Dos and don’ts in WhatsApp Business API (WABA)

What is WABA and how does it differ from WhatsApp Business

Regular WhatsApp Business is perfect for small teams where two or three managers respond to customers manually. But as soon as the volume of inquiries grows to hundreds per day, the app’s capabilities become limited.

WABA works a little differently, as it is not an app but a software interface (API) that integrates into a company’s existing infrastructure, such as a CRM system, support service, in-house development or a no-code platform. Messages are sent and received automatically and, in any volume, without human intervention and without being tied to a specific device.

Message templates in WABA

Before discussing capabilities and limitations, it’s important to understand the platform’s basic operating principle. In WABA, you can’t simply reach out to a customer first, as you would in a regular messenger. Any outgoing message must be sent via a pre-approved template, which Meta* reviews and approves before use. This is how the platform protects users from spam and unsolicited messages and all WABA templates are divided into three categories. The cost of messages and the rules for their use vary by category.

• Marketing

This category covers everything related to promotions like sales, discounts, personalized offers, special terms for loyal customers, etc. Templates in this category are always paid. Starting in 2025, Meta* introduced a limit on the number of marketing messages a single user can receive in a row without responding. After sending two unanswered templates, the system suspends message delivery until the customer engages in a dialogue. This measure forces businesses to improve the quality and accuracy of their mailings.

• Utility

This category covers transactional and service messages, such as order confirmations, delivery statuses, appointment reminders, bill payment notifications, etc. Effective July 1, 2025, Meta* has changed its pricing structure; templates in this category sent during the open 24-hour service window are now free. Outside this window, they are charged at the standard rate.

It is important to note that a template in the “Utility” category must be strictly informational. If the text contains a promotional offer, a call to action, or any advertising element, Meta* will automatically reclassify the template as “Marketing.” Systematic violations result in a block on creating new templates for a period of 7 to 30 days.

• Authentication

This category is intended exclusively for security purposes, such as sending one-time passwords (OTPs), verification codes, or login links. Templates are billed at a separate, typically lower, rate. Discounts are available for high-volume sending.

Dos in WABA

Once you understand the logic behind the templates, it becomes easier to appreciate the true scope of the platform’s capabilities. WABA is not a “stripped-down” tool intended solely for service notifications; it has long since become a full-fledged communication platform with a wide range of use cases. Let’s look at the most common examples of what WABA offers users:

• Marketing campaigns

This point is worth clarifying first, because the misconception that advertising is prohibited in WABA is very common. In fact, marketing communications via WABA are fully permitted. Promotions, personalized offers, or announcements of new products—all of this is available through templates in the “Marketing” category. The key difference from unofficial solutions is that each such template undergoes preliminary verification by Meta* and the number of messages sent is limited by the limits described above.

• Transactional notifications

Templates in the “Services” category address the most common challenge for online businesses: keeping customers informed about their order status. Payment confirmations, delivery status updates, reminders about upcoming appointments, or notifications that documents are ready—all of these are sent automatically at the right time. And if the customer has a 24-hour service window open, such messages are not charged at all.

• Comprehensive customer service

When a customer reaches out to your company directly, a 24-hour window for open communication opens. During this time, agents can engage in natural conversations without relying on templates: clarifying details, resolving issues and providing detailed responses. Chatbots operate in parallel, handling routine inquiries. You can also connect chatbots which can handle simple customer queries.

• OTP and two-factor authentication (2FA)

Sending one-time codes via WhatsApp is an effective and popular alternative to SMS, especially in regions with unreliable text message delivery. The “Authentication” category templates are optimized specifically for this scenario and support automatic code copying to the user’s device.

• Collecting feedback

Post-purchase surveys or reviews are seamlessly integrated into the conversation. The customer responds directly in the messenger they use every day, without having to navigate to third-party forms or services.

Restrictions in WABA

WABA is an official product, and Meta* has established rules for it that protect users from unwanted communications. It’s important to understand these rules not to circumvent them, but to build communication within the established guidelines. Businesses that adhere to the messenger’s policies will ultimately see higher engagement metrics and fewer customer complaints. Let’s take a look at the restrictions that apply in WABA.

• New pricing

The old model of paying for a 24-hour conversation is a thing of the past. Now, each delivered template is billed separately. The exception is the “Services” category templates sent during the active 24-hour window, as they are still free. All incoming messages from customers are also free, with no limits.

• Limit on marketing messages

As mentioned earlier, Meta* limits the number of marketing templates a user receives in a row without a response. This measure is intended to strengthen the mechanism for monitoring communication quality. If this limit is exceeded, the system will simply not deliver the next message, returning an error code, until the customer engages in a dialogue. The higher the audience engagement, the less frequently this limit is triggered.

• Strict template categorization

Meta* analyzes the content of each template when it is submitted for review. If an advertising element is detected in the text of a utility template, it is automatically reclassified into the “Marketing” category, with all the resulting cost implications. Repeated attempts to “disguise” marketing content as service-related content result in a block on creating new templates for a period of 7 to 30 days.

