WhatsApp Template Approval: Steps, Rejections and Appeals
WhatsApp template approval is Meta’s review of each message template before you can send it. You submit the template with its category, language, text and sample values, and Meta decides within up to 24 hours. Most rejections come from badly placed variables, policy breaches or duplicates, and you can either fix and resubmit or appeal with a sample.
Step by step
- Pick the category. Choose marketing, utility or authentication. Utility is for updates about something the customer already did, marketing is for anything promotional, and authentication is for one-time codes.
- Name it and pick the language. Use a clear name you will recognise later, such as order_shipped. Pick the language your customers will read it in.
- Write the text. Keep it short and specific. Add variables as {{1}}, {{2}} and so on, in order, with words before the first and after the last.
- Add sample values. Give a realistic example for every variable, such as a real-looking name and order number. Reviewers judge the template using these.
- Add buttons or a header if you need them. Keep them consistent with the message. A utility update with a shopping button reads as marketing.
- Submit and wait. The template shows as in review. A decision can take up to 24 hours.
- Check the result. An approved template becomes active and can be sent. A rejected one shows the reason, and you can fix it or appeal.
Template statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| In review | Meta is checking the template. A decision can take up to 24 hours. |
| Rejected | The template was not approved. It can be edited and resubmitted, or appealed with a sample. |
| Active | Approved and sendable. Shows a quality of pending, high, medium or low. |
| Paused | Stopped because of low quality. It cannot be sent while paused. |
| Disabled | No longer usable. |
Source: Meta, Template review and Template quality, checked 31 October 2026.
Why templates get rejected
| Rejection reason | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Malformed variables | Write each variable exactly as {{1}}, {{2}} with double curly brackets and no spaces or names inside. |
| Non-sequential variables | Number variables in order with no gaps. Use {{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}}, never {{1}}, {{3}}. |
| A variable at the very start or end | Put words before the first variable and after the last. “Hi {{1}}, your order has shipped.” works. “{{1}}, your order has shipped” does not. |
| Commerce or business policy breach | Check that the product or service is allowed under WhatsApp’s commerce and business policies. |
| Abusive content | Remove threatening, offensive or misleading wording. |
| Too long | Cut the text to the update or offer itself. |
| Duplicate | Change the wording, or reuse the template you already have. |
Source: Meta, Template review, checked 31 October 2026.
Approved, but in which category?
Approval and category are two separate decisions. Meta classes mixed or unclear content as marketing. Since 9 April 2025 it can also re-categorise an approved template by default, which changes what each send costs.
To keep a utility template in utility, make it about one specific thing the customer did or agreed to, such as an order, a booking or an invoice. Leave out discounts, product suggestions and “shop now” buttons. Put those in a separate marketing template.
Source: Meta, Template categorization, checked 31 October 2026.
How to appeal a rejection
If you believe the rejection is wrong, you can appeal it. Include a sample of how the template will look with real values, so the reviewer sees it in context. Meta gives a decision within 24 hours.
Appeal when the template follows the rules and the reviewer has misread it. If the rejection names a real problem, such as a variable at the end, it is faster to fix the text and submit again.
Keeping a template approved
Approval is the first step. After that, each active template is rated green, yellow, red or unknown from customer feedback. A yellow rating can lead to the template being paused, and a paused template cannot be sent.
Send each template only to customers who expect it, keep marketing to people who opted in, and give an easy way to stop. Templates you do not use for 12 months are archived, so clear out old ones and keep a short, current set.
What this means for your business
Allow a day for review in any launch plan. A reminder or broadcast that depends on a new template cannot go out until it is active.
Most rejections are formatting mistakes, so check variables before you submit and you avoid the wait twice. Keep utility and marketing apart, because a mixed template is charged as marketing.
Quality decides whether an approved template keeps working. A template customers find useful stays active. One that draws negative feedback can be paused.
How AeroChat handles it
You can write a template in AeroChat with its category, language, header, buttons and sample values, and submit it to Meta from there. AeroChat shows the review status and any rejection reason in the dashboard, and brings in templates already approved in WhatsApp Manager. Broadcasts to opted-in customers are on the Growth plan and up.
Once a template is approved, it opens a conversation that a workflow can finish. A delivery template can lead into delivery updates, a reminder into appointment reminders and confirmations, and an unpaid invoice into payment reminders and collection. The data behind them can come from systems such as Xero or Google Sheets.
Questions
How long does WhatsApp template approval take?
A decision can take up to 24 hours. If you appeal a rejection, Meta also gives that decision within 24 hours.
Why was my WhatsApp template rejected?
The most common reasons are malformed or non-sequential variables, a variable at the very start or end of the text, a commerce or business policy breach, abusive content, text that is too long, and duplicates. The rejection reason tells you which one applies.
What happens to templates I stop using?
Templates you have not used for 12 months are archived. Unverified accounts can hold 250 templates and verified accounts with an approved display name up to 6,000, so clearing out old ones keeps your set easy to manage.
Does approval mean my template is in the category I chose?
Not always. Meta classes mixed or unclear content as marketing, and since 9 April 2025 it can re-categorise an approved template by default. Keep utility templates to the update itself.
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Related guides: WhatsApp message templates and why WhatsApp business accounts get restricted.