WhatsApp Business messaging rules explained

WhatsApp feels informal to customers, but for businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform it comes with a fairly detailed rulebook: who you can message, when you can reply freely, which messages need approval, how you’re charged, and what happens if people report you.

This post walks through the main rules as Meta documents them, in plain English. This is general information, not legal advice. Meta updates these rules and prices regularly, so we link to the official pages for each point; check them before you make decisions. Local laws on marketing messages and privacy also apply on top of Meta’s rules.

Rule 1: get opt-in first

The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy says you may only contact people on WhatsApp if they have given you their mobile phone number (or username) and opted in to receive messages from you (WhatsApp).

Meta’s opt-in guidance adds the specifics (Meta for Developers). Businesses must:

• “clearly state that a person is opting in to receive communication from the business,”
• “clearly state the business’s name that a person is opting in to receive messages from,” and
• comply with the laws that apply to them.

Meta lists accepted ways to collect opt-in, including SMS, a website, an IVR phone flow, and in person or on paper. It also suggests getting opt-in that covers the categories of messages you’ll send, or separate opt-in by category, to reduce the risk of people blocking you.

In practice: add a separate, unchecked WhatsApp checkbox to your form that names your business and says what you’ll send, and store when and how each person agreed. Texting consent isn’t WhatsApp consent; keep them separate. See SMS consent management for record-keeping habits that apply to both.

Honor opt-outs everywhere

The policy says you must respect all requests, “either on or off WhatsApp,” to block, discontinue or otherwise opt out (WhatsApp). If a customer tells a rep on the phone to stop the WhatsApp messages, that counts.

Rule 2: the 24-hour customer service window

Meta’s documentation: “When a WhatsApp user messages you or calls you, a 24-hour timer called a customer service window starts.” If they message or call again before it expires, the timer resets to 24 hours (Meta for Developers).

Window status	What you can send
Open (customer contacted you in the last 24 hours)	Service messages, which don’t need pre-approval, plus templates
Closed	Only pre-approved template messages

Meta also notes that you can only message users who have opted in, whether or not a window is open. Opening a window doesn’t replace opt-in.

Rule 3: templates and their categories

Templates are the messages you submit for approval so you can start or restart conversations. Meta sorts them into three categories (Meta for Developers):

Category	Meta’s description	Examples
Marketing	Goals “from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers”	Promotions, new services, re-engagement
Utility	“Follow up on user actions or requests”; must be non-promotional	Appointment confirmations, quote or invoice notifications
Authentication	“Verify a user’s identity”	One-time passcodes

Rules worth knowing:

• Mixed content is marketing. Meta lists “an order update with a promo” as an example of mixed content treated as marketing. Templates with unclear content, such as only a placeholder, are treated as marketing too.
• Meta recategorizes templates. If Meta decides an approved utility template should be marketing, it updates the category, normally with a one-day notice. Businesses warned for misuse don’t get that notice.
• Authentication misuse leads to rejection. Marketing or utility templates that Meta decides should be authentication are changed to rejected on the first day of the following month.
• You can appeal. Meta gives you 60 days to review and appeal category changes in Business Support Home.

Rule 4: how pricing works

Meta’s pricing page says that effective July 1, 2025, Meta charges on a per-message basis, replacing per-conversation pricing, and only for messages from businesses to users (Meta for Developers). Rates vary by the message’s category and the recipient’s country calling code, and you’re charged when a message is delivered.

Two changes took effect on October 1, 2026, according to the same page:

• Service messages are charged again. Service messages had been free since November 1, 2024. Now each business phone number gets 1,000 delivered service messages free per month, which reset monthly without rollover, and Meta charges “as of the 1,001st service message per month.” Eligible government and non-profit organizations keep service messages free beyond that allowance.
• Utility templates inside an open window are charged. These had been free since July 1, 2025.

Meta also describes a free entry point window: when someone messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad, your response opens a window of up to seven days in which Meta doesn’t charge for marketing, utility, authentication or service messages, with some exceptions.

We don’t list rates here because they vary by market and change. Use Meta’s page for current numbers, and keep promotional content out of utility templates so you aren’t surprised by marketing charges.

Rule 5: quality ratings matter

Meta watches how people react to your messages, and that affects what you can send.

Message quality. Meta says it determines message quality from how users received your messages over the past seven days, based on “user feedback signals such as blocks, reports, mutes, archives” (Meta for Developers). You can see your number’s quality rating in WhatsApp Manager.

Template quality. Each template has a rating (Meta for Developers):

Rating	Meaning
Green	High quality; little to no negative feedback
Yellow	Medium; negative feedback or low read rates, may soon be paused or disabled
Red	Low; at risk of being paused or disabled soon
Unknown	Not enough data yet; new templates start here

If a template’s status changes from approved, you can’t use it until it’s approved again.

Rule 6: messaging limits

Messaging limits cap how many unique WhatsApp users you can send messages to outside customer service windows in a moving 24-hour period (Meta for Developers). Key points:

• New business portfolios start at 250 unique users per 24 hours.
• Limits can rise to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 or unlimited.
• To reach 2,000, Meta lists paths including business verification, or sending to 2,000 unique users in 30 days using high-quality templates.
• Higher levels scale automatically when you send high-quality messages and use at least half your current limit over the last seven days.
• Limits are set at the business portfolio level and shared by all its phone numbers.

For a small business, 250 conversations a day outside windows is often plenty. The bigger lesson is that low-quality blasts hold back growth.

Rule 7: the Business Messaging Policy

A few policy points catch businesses out (WhatsApp):

• Human escalation. Automation is allowed, but you “must also have available prompt, clear, and direct escalation paths,” such as transferring to a human in the chat, a phone number or an email address.
• No sensitive identifiers. Don’t share or ask people to share full payment card numbers, financial account numbers, personal ID card numbers or other sensitive identifiers.
• Keep chats private. You may not forward or share information from one customer’s chat with another customer.
• Enforcement. WhatsApp may limit or remove your access, or limit your ability to send messages, if you violate its policies.

Rule 8: the Commerce Policies

If you sell goods or services through catalogs or other commerce features, the policy says you must comply with Meta’s Commerce Policies. Those list prohibited categories such as weapons, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, adult products, and medical and healthcare products, and they treat some categories, including services, as restricted (Meta). Most contractors, realtors and agencies won’t hit these limits, but check before you build a catalog.

Where Exa fits

Exa connects to WhatsApp through the WhatsApp Business Cloud API. Approved templates and the 24-hour window are handled, and WhatsApp opt-in and template rules are applied server-side. WhatsApp consent is stored separately from email, SMS and call consent, with its source and evidence. For how to run WhatsApp sales day to day, see the WhatsApp CRM guide.

Final thoughts

WhatsApp’s rules boil down to a few habits: get clear opt-in, reply while the window is open, keep templates honest about their category, watch your quality signals, and give people a way to reach a human. Pricing and limits change more often than the principles, so check Meta’s pages before you plan a campaign.

If you also text customers, the US texting rules work differently; TCPA-friendly texting covers them.