> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.zaapi.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.zaapi.com/integrations/whatsapp-business/template-messages.md).

# Template messages

### Overview

WhatsApp Business message templates are predefined messages that businesses can send to customers. You must use a template when you’re messaging someone for the first time or when it’s been more than 24 hours since their last message; templates are also required for broadcast messages.

Every template must be approved by Meta to confirm it complies with WhatsApp’s Business and Commerce Policies—this usually takes a few minutes but can take up to 48 hours. Sending a template starts a business-initiated conversation and is billed based on your location and the template category. Learn more about WhatsApp pricing [here](https://business.whatsapp.com/products/platform-pricing).

### **How to create template messages in Zaapi**

* Go to Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp → Template Manager. A default template (`zaapi_re_engagement_template`) is already created for you.
* Click “Create new template”
* Select the WhatsApp Business Account that will use this template.
* Enter a template name (letters, numbers, and underscores only).
* Choose a category:
  * Marketing – promotional content, special offers, etc.
  * Utility – transactional updates, e.g., order confirmations, shipping updates.
* Choose the language.
* Compose the template (as needed): Header, Body, Footer, and Buttons.
  * Follow the “Optimizing Variables: Best Practices” to ensure all content with variables meets Meta’s guidelines.
* Click Submit for review. The status will show Pending first, then Approved (or Rejected if it doesn’t meet Meta’s policies).

### The mandatory opt-out footer

Every **Marketing**-category template you create in Zaapi carries a fixed opt-out footer. The field is read-only in the template builder — you can't edit or remove it. It reads, in the template's language:

| Language   | Footer                                 |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------- |
| English    | Reply STOP to unsubscribe              |
| Thai       | ตอบกลับ STOP เพื่อยกเลิกการรับข้อความ  |
| Indonesian | Balas STOP untuk berhenti berlangganan |
| Malay      | Balas STOP untuk berhenti melanggan    |
| Filipino   | Sumagot ng STOP para mag-unsubscribe   |
| Lao        | ຕອບກັບ STOP ເພື່ອຍົກເລີກການຮັບຂໍ້ຄວາມ  |
| Vietnamese | Trả lời STOP để hủy đăng ký            |

Templates in any other language use the English footer.

This is intentional. An easy opt-out is the alternative to being blocked or reported — and blocks and reports are what damage your quality rating and your tier. A customer who replies STOP costs you one contact. A customer who blocks you costs you a little of every future broadcast's deliverability.

**Utility**-category templates have an editable footer (up to 60 characters), because they're transactional and not subject to the marketing opt-out requirement.

### Template quality rating

Meta gives every approved template its own quality rating, based on how recipients react to it. Blocks, reports and "not interested" responses pull the rating down; normal engagement keeps it healthy. The rating is per template, not per account — one bad template doesn't drag down the rest of your library.

A template isn't rated straight away. Meta needs it to have been sent to enough recipients first, so newly approved templates show as **Not yet rated** until they've had some traffic.

#### Where to find it

* **Settings → WhatsApp Templates** — the **Quality score** column shows the current rating for every template.
* **The template picker** — in a chat, or when building a broadcast, the rating appears as a badge next to each template name.

Hover the badge to see what the rating means.

#### What each rating means

| Rating             | What it means                                                                                              | Can you send it? |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| **High quality**   | Meta has rated this template as high quality based on positive recipient engagement.                       | Yes              |
| **Medium quality** | Meta has rated this template as medium quality.                                                            | **No**           |
| **Low quality**    | Meta has rated this template as low quality due to negative feedback from recipients.                      | **No**           |
| **Not yet rated**  | Meta hasn't rated this template yet. Ratings appear after the template has been sent to enough recipients. | Yes              |

#### Sending is blocked at medium and low quality

Zaapi stops a template from being sent as soon as its rating drops to medium or low. This applies everywhere a template can go out:

* **In chats** — the template can't be selected in the picker, and you'll see *"Sending is unavailable for templates rated medium or low quality"* if you try to send it.
* **In broadcasts** — the broadcast is marked **Failed** and no messages are sent. This check runs when the broadcast actually goes out, so a scheduled broadcast can fail on a rating change that happened after you scheduled it.
* **In workflows and automations** — the send step fails.

This is a deliberate guardrail, and it's stricter than Meta's own behaviour. Meta pauses a low-quality template only after it has already accumulated negative feedback, and continued sending is what escalates from a paused template to a downgraded messaging tier and eventually a restricted phone number. Blocking at medium quality stops that chain early, while the problem is still one template rather than your whole account.

#### If a template drops to medium or low

The rating recovers on its own if the template stops generating negative feedback — but it won't recover while you keep sending it, and you can't send it anyway. What to do:

1. **Read the template again as a customer would.** Is the offer relevant to everyone who received it? Is it clear which business it's from? Does it look like a mass message?
2. **Check who you sent it to.** A good template sent to a poorly targeted audience gets reported. Tighten your targeting before you rewrite the copy.
3. **Edit it, or replace it.** Approved templates can be edited up to 10 times in 30 days, or once in any 24-hour window. If the concept itself isn't working, create a new template rather than editing the same one repeatedly.
4. **Reduce how often you send it.** Repetition to the same contacts is one of the fastest routes to reports and blocks.

Ratings update automatically — Meta notifies Zaapi whenever a template's rating changes, so the badge reflects the current state without you needing to refresh anything.

#### Template quality vs. phone number quality

These are two separate ratings and it's worth knowing which one you're looking at:

|                      | Template quality rating         | Phone number quality rating                   |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Applies to           | One template                    | Your whole WhatsApp Business number           |
| Where to see it      | Settings → WhatsApp Templates   | Connect → WhatsApp accounts                   |
| Effect when it drops | That one template can't be sent | **No** templates can be sent from that number |
| Also affects         | —                               | Your daily messaging tier                     |

A single template rated low is a copy or targeting problem. A *number* rated low is an account-health problem, and it blocks every template you have — so treat template ratings as the early warning.