{"id":31073,"date":"2026-07-27T10:57:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/botnation.ai\/support\/service-utility-marketing-authentication-what-are-the-different-types-of-whatsapp-business-messages\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T17:46:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T15:46:42","slug":"service-utility-marketing-authentication-what-are-the-different-types-of-whatsapp-business-messages","status":"publish","type":"support","link":"https:\/\/botnation.ai\/en\/support\/service-utility-marketing-authentication-what-are-the-different-types-of-whatsapp-business-messages\/","title":{"rendered":"Service, utility, marketing, authentication: What are the different types of WhatsApp Business messages?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the WhatsApp Business API, not all messages are created equal.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta distinguishes between four categories, each with its own usage rules and billing method. Here\u2019s what you need to know before building your scenarios on Botnation. <\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Four Categories of WhatsApp Business Messages<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Service Messages (Service)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are messages sent in response to a request initiated by the user. As soon as a contact messages you first, a <strong>24-hour conversation window<\/strong> opens. During this time, you can reply freely, without being required to use a template.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples: answering a product-related question, handling a complaint, providing real-time support.<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>GOOD TO KNOW<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Once the 24-hour window has expired, you can no longer send a free-form message. You\u2019ll need to use a Meta-approved template to resume the conversation. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\r\n    <div class='botnation-cta-block'>\r\n        <span class='botnation-cta-label'>Cr\u00e9ez votre agent conversationnel gratuitement<\/span>\r\n        <a href='https:\/\/start.botnation.ai\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=cta_support&#038;utm_campaign=botnation'\r\n           target='_blank'\r\n           rel='noopener'\r\n           class='botnation-cta-btn'\r\n           data-event='cta_article'\r\n           data-page='\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/support\/31073'>\r\n            C&#039;est parti !\r\n        <\/a>\r\n    <\/div>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Utility Messages (Utility)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These messages are sent at the company\u2019s initiative as part of a transaction already in progress with the user. They must be based on a <strong>template approved by Meta<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples: order confirmation, shipping notification, appointment reminder, payment notice.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Marketing Messages (Marketing)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are promotional or re-engagement messages sent to your contacts who have given their consent (opt-in). They also require a <strong>template approved by Meta<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples: promotional offers, back-in-stock alerts, abandoned cart reminders, new product announcements.<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>TIP<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Meta charges a different rate for marketing messages than for utility messages. Visit our page on WhatsApp conversation pricing to learn more. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Authentication Messages (Authentication)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Used to send one-time verification codes (OTPs) as part of a login or identity verification process. They are based on a specific template provided by Meta. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples: two-factor authentication code, account creation verification.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Summary of possible WhatsApp messages:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Type<\/th><th>Initiated by<\/th><th>Required template<\/th><th>Typical Use<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Service<\/td><td>The user<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>Response to a Request<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Utility<\/td><td>Company<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>Transactional Notifications<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Marketing<\/td><td>Company<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>Promotions, Re-engagement<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Authentication<\/td><td>Company<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>OTP Codes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categorie-support":[419],"class_list":["post-31073","support","type-support","status-publish","hentry","categorie-support-whatsapp"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/botnation.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/support\/31073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/botnation.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/support"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/botnation.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/support"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/botnation.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categorie-support","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/botnation.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categorie-support?post=31073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}