• Restrictions on AI use

Starting in January 2026, Meta* updated the WhatsApp Business API (WABA) terms of service, prohibiting the use of WABA in cases where artificial intelligence serves as the primary product or a universal assistant. Chatbots based on ChatGPT and similar language models are permitted, provided they perform specific auxiliary tasks within business processes, but do not completely replace live communication as an end in itself.

• Compliance with Meta* policies and local laws

All content and use cases must comply with WhatsApp’s official commercial features policy. At the same time, businesses are solely responsible for complying with the laws of their country, specifically advertising regulations, consent requirements for messaging, and data protection laws.

Don’ts in WABA

Regardless of the template category or nature of your business, certain topics are strictly prohibited on WABA. These are requirements of Facebook’s Community Standards* and Commerce Policies; violating them will result in your account being suspended.

The promotion of dangerous goods and substances, as well as any services of a sexual nature and content related to human trafficking, is strictly prohibited. You may not use WABA to post job openings or for recruitment, to sell animals or their body parts, or to advertise medical devices, equipment, or dietary supplements.

Also prohibited are misleading, offensive, or hostile content, as well as the promotion of prescription drugs, narcotics, and psychotropic substances. You may not sell products that have been recalled or banned by regulators, stolen property, or digital subscriptions, downloadable content, and digital accounts.

Any actions that infringe on others’ intellectual property, including unauthorized copies of software, music, and movies, as well as counterfeit goods, are also prohibited. Finally, you may not use WABA to distribute content that does not have a specific commercial purpose, such as news, humorous material, or entertainment content.

GREEN-API’s unofficial WhatsApp channel

GREEN-API provides access to the WhatsApp API through an unofficial channel, allowing for more flexible use of the platform to address business needs. With GREEN-API, you can:

• Send messages with commercial content. GREEN-API offers greater freedom in sending messages with commercial content.
• Automate customer communication. GREEN-API offers a wide range of tools for automating customer communication.
• Integrate WhatsApp with other systems. GREEN-API easily integrates with CRM, ERP, and other systems, allowing you to automate business processes and improve customer service.
• Use a wide range of features. GREEN-API provides access to a variety of WhatsApp features, including sending text messages, images, videos, audio, geolocations, contacts, documents, stories, etc.
• Important! Using an unofficial WhatsApp channel carries certain risks, including possible account suspension. Please follow our recommendations regarding mass messaging.

Important: You do not need to purchase a WABA instance in your GREEN-API account. This is a key difference from connecting to an unofficial API. The WABA instance is created by our team during the connection process after you contact technical support.

Connecting to WABA via GREEN-API requires a few preparatory steps on your part, after which our team takes over the process and completes the connection. Let’s break down each step in detail.

Step 1. Prepare a phone number

WABA requires a separate phone number that you have access to and can receive SMS messages with a verification code on. This number must not be linked to an active WhatsApp account. Only one phone number can be registered per WABA account.

Step 2. Create a Facebook* account

If you don’t already have a personal Facebook* account, sign up at https://www.facebook.com/. After signing up, be sure to verify your email and phone number, as the next step—creating a business portfolio—will not be available without this.

Step 3. Create a business portfolio in Facebook* Business Manager (FBM)

This is the most critical step, as your WhatsApp Business account is registered under this business portfolio. Go to business.facebook.com and create a portfolio by filling in all the company details.

There are two important points here:

1) The business portfolio name must exactly match your organization’s official legal name, because this is what will be displayed on Meta* platforms and visible to customers. Special characters in the name are not allowed.

2) After creating the portfolio, go to its settings, open the “Company Information” section, and fill out every single field. Next, verify your corporate email and, if possible, enable two-factor authentication—this is to protect against employee turnover or account hacking.

Step 4. Prepare the company description

You will need a short text of no more than 139 characters, which must include the company’s official name (as listed in your business portfolio) and website address. This description is submitted to a GREEN-API specialist during setup and is used to verify your account.

Step 5. Register in the personal account

Go to the personal console and create an account. We strongly recommend using a corporate email address instead of a personal one—this prevents the account from becoming inaccessible if the employee who registered it leaves the company. After entering your information, confirm your registration with the code from the email.

Step 6. Contact GREEN-API’s customer support

After completing all the steps above, contact us to finalize the connection. Connection takes about 2 hours on business days (Mon–Fri, 11:00 AM–6:00 PM, GMT+3). You can reach us in WhatsApp or the Telegram support bot.

Step 7. Obtaining instance access parameters (optional)

After connection, four parameters for working with the HTTP API will appear in your personal account:

apiUrl — API host address

mediaUrl — host address for sending files

idInstance — unique instance identifier

apiTokenInstance — instance access key

You can change the key at any time yourself in your personal console or by contacting customer support.

Conclusion

The WhatsApp Business API (WABA) is an excellent tool for businesses, but it has certain limitations, especially regarding commercial content and the types of products and services promoted. If you or your business falls under these restrictions and you need greater flexibility in using WhatsApp, you should consider using the unofficial WhatsApp channel from GREEN-API. This will allow you to achieve your goals more effectively while avoiding account suspension, provided you follow our recommendations.