WhatsApp OTP templates that get approved
One-time passcodes have their own template category with its own rules. Get the category wrong and the message either fails review or gets billed as something else.
Authentication templates
OTPs must be submitted in the authentication category. Meta restricts what these may contain, and that restriction is the point: an authentication template cannot carry marketing.
- {{code}} is your Verdant Bank verification code. It expires in 10 minutes. Do not share it with anyone.
- Your Nimbus login code is {{code}}. Valid for 5 minutes. Nimbus will never ask you for this code.
- {{code}} is your one-time password for Kavya Jewellers. Do not share this with anyone, including staff.
Never put an offer, a link or a greeting in an authentication template. It will be rejected, and if it slips through it undermines the anti-phishing warning.
The warning line matters
"Do not share this code" is not filler. It is the line that protects customers from the most common social-engineering attack, where someone calls claiming to be support and asks them to read the code aloud.
Adding "we will never ask you for this code" makes the attack noticeably harder, because the customer has been told in the same message that the request is illegitimate.
Why send OTPs on WhatsApp at all
Delivery. SMS in India routes through carriers with variable reliability and real delay, and DLT registration adds friction. WhatsApp delivery is typically faster and its delivery status is observable.
It is also where the customer already is, which reduces the app-switching that causes drop-off during checkout or signup.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put my logo or an offer in an OTP message?
No. The authentication category prohibits promotional content, and mixing the two is both a rejection risk and a security problem.
How fast do WhatsApp OTPs arrive?
Usually within seconds, and you get a delivery status, which SMS in India often does not give you reliably.
What if the customer does not have WhatsApp?
Fall back to SMS. Most implementations try WhatsApp first and fall back automatically if delivery fails.
More templates
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