
Why can't I find my template when I send from another number?
A template belongs to one WhatsApp Business Account. If the other number is on a different account, submit the template again for that number.
How do I check a template before I broadcast it?
On Templates, click Send a test and send the approved template to your own WhatsApp number. Meta bills it like any other message, and it also appears as a conversation in your inbox.
Why was my template rejected?
Open Why it was rejected in the template's menu. The usual causes are the wrong category (anything promotional must be Marketing) and samples that do not look like real data.
What variables can I use?
Numbered variables, {{1}}, {{2}} and so on, in order and with no gaps. The body cannot start or end with a variable, and two variables cannot sit side by side.