A template is a pre-built message that your team inserts into the chat by typing /. They serve two distinct purposes — and understanding the difference resolves most questions:
- Quick replies: texts you use often (welcome, directions, policies) and want to insert with a couple of keystrokes while the conversation is active.
- Meta-approved messages: the only ones WhatsApp allows you to send to start a conversation or to write after 24 hours from the customer's last message.
The 24-hour rule (why approved templates exist)
On WhatsApp API, you can write freely during the 24 hours after the customer's last message. Past that window — "I talked to the person yesterday and today it won't let me write to them" — WhatsApp requires using a Meta-approved template: the compose box indicates this with "Select a template with /..." and, if you try free text, you'll see "You must use a template to send this message."
💡 Templates you use within the 24-hour window as quick replies don't need approval: they're inserted as editable text and that's it. Only the ones that open a conversation (or reopen an expired one) need approval.
Create and manage your templates
Everything lives in the Templates section of the panel:
- Create the template with Create Template: name (lowercase, numbers, and underscores only, e.g.
customer_welcome) and the message Body. Optional: Header (short title, maximum 60 characters), Footer (maximum 60 characters), and up to 3 buttons — that's Meta's limit — of type Quick Reply, Web Link (text + URL), or Call (text + phone number). - With the Insert customer name {{1}} button, the message greets each contact by their name automatically.
- If you're going to use it outside the 24-h window or in campaigns, send it for approval with Send to Meta: you choose a Language — Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English, Portuguese, or French — and a Category (Utility, Marketing, or Authentication) and it goes to Pending.
- The status is shown in the WhatsApp Status column: Pending → Approved or Rejected (with the reason: "Reason: …"). Meta usually responds within 24–48 hours.
ℹ️ A template already sent to Meta can't be edited: create a new version and send it for approval. With Sync with Meta you can also bring in the templates you've created directly in Meta Business (including those with an image or video in the header), and with View in Meta Business you open the template directly in Meta's manager.
🖼️ If you want an approved template to be sent with an image, you have to create it from Meta, not from WeSpeak. In Meta Business you create the template with the image in the header and provide the image URL; then bring it into WeSpeak with Sync with Meta and it's ready to send with its image. Templates with an image created directly in WeSpeak don't carry the image header. You can create the template directly here: https://business.facebook.com/latest/whatsapp_manager/message_templates
Other useful actions in the section:
- Attach files: with Manage files → Upload files you can associate files with a template (up to 3 MB per file).
- Delete: deleting a template removes it from WeSpeak and from Meta too. If Meta doesn't allow deleting it at that moment, it's deleted locally and the system notifies you to remove it manually from Meta Business Manager.
Use them in the chat
- Type / in the compose box: the template list opens (you can keep typing to filter by name, and move with the ↑↓ arrows and Enter).
- Within 24 h: any template is inserted as editable text — adjust it and send.
- Outside 24 h (WhatsApp API): only the Approved ones appear selectable; pending or rejected ones are shown disabled with their status label. Before sending you see a preview of the template, with an ✕ to cancel and choose another.
- {{1}} is replaced on its own with the contact's name. It's the only variable that's filled in automatically: if your template has more variables, fill them in manually before sending.
- Outside 24 h, each message needs its own template — until the customer replies and the window reopens (the compose box unlocks instantly, without reloading).
ℹ️ If you have several WhatsApp numbers connected (multichannel), when creating or syncing a template you choose which WhatsApp Business number/account it's created on. If your numbers belong to different WhatsApp Business accounts, the template is available only on the chosen account.
Frequently asked questions
My template is approved but it doesn't get delivered.
The most common cause is on Meta's side, not the template: you need to set up the payment method and currency in your Meta Business Manager (template messages are a paid Meta service). Complete that and try again.
My approved template doesn't show up when creating a campaign.
Campaigns only accept templates without variables: if the content has {{1}} (or another variable), it isn't listed. Create a version without variables and send it for approval.
How much do templates cost?
Within the 24-h window, quick replies have no extra cost. Template messages that open a conversation are charged by Meta depending on country and category — official rates: https://business.whatsapp.com/products/platform-pricing. When building a campaign, WeSpeak shows you the approximate cost per message.
Can I make a closing template, not just a welcome one?
Yes — you can create templates for whatever you want (closing, reminder, payment details). Remember: only the ones sent outside the 24-h window need approval.
I need to reopen yesterday's inquiries and it asks me for a template, is that right?
Yes: if more than 24 h have passed since the customer's last message, it's the only way WhatsApp allows. Create the template, send it for approval, and then send it with /.
Is there a free alternative to pick a chat back up after it's expired?
If your number is still active on the phone (a connection that coexists with the app), you can send the first message from WhatsApp on the phone or WhatsApp Web and, when the customer replies, the window reopens in WeSpeak. With a pure API connection (no app), the way is the template.
I sent a template to another company and they say it didn't arrive.
WhatsApp doesn't deliver templates between two numbers that use the WhatsApp Business API: the recipient sees it as an "unsupported message" or doesn't see it at all. Even so, the recipient's 24-h window opens anyway, so that company can now write to you with free text. If the other company also uses WeSpeak, the template content is recovered and shown normally in their inbox.
Do templates work on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok?
As text quick replies, yes (with /). But the approved-template system is exclusive to WhatsApp: on Instagram/Facebook the window to reply is 7 days and on TikTok 48 hours from the user's last reply (once expired, TikTok only allows 3 more messages until they reply again) — there's no template that reopens those windows; you have to wait for the user to write again.