Send WhatsApp Template

Overview

Send WhatsApp messages to your contacts using pre-approved templates. Perfect for:

Transactional notifications: Order updates, booking confirmations
Customer support: Appointment reminders, service updates
Marketing messages: Product launches, promotional offers (with opt-in)
Authentication: OTP codes, verification messages

Before sending messages, make sure to connect a WhatsApp Business Account by visiting the Channels section at app.minimo.it/channels.

WhatsApp Template Requirements

Unlike emails, WhatsApp messages must use templates approved by Meta (Facebook). This ensures:

User privacy and experience
Compliance with WhatsApp Business Policy
Reduced spam and unwanted messages

Template Approval Process

Create template in Minimo dashboard
Submit for approval to Meta
Wait 24-48 hours for review
Use approved template via API

Only templates with status: "APPROVED" can be used. Attempting to send with pending or rejected templates will fail.

Template Categories

WhatsApp templates must be categorized:

Category	Description	Use Cases	24h Window
`UTILITY`	Account updates, transactions	Order status, booking confirmation	No
`AUTHENTICATION`	OTP codes, verification	2FA codes, login verification	No
`MARKETING`	Promotional content	Product launch, special offers	Yes*

*Marketing templates require user opt-in and are subject to the 24-hour messaging window.

Phone Number Format

WhatsApp requires phone numbers in E.164 format:

+[country code][subscriber number]

Examples:

✅ +393391234567 (Italy)
✅ +12025551234 (US)
✅ +447700900123 (UK)
❌ 3391234567 (missing country code)
❌ +39 339 123 4567 (contains spaces)
❌ +39-339-123-4567 (contains dashes)

Always validate and format phone numbers before sending. Invalid numbers will result in failed messages and count against your quality score.

Template Variables

Templates support dynamic content with numbered placeholders: Template Example (created in dashboard):

Hello {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been confirmed!

Total: {{3}}
Estimated delivery: {{4}}

Track your order: {{5}}

API Request:

{
  "templateName": "order_confirmation",
  "phone": "+393391234567",
  "components": [
    {
      "type": "body",
      "parameters": [
        { "type": "text", "text": "Jane Doe" },
        { "type": "text", "text": "ORD-12345" },
        { "type": "text", "text": "$99.99" },
        { "type": "text", "text": "November 20, 2025" },
        { "type": "text", "text": "https://track.example.com/12345" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Variable numbering starts at {{1}}, not {{0}}. Order matters - map parameters in the exact sequence defined in your template.

WhatsApp Message Components

Templates can have multiple components:

Header (Optional)

Text, image, document, or video
Single dynamic variable supported

Body (Required)

Main message content
Supports multiple variables
Maximum 1024 characters

Additional info (e.g., “Reply STOP to opt-out”)
No variables allowed

Buttons (Optional)

Call-to-action buttons
Quick reply buttons
URL buttons with dynamic parameters

Use Cases

Order Confirmation

Send instant confirmation when an order is placed:

{
  "templateName": "order_confirmation",
  "phone": "+393391234567",
  "components": [
    {
      "type": "body",
      "parameters": [
        {"type": "text", "text": "Mario Rossi"},
        {"type": "text", "text": "ORD-789"},
        {"type": "text", "text": "€149.99"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Appointment Reminder

Remind customers about upcoming appointments:

{
  "templateName": "appointment_reminder",
  "phone": "+393391234567",
  "components": [
    {
      "type": "body",
      "parameters": [
        {"type": "text", "text": "Dr. Smith"},
        {"type": "text", "text": "November 15, 2025"},
        {"type": "text", "text": "10:30 AM"},
        {"type": "text", "text": "Via Roma 123, Milano"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

OTP Verification

Send one-time passwords securely:

{
  "templateName": "otp_code",
  "phone": "+393391234567",
  "components": [
    {
      "type": "body",
      "parameters": [
        {"type": "text", "text": "847592"},
        {"type": "text", "text": "5 minutes"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Shipping Update

Notify customers about delivery status:

{
  "templateName": "shipping_update",
  "phone": "+393391234567",
  "components": [
    {
      "type": "body",
      "parameters": [
        {"type": "text", "text": "ORD-12345"},
        {"type": "text", "text": "Out for delivery"},
        {"type": "text", "text": "https://track.example.com/12345"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Best Practices

Message Quality Score

WhatsApp monitors your message quality. Maintain a high quality score by:

✅ Only sending to users who opted in
✅ Sending relevant, timely messages
✅ Using clear, professional language
✅ Respecting the 24-hour window for marketing
❌ Avoid spam-like behavior
❌ Don’t send unsolicited messages
❌ Don’t exceed rate limits

Poor quality scores can result in: - Reduced sending limits - Template rejections - Account suspension

Phone Number Validation

Always validate before sending:

function isValidE164(phone) {
  // Basic E.164 validation
  return /^\+[1-9]\d{1,14}$/.test(phone);
}

if (!isValidE164(phone)) {
  console.error('Invalid phone number format');
  return;
}

Template Design Guidelines

Be concise: Keep messages short and clear
Add context: Include order numbers, dates, etc.
Include branding: Mention your company name
Provide value: Every message should be useful
Call-to-action: Make next steps obvious

Rate Limits & Messaging Tiers

WhatsApp enforces tiered messaging limits:

Tier	Daily Limit	How to Advance
Tier 1	1,000	Maintain quality score
Tier 2	10,000	Consistent quality + volume
Tier 3	100,000	High quality + high volume
Tier 4	Unlimited	Enterprise approval

Start at Tier 1, advance automatically with good performance.

