# WhatsApp message template

> A WhatsApp message template is a message a business writes in advance and submits to Meta for review before sending it through the WhatsApp Business Platform. Templates are the only messages a business can send outside the 24-hour customer service window. Each has a category, marketing, utility or authentication, can contain placeholders filled in at send time, and must be approved first.

Source: https://milvao.com/glossary/whatsapp-message-template · Updated 2026-11-05

## Key takeaways

- Needed whenever a business writes first, or more than 24 hours after the person's last message.
- Meta reviews each template automatically; the status must be approved before it can be sent.
- The category affects both review and price.

## When a WhatsApp message template is needed

Meta's template documentation says template messages are the only type a business can send to people outside a customer service window. That covers any message a business sends first, and any reply more than 24 hours after the person last wrote. Inside the window, businesses can reply with ordinary messages.

## How templates are reviewed

Templates are reviewed automatically when they are created or edited, and review can take up to 24 hours. A template must have the status approved before it can be sent. Meta can later pause or disable a template that gets negative feedback from the people receiving it, and a rejected template can be fixed or appealed.

## Categories, names and placeholders

- Category: marketing, utility or authentication. Meta checks the category during review, and it affects the price of each message.
- Name: lower-case letters, numbers and underscores, unique within a language.
- Placeholders: positional, like {{1}}, or named, like {{first_name}}, replaced with real values when the message is sent. Meta asks for example values when you create the template.

## Milvao's four templates

Milvao uses four utility templates on the community's own account: for offering a request to a member, sharing contact details after both agree, sending a request update and sending a profile link. The owner submits them from Milvao's settings with one button, and Milvao shows each one's status. Check your own drafts with the free [WhatsApp template checker](https://milvao.com/tools/whatsapp-template-checker).

## Frequently asked questions

### How long does WhatsApp template approval take?

Meta says review can take up to 24 hours. Many templates are reviewed much faster.

### Can I edit an approved WhatsApp message template?

Yes, but editing sends it back through review. While it is being reviewed again, check Meta's documentation for whether the earlier version can still be sent.

### Do I need templates to reply to a customer?

Not within 24 hours of their last message. Templates are needed only outside that window or when the business writes first.

## Sources

- [Meta for Developers: Template fundamentals](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/message-templates/guidelines) (checked 2026-11-05)

## Related pages

- [WhatsApp template checker](https://milvao.com/tools/whatsapp-template-checker)
- [WhatsApp 24-hour window](https://milvao.com/glossary/whatsapp-24-hour-window)
- [WhatsApp Business API](https://milvao.com/glossary/whatsapp-business-api)
- [Connect your WhatsApp number](https://milvao.com/help/team-and-settings/connect-your-whatsapp-number)