Message templates
Find your WhatsApp message templates, read their status and quality in each language, see their history and sync them from Meta.
A message template is a message Meta has approved in advance. You need one to start a conversation with a customer, or to message them after the 24-hour customer service window has closed (see The 24-hour window and templates). Broadcasts and flows send templates too.
Open your templates
Go to WhatsApp › Message templates. The page is headed Templates.
Each row is one template name. A template name can exist in several languages, and Meta reviews each language separately, so every language has its own status.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The template name and how many languages it has. Click it to open the template. |
| Category | Marketing, Utility or Authentication. |
| Status | One line per language: the language code, its status and its quality rating. Click a language code to open that language. |
| Last change | When the template last changed. |
If a language is paused or disabled by Meta, the row says so in words, for example "1 language cannot be sent right now."
Use the Status and Category filters to narrow the list. Click Clear filters to see everything again.
Template statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | Saved in IconEngage but not submitted. Only your team can see it, and it can't be sent. |
| In review | Submitted to Meta and waiting for a decision. It can't be sent or edited until Meta answers. |
| Approved | Meta approved this wording. Messages can be sent with it. |
| Rejected | Meta rejected this wording. Edit it and submit again. |
| Paused by Meta | Meta paused it over message quality. Every send through it fails until Meta lifts the pause. |
| Disabled by Meta | Meta disabled it over message quality. Every send through it fails, and it won't come back. Write a new template. |
To learn how review works and what to do about each status, see Template categories and approval.
Template quality
Meta also rates each approved template on how customers respond to it: High quality, Medium quality, Low quality or Not rated yet. The rating appears next to the status. Low-quality templates are the ones Meta may pause.
Open a template
Click a template name to open it. The page shows:
- the template name, its status and what that status means
- chips for its Category, Language and Meta template ID ("Not at Meta yet" for a draft)
- Languages of this template: links to each language. Each language is a separate template at Meta, so switching language opens a different page.
- Wording: the header, message, footer, buttons and example values, with a Preview beside them showing what the customer reads
- Details: Category, WhatsApp Business Account, Meta template ID, and when it was Submitted, Approved and last changed
- History: what has happened to the template
Template history
History lists events such as:
- "Submitted to Meta for review."
- "Status changed from In review to Approved."
- "Meta moved this template from utility to marketing." A change of category changes what each message costs.
- "Meta rated this template low quality."
- "The wording at Meta differed from the wording held here, and Meta's approved version won."
Sync from Meta
Statuses update on their own as Meta answers. To fetch the latest templates and statuses straight away, for example after creating templates in Meta's WhatsApp Manager:
- Go to WhatsApp › Message templates.
- Click Sync from Meta.
You'll see "Sync started. Statuses update as Meta answers." Templates created at Meta appear in the list.
Note: Templates that name their variables (for example {{customer_name}} instead of {{1}}) can be viewed but not edited or sent from IconEngage. Variables have to be numbered.
Delete a template
- Open the template.
- Click Delete template, then confirm.
The template is removed from IconEngage. A template Meta has already approved stays at Meta until it is deleted there. You can't delete a template that a campaign still uses.
Who can do this
| Task | Roles |
|---|---|
| See templates | Every role except Billing Administrator |
| Create and edit drafts, Sync from Meta | Owner, Admin, Marketing Manager |
| Submit to Meta | Owner, Admin, Marketing Manager |
| Delete a template | Owner, Admin |
Related
Still need help?
Write to us at [email protected] and tell us what you were trying to do. Already a customer? Sign in to IconEngage — the same articles are under Help in the app.