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
`template_not_approved`	Template pending/rejected	Check status in dashboard, resubmit if needed
`invalid_phone_number`	Phone not in E.164 format	Add country code, remove spaces/dashes
`template_not_found`	Wrong template name	Verify template name in dashboard
`parameter_mismatch`	Wrong number of variables	Match template variable count exactly
`rate_limit_exceeded`	Messaging tier limit reached	Wait for reset or request tier upgrade
`recipient_not_on_whatsapp`	Phone number not on WhatsApp	Verify number is active on WhatsApp

Tracking & Analytics

Monitor message delivery and engagement:

Delivery status: Sent, delivered, read
Failure reasons: Why messages didn’t deliver
Response rate: How many users reply

Access analytics via the Get WhatsApp Template Stats endpoint or Minimo dashboard.

24-Hour Messaging Window

For Marketing Templates

After a user-initiated conversation, you have a 24-hour window to send marketing messages without requiring a new opt-in. User-initiated means:

User sends a message to your WhatsApp number
User clicks a WhatsApp link
User interacts with your WhatsApp ad

Outside the 24-hour window: Only UTILITY and AUTHENTICATION templates can be sent.

UTILITY templates (order confirmations, booking updates) can be sent anytime, regardless of the 24-hour window.

Compliance & Opt-In

Get explicit opt-in before sending WhatsApp messages
Keep records of consent
Honor opt-out requests immediately
Follow GDPR and local privacy regulations

Opt-Out Handling

Include opt-out instructions in templates:

Don't want to receive these messages? Reply STOP to opt out.

List WhatsApp Templates - View all available templates
Get WhatsApp Template Stats - View template performance (coming soon)

Authorizations

Authorization

string

header

required

Bearer authentication header of the form Bearer <token>, where <token> is your auth token.

Body

application/json

recipient

string

required

Phone number of the recipient including country code

Example:

"393471234567"

type

enum<string>

required

Type of message to send

Available options:

text,

template

Example:

"template"

text

string

Plain text message (used only if type is 'text')

Example:

"Hello, this is a plain text message."

template

object

Show child attributes

template.name

string

required

Name of the template registered in 360dialog

Example:

"order_confirmation"

template.components

object[]

List of components with parameters to fill template placeholders

Show child attributes

template.components.type

enum<string>

required

Type of the component

Available options:

HEADER,

BODY,

FOOTER,

BUTTONS

Example:

"BODY"

template.components.parameters

object[]

Parameters to interpolate in the template

Show child attributes

template.components.parameters.type

any

required

template.components.parameters.text

string

required

Example:

"John"

Response

Message sent successfully

status

integer

Example:

200

Overview

Core Data

Messaging Channels

Legacy (Deprecated)

Overview

WhatsApp Template Requirements

Template Approval Process

Template Categories

Phone Number Format

Template Variables

WhatsApp Message Components

Header (Optional)

Body (Required)

Footer (Optional)

Buttons (Optional)

Use Cases

Best Practices

Message Quality Score

Phone Number Validation

Template Design Guidelines

Rate Limits & Messaging Tiers

Common Errors

Tracking & Analytics

24-Hour Messaging Window

For Marketing Templates

Compliance & Opt-In

Opt-Out Handling

Authorizations

Body

Response

Overview

Core Data

Messaging Channels

Legacy (Deprecated)

​Overview

​WhatsApp Template Requirements

​Template Approval Process

​Template Categories

​Phone Number Format

​Template Variables

​WhatsApp Message Components

​Header (Optional)

​Body (Required)

​Footer (Optional)

​Buttons (Optional)

​Use Cases

​Best Practices

​Message Quality Score

​Phone Number Validation

​Template Design Guidelines

​Rate Limits & Messaging Tiers

​Common Errors

​Tracking & Analytics

​24-Hour Messaging Window

​For Marketing Templates

​Compliance & Opt-In

​User Consent Required

​Opt-Out Handling

​Related Endpoints

Authorizations

Body

Response

Overview

WhatsApp Template Requirements

Template Approval Process

Template Categories

Phone Number Format

Template Variables

WhatsApp Message Components

Header (Optional)

Body (Required)

Footer (Optional)

Buttons (Optional)

Use Cases

Best Practices

Message Quality Score

Phone Number Validation

Template Design Guidelines

Rate Limits & Messaging Tiers

Common Errors

Tracking & Analytics

24-Hour Messaging Window

For Marketing Templates

Compliance & Opt-In

User Consent Required

Opt-Out Handling

Related Endpoints