Below you will find the main guidelines defined by Meta, organized by topics to facilitate usage in Zenvia Customer Cloud:

• Account activation
• Message templates
• Message delivery issues
• Quality rating of your number
• Messaging limit (Tier)
• 24-hour window

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Account activation

The activation process for the WhatsApp Business API requires your company to meet a series of prerequisites defined by Meta. The Zenvia team supports your company in validating and aligning all requirements.

Mandatory prerequisites

1. Contracting the WhatsApp channel: The first step is to contract the WhatsApp Business API channel with Zenvia.
2. Dedicated phone number: It must be a valid number, active with the carrier, and not linked to any WhatsApp account (neither personal nor Business App).
3. Company documentation:
   1. CNPJ (PDF document)
   2. Active and secure website, displaying the company name in the footer
   3. Corporate email (with the same domain as the website)
4. Access to Meta Business Manager: Profile with administrator permission in Meta Business Manager (Facebook). This Business Manager must belong to the company that will use the WhatsApp Business API.
5. Information for registration and validation:You will need to provide:
   • Company name
   • Full address (city, state, ZIP code)
   • Phone number
   • Official website
6. Display Name: Name that will be visible on WhatsApp to customers. It should reflect how your company presents itself on the website and is subject to Meta’s review and approval.
7. WhatsApp account details (optional):
   • Profile picture (640x640 px, JPG or PNG)
   • Business category
   • Description (up to 512 characters)
   • Address (up to 256 characters)
   • Email (up to 128 characters)
   • Website (up to 256 characters)

Number verification (Green badge)

Number verification turns your WhatsApp Business account into an Official Business Account, displaying the green badge next to your company name in the profile and conversations.

⚠️ Attention: Obtaining the badge is optional and does not affect API functionality. The final decision is made exclusively by Meta.

Requirements to request the green badge:

• Comply with WhatsApp policies:
  • WhatsApp Commerce Policy.
  • WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.
• Be a publicly recognized brand (with a consolidated digital presence and market credibility).
• Have the company verified in Meta Business Manager.
• Have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled for the phone number.

If you have questions or need help during the process, contact Zoe in the Zenvia Customer Cloud chat.

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Message Templates

Template Approval

The review and approval of message templates is done exclusively by Meta (WhatsApp). Zenvia does not interfere in the approval or rejection process.

The average approval time is up to 5 business days, but it may vary according to Meta's review.

Template Status

Track it directly in Zenvia Customer Cloud under Settings > Message Templates > WhatsApp, in the Status column. Use the status filter to facilitate searching.

The status is also sent by email to the requester.

⚠️ Attention: It is not possible to use webhook to monitor status. Updates are made directly in the interface.

Paused Status:
 Means the template violated WhatsApp Policies. The pause can occur twice:
→ First pause: 3 hours.
→ Second pause: 6 hours.
After two pauses, if there is no improvement in quality, the template will be Disabled and cannot be used anymore. It will be necessary to create a new one.

Rejected Template

If your template was rejected, you can edit it or create a new one to request a new review. Below, we list the main reasons for rejection:

1. Content does not comply with WhatsApp Business Policies:
   • Promotional content outside of policies or unsolicited messages are not allowed.
   • Words that suggest SPAM may lead to rejection.
   • Create messages that provide real value to the customer, considering the end-user experience.
2. Floating parameters:
   • Templates with only parameters and no surrounding text may be rejected.
   • Formatting errors:
   • Check for spelling mistakes, incorrect variable formats (such as missing curly braces {}) and other structural issues.
3. Violation of WhatsApp Business Policy:
   • Messages related to criminal activity, offensive content, or anything that violates the policy guidelines are prohibited.
   • Products or services being promoted must comply with the WhatsApp Commerce Policy.

To review WhatsApp policies, visit the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.

Edit or Delete Templates

Edit: You can edit templates with the statuses Approved, Rejected, or Paused, under the following rules:
→ 1 edit per day.
→ Up to 10 edits per month, per template.

