Why WhatsApp Templates Get Rejected (and How to Fix Them)

If you use the WhatsApp Business API, you will have a template rejected at some point. It happens to almost everyone, and there is no penalty for fixing and resubmitting.

What matters is changing something real between attempts. Sending the same text again gets the same answer.

Here are the reasons Meta rejects templates most often, and how to fix each one.

1. It reads like an advertisement

This is the most common reason by far. Meta's reviewers object to:

• CAPITAL LETTERS for emphasis
• Many exclamation marks
• Words like "FREE", "LIMITED TIME", "ACT NOW", "HURRY"
• Fake urgency
• Rows of emoji

Fix: write the message the way you would write to one customer, not a crowd.

Rejected:  🔥🔥 HUGE SALE!!! 50% OFF EVERYTHING!!! HURRY LIMITED TIME!!! 🔥🔥

Approved:  Hi {{1}}, our seasonal sale starts today. Everything in store
           is 50% off until Sunday. Reply STOP to opt out.

Same offer. One shouts, the other informs.

2. Wrong category

Every template is marketing, utility or authentication. A common mistake is submitting a promotional message as utility.

Utility means the message is about something the customer already did: an order, a booking, a payment. If the message carries an offer, or tells them about something they did not ask for, it is marketing.

Choosing utility does not make a promotion cheaper. Meta either re-categorises it or rejects it. For how categories affect cost, see WhatsApp Business API pricing in India.

3. Sample values that say nothing

Every variable like {{1}} needs a sample value, and Meta reads the samples to understand the message.

Rejected:  {{1}} = "xxx", {{2}} = "test", {{3}} = "abc"

Approved:  {{1}} = "Priya", {{2}} = "#10482", {{3}} = "Friday"

Realistic samples also help you spot mistakes in your own template.

4. The language does not match

Hindi text submitted as English, or Hinglish submitted as Hindi. Set the language to what the text actually is. For Hinglish written in English letters, English is usually the closer choice.

5. A link Meta cannot verify

• Link shorteners such as bit.ly are often refused.
• A domain with no clear connection to your business raises flags.
• A link that does not open gets rejected.

Fix: use links on your own domain, and make sure the page is live before you submit.

6. Asking for sensitive information

Card numbers, CVVs, passwords, OTPs the customer would send to you, Aadhaar or PAN numbers. Meta rejects these immediately, because that is exactly how phishing messages look.

Fix: send a link to a secure page on your website instead of asking for the information in chat.

7. Variables in the wrong place

Three rules catch many templates:

• Two variables cannot sit next to each other: {{1}}{{2}} is rejected.
• The message cannot start with a variable.
• The message cannot end with a variable.

Rejected:  {{1}}, your order is ready
Approved:  Hi {{1}}, your order is ready

8. Almost no fixed text

A template that is nearly all variables gives the reviewer nothing to check. Write enough fixed text that anyone can tell what the message is for.

9. It looks like a different business

If the template mentions a brand or company name that is not yours, Meta compares it with your verified business name and may reject it. This often happens when ready-made sample templates are submitted without replacing the example business details.

Authentication templates are different

For one-time passcodes, Meta writes the message body itself, for example "{{1}} is your verification code." You cannot change the wording or add your own buttons. If an authentication template is rejected, the content usually was not a passcode at all and belongs in another category.

After you fix it

Edit and resubmit. Decisions often arrive within minutes, sometimes within a day. There is no limit on attempts, but repeated rejections of the same kind can affect how Meta views your account — so if a template is rejected three times, change the approach, not just a few words.

When an approved template gets paused

This is a different problem. A template can be approved and then paused later because people who received it blocked or reported your number.

Do not just resubmit the same text. Ask why people reacted badly:

• Was it sent too often?
• Did it go to people who never asked to hear from you?
• Did the message deliver what its first line promised?

A template that is paused repeatedly can end up disabled, and complaints also lower your number's quality rating.

Write templates that get approved first time

• Write to one person, in a calm tone.
• Choose the honest category.
• Use real-looking sample values.
• Use your own domain for links.
• Include a simple way to opt out of marketing.

ONPAD shows each template's approval status in one place and keeps a full guide in our documentation: why a template was rejected. If you want to try it, start a 7-day free trial.