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What is this?

WhatsApp only lets you start a conversation, or write to a customer after the 24-hour window, with an approved template. When a template can’t be used, the send fails with one of the reasons below.

What can I do here?

  • Find why a template isn’t being accepted
  • Fix variables, language and approval problems
  • Understand paused and disabled templates

How to use it

Check a template is ready

  1. Go to WhatsApp → Templates.
  2. Find the template and check its status is Approved. A template that is pending, rejected or paused can’t be sent.
  3. When sending, make sure the language matches the one the template was approved in.
  4. Fill in all the variables. In a campaign, choose Free Text or a Custom Field for each, and add a default value for contacts whose field is empty.

Paused templates

WhatsApp pauses a template when customers block or report messages sent with it. A paused template can’t be sent until Meta re-enables it. To avoid it: message only people who opted in, keep the content relevant, and don’t send the same template to the same person too often.

Troubleshooting / Technical Notes

  • I can only pick approved templates. That’s by design — only approved templates are offered for sending.
  • My template was rejected. Open it in Templates to see Meta’s reason, edit it and submit again.
  • A template with a document or image header fails. Upload the header file when you create the campaign or send.
  • The same template works for some contacts but not others. A contact’s custom field used as a variable is probably empty — set a default value.
Last modified on November 3, 2026