Delete: You can delete approved or rejected templates, but deletion is permanent and irreversible.

Using Media in Templates

Media (image, audio, video, or document) is uploaded at the time the message is sent, either via campaign or customer service on Zenvia Customer Cloud.
When creating the template, you only specify the type of media that will be used.

The content of the media is not reviewed by Meta, but you must provide a sample when creating the template so that the media variable can be validated.

Allowed media types and limits:

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Message Sending Issues

Impact of Meta API Service Instabilities

Even during instabilities or outages, messages are queued. As soon as the service is restored, queued messages are automatically sent. No messages are discarded.

API Status Monitoring and Sending Errors

Meta provides a WhatsApp Business API Status Page with real-time information on availability, latency, and outages.

Messages with errors will appear with the status "pending," allowing tracking and management directly in the platform.

Blocking of Marketing Message Sending

WhatsApp limits the number of marketing messages a company can send to a person within a certain period, prioritizing conversations with a higher probability of being read.

• If the limit is exceeded, the messages are not delivered, and the API returns error 131026.

Important notes:

• The limit applies only to messages that initiate new marketing conversations.
• During an active conversation (open window), new messages can be sent as long as the user interacts.

Recommendations to avoid blocking:

• Monitor API error codes, especially 131026, to identify users who have reached the limit.
• Avoid resending messages immediately to impacted users; wait a longer interval before trying again.
• Review sending frequency and volume to ensure alignment with policies and reduce the risk of future blocks.

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Quality Rating of Your Number

Each WhatsApp number has a quality rating that can be in one of three statuses:

• High (green): Good performance with no issues.
• Medium (yellow): Moderate spam or block rate.
• Low (red): High spam or block reports, with a risk of being banned.

If the number stays in Low status for too long, it may be banned by WhatsApp.

Number Statuses on WhatsApp

Numbers can have one of the following five statuses:

• Connected: Working normally.
• Offline: Not connected.
• Pending: Waiting for integration or approval.
• Flagged: Low-quality alert (red); it may return to normal if the quality improves within 7 days.
• Restricted: Number has exceeded the message limit and can only reply to user-initiated messages.

Impact of Message Templates on Number Quality

Poorly designed templates or templates sent to users who do not wish to receive them can lead to spam reports and negatively affect the number’s quality. To avoid this:

• Follow WhatsApp's best practices.

• Personalize messages to make them relevant to your target audience.

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Message Limits (Tiers)

Message limits define the maximum number of conversations a business number can initiate within 24 hours using marketing, utility, or authentication templates.

• The initial limit is 250 conversations per day for all numbers.
• This limit can be increased to:
  • 1,000 conversations (Tier 1) — manual increase.
  • 10,000 conversations (Tier 2) — automatic increase.
  • 100,000 conversations (Tier 3) — automatic increase.
  • Unlimited — for numbers with excellent performance and quality.

The limit increase depends on the number being in Connected status and maintaining a good quality rating. Numbers with low quality remain at the initial limit until their rating improves.

Message Sending Rate (Pacing)

The sending rate is adjusted to gradually distribute messages over 24 hours, respecting the daily limit. If the number’s quality is low, pacing may be extended, reducing the sending frequency to maintain system integrity. Regularly monitoring your number's performance is essential to optimize limits and delivery.

Impact of Number Quality on Your Account

Low number quality can lead to penalties such as:

• Downgrading to Tier 1 for 7 days.
• Sending restrictions.
• Permanent ban by WhatsApp if the quality does not improve.

You can check the quality status and tier of your number by opening a ticket at atendimento.zenvia.com.

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24-Hour Window

WhatsApp Business allows your company to communicate freely with customers within a 24-hour window, starting from when the company sends a message or the customer replies.

During this period, you can send different types of content, such as text, videos, photos, documents, location, and contacts, without needing message templates or prior approval.

Using Message Templates During an Open Window

You are allowed to send templates even during the 24-hour window, but it's important to be aware of the current billing model.