> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.apifycloud.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Template categories > Marketing, Utility, Authentication — what each means, how Meta categorizes and reclassifies templates, and how to avoid surprises Every template you submit carries **one category**. The category controls three things: what content is allowed, how the message is moderated, and how it's priced. Choosing the wrong category is the single biggest cause of template rejections and unexpected cost jumps. Official Meta reference: [Template categorization](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/business-management-api/message-templates#template-categorization). ## The three categories Promotions, product launches, offers, newsletters, event invites, back-in-stock notifications. Subject to per-user marketing limits. Transactional updates tied to an existing user action: order confirmations, shipping status, account alerts, receipts, appointment reminders. One-time passwords and verification codes, and nothing else. Dedicated layout with COPY\_CODE button or ONE\_TAP subtypes. Narrowest content. ## Picking the right category Match the category to the **user's expectation**, not your internal classification: | If the message is… | Category | | ---------------------------------------------- | -------------- | | Promoting something the user could say "no" to | Marketing | | A response to something the user just did | Utility | | A code to verify an identity or a login | Authentication | When in doubt, **Marketing** is the safer choice — it's the highest moderation bar but it won't auto-reject for being "too promotional". Submitting a promotional template as Utility almost always gets rejected or reclassified. ## Authentication – International Authentication has a regional sub-category — **Authentication – International** — applied in specific high-risk markets (Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UAE, and others). The category you submit is still `AUTHENTICATION`; Meta automatically applies the International rate when the recipient is in one of those markets. You don't pick Authentication-International in the editor. It's a pricing overlay Meta applies at delivery time. ## How Meta decides a template's category In the template editor you pick `MARKETING`, `UTILITY`, or `AUTHENTICATION`. Meta runs automated checks against the content (body, header, footer, buttons, variables). Review typically takes minutes to a few hours; complex content may take up to 24 hours. If the content doesn't match the submitted category, Meta can: * **Reject** the template and ask you to resubmit in the right category * **Auto-reclassify** and approve under a different category than you picked Meta keeps watching usage and feedback on approved templates. Templates that drift (e.g., an approved Utility template being used for promotions) can be reclassified later, retroactively affecting pricing on future sends. ## Reclassification after approval Reclassification happens when Meta determines, post-approval, that a template's content or usage pattern is a better fit for a different category. What triggers it: * The template's content is clearly a different category than what was approved * Users block or report the template at rates inconsistent with the approved category * Meta updates its category definitions globally (rare but happens) What you'll see: * **Category change indicator** on the template list and detail view * The **old category** and **new category** both shown * A timestamp for when the change took effect * Past sends are **not re-billed**; future sends are priced under the new category ## Quality rating Approved templates carry a quality rating that updates over time based on user engagement: | Rating | What it signals | | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **High** | Minimal negative feedback, good read and reply rates | | **Medium** | Some negative signals; worth reviewing content or audience | | **Low** | Significant negative feedback or poor read rates; at risk of pausing | The rating is visible on the template detail view. A low rating is your warning signal to iterate on content before Meta pauses the template (see [Template approval — pausing](/guides/whatsapp/templates/approval)). ## Category and editability | Field | Editable after approval? | | -------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | Category | Only while `draft` or after a `rejected` state | | Name | No | | Language | No | | Content | Limited (subject to Meta's edit rate limits) | If you need to change the category on an approved template, you generally have two paths: wait for a rejection that unlocks category editing, or submit a new template with the correct category from the start. ## How to avoid category-change surprises "Your order has shipped 🎉 Don't miss 50% off your next purchase!" is a promotional message wrapped in a transactional shell. It will get reclassified sooner or later — submit it as Marketing from day one. Any marketing-like content in an Authentication template is grounds for rejection or reclassification. Codes, short supporting context, and nothing else. A template that dropped to Medium or Low quality is being flagged by users. Review content and audience before Meta pauses it — recovery from paused is slower than fixing early. Variables that could push the content's intent (e.g., a Utility template where `{{1}}` is often a promo code) raise reclassification risk. Design variables around transactional facts. ## Call Permission Request (CPR) — a category-level flag A **CPR** is a template flag (not a category of its own) that applies to templates containing at least one `VOICE_CALL` button. When sent, a CPR asks the user to grant or deny permission for your business to call them inside WhatsApp. Rules: * A template can be flagged as CPR only if it has at least one `VOICE_CALL` button * CPR templates are mutually exclusive with `PHONE_NUMBER` buttons * CPR uses the underlying template's category for pricing and moderation (usually Utility) ## What's next What happens after submission, rejection reasons, and how templates get paused or disabled. How each category is charged and which scenarios are free. The per-user cap Meta applies to Marketing templates specifically. Copy-and-adapt patterns for Marketing, Utility, and Authentication templates.