WhatsApp message templates in Zymbler

A WhatsApp message template is a message Meta has approved in advance. It is the only kind of message you can send to a customer first, or once 24 hours have passed since they last messaged or called you. Create one in Zymbler under Channels, submit it, and use it once Meta approves it. Meta's rules here are as of October 2026.

Categories and price

Each template has one of three categories: marketing, utility or authentication. The category, together with the country code of the customer's number, sets the price Meta charges per delivered message. Meta bills this to your own WhatsApp Business account, not through Zymbler. To compare categories, use the WhatsApp pricing calculator.

Owners and admins can create templates while the account has an active number.

Rules Zymbler checks

• Names use lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only, for example quote_follow_up.
• Variables are numbered from {{1}}with no gaps. A variable can't be first or last in the body, and two can't sit next to each other.
• Body text only. Zymbler templates have no header, buttons or media.
• Marketing or utility only. Authentication templates can't be created in Zymbler. Create those in WhatsApp Manager.

An account with no templates offers three starters, all utility: follow_up_enquiry, quote_follow_up and appointment_reminder. Meta may file one under a different category, and the category it picks sets the price.

Review and status

Meta says a decision can take up to 24 hours. Zymbler refreshes the statuses from Meta each time you open the Templates page.

• Pending review: Meta is still checking it.
• Approved: you can use it.
• Rejected: the row shows “Reason:” followed by Meta's rejection code, such as INVALID_FORMAT. See WhatsApp template rejected.
• Paused: it can't be sent until Meta lifts the pause (see Meta's limits below). Other Meta statuses show as Meta names them, for example “disabled” or “in appeal”.

Templates created outside Zymbler, in WhatsApp Manager, also appear, marked “From WhatsApp Manager”.

Where approved templates are used

Only Approved templates with a text body show up in these places.

• The inbox, under Choose a template, once a chat's 24-hour window has closed.
• The Start conversation button, on a contact or in the inbox.
• Workflows, which send one approved template once to each contact who matches.
• The first message to a new lead from a Facebook lead ad. Only templates with 0 or 1 variables can be used here.

Meta's limits

• A business that isn't verified can have 250 templates per WhatsApp Business account. A verified business, with at least one number that has an approved Display Name, can have up to 6,000.
• An approved template can be edited up to 10 times in 30 days, and once in 24 hours. Zymbler has no edit button, so edit it in WhatsApp Manager. You can't change the category of an approved template.
• If you delete a template, Meta reserves the name for 30 days, so use a new name.

When a template gets poor customer feedback, Meta pauses it: for 3 hours the first time and 6 hours the second time. The third time, Meta disables it. Zymbler doesn't show template quality ratings. Check them in WhatsApp Manager.