> ## 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.
# Overview
> Template categories, button types, CPR, and how templates flow through approval
A **template** is a pre-approved message structure you can send at any time,
regardless of whether a 24h session is open. Meta approves templates per
category, language, and content. Until a template is `approved`, you cannot
use it.
## Category
Every template has exactly one category. Meta prices and enforces each one
independently:
Promotions, product launches, offers, newsletters, event invites.
Highest user friction — treat opt-in like marketing email.
Transactional updates tied to an existing user action: order confirm,
shipping, receipt, password reset, appointment reminder.
OTPs and verification codes. Dedicated layout with COPY\_CODE button
or ONE\_TAP subtypes. Lowest cost but narrowest content.
Meta can reclassify a template post-approval based on content heuristics
and user signals. The ApifyCloud console flags this with a **category
change indicator** on the template list and detail view.
## Structure
A template is assembled from:
* **Header** (optional): `TEXT`, `IMAGE`, `VIDEO`, `DOCUMENT`, or
`LOCATION`. Text headers allow one variable.
* **Body** (required): the main content, plain text with optional
variables (`{{1}}`, `{{2}}`, … or named like `{{first_name}}`).
* **Footer** (optional): a short trailing line (no variables).
* **Buttons** (optional): up to the Meta-allowed count, mixing allowed
types.
## Variables and personalisation
Template bodies and many button types accept **variables** —
placeholders you fill in at send time so the same template
personalises per recipient.
Two naming styles, both supported:
* **Indexed**: `{{1}}`, `{{2}}`, `{{3}}`, …
* **Named**: `{{first_name}}`, `{{order_id}}`, `{{amount}}`, …
Pick one style per template and stay consistent. Named variables are
easier to read in complex templates; indexed ones are more compact
for short messages.
### Where variables can appear
| Location | Variables allowed |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Body | Any number |
| TEXT header | Exactly one (or none) |
| Footer | None |
| URL button | At most one, and it **must** be at the end of the URL |
| QUICK\_REPLY label | None |
| PHONE\_NUMBER | None (phone is a constant) |
| COPY\_CODE | None on the label; the code itself is the body variable |
| VOICE\_CALL | None |
### Filling variables at send time
* **Campaign**: the wizard maps each variable to a column of the
contact list (or a constant)
* **Direct message (Messages tab)**: the composer asks for each
variable's value
* **Flow**: the Template node maps variables to flow variables or
contact attributes
* **Public API**: variable values are passed in the request body
### Sample values for Meta's review
When submitting a template, you must provide **sample values** for
every variable. Meta uses them to render the template during review
— so use realistic examples (`Ana`, `A-10042`, `$1,250`), not
placeholders like `FIRSTNAME` or the literal `{{1}}`. Sample values
don't affect actual sends; they're only for review.
## Languages
Templates are language-scoped. `en`, `es`, `pt_BR`, `es_AR`, `fr`,
`de` — Meta supports \~90 locales. A single template **name** can
exist in multiple languages; each language is submitted and approved
separately.
## Button types
A tap inserts the button's text as the user's reply. Most common
choice for starting a flow or collecting yes/no/option feedback.
Opens a URL in the user's browser. Can contain **at most one
variable**, and the variable must be at the **end** of the URL
(e.g., `https://example.com/orders/{{1}}`).
Opens the phone dialer with the configured number. Not compatible with
`VOICE_CALL` buttons on the same template.
Copies a code (OTP) to the user's clipboard. Used inside Authentication
templates.
Initiates a WhatsApp voice call to your business inside the WhatsApp
app. Configured with a TTL in minutes (1 to 43,200, default 10,080 /
7 days) after which the button is no longer tappable.
Only visible when voice calling is enabled on the app. Not compatible
with `PHONE_NUMBER` buttons.
### Call Permission Request (CPR) flag
A template can be flagged as a **CPR** (`is_cpr = true`) if it has at
least one `VOICE_CALL` button. Sending a CPR template to a user asks for
their permission for your business to call them inside WhatsApp.
Rules:
* CPR requires at least one `VOICE_CALL` button
* CPR is mutually exclusive with **most** other flags and with
`PHONE_NUMBER` buttons
* Only templates in `approved` status **and** flagged as CPR can be
selected as the CPR template in a Call Permission Request
The CPR toggle appears in the template editor only when the template has
at least one `VOICE_CALL` button.
## Status lifecycle
| Status | What it means |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `draft` | Created in the console, not yet submitted to Meta |
| `pending` | Submitted; Meta is reviewing (minutes to a few hours, up to 24h for novel content) |
| `approved` | Meta approved; usable everywhere (messages, campaigns, widgets) |
| `rejected` | Meta rejected, with a reason. Can be edited and resubmitted |
| `paused` | Approved but temporarily paused by Meta due to low quality signals. Can recover |
| `disabled` | Permanently disabled by Meta after severe or repeated negative feedback. Create a new template |
| `archived` | Auto-archived after 12+ months of inactivity; deleted after another 28 days if unused |
| `missing` | Used to exist but can no longer be found — stale or deleted |
Only `approved` templates are selectable for sending. The picker
shows all statuses but disables non-approved entries with a reason.
Full walkthrough of approval, pausing, disabled, and archival:
[Approval flow](/guides/whatsapp/templates/approval).
## Edit restrictions post-approval
Meta is strict about what you can change once a template is approved:
| Field | Editable after approval? |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Name | No |
| Language | No |
| Category | Only if the template is in `rejected` state |
| Header | Limited (content yes, type no, depending on Meta) |
| Body | Limited |
| Footer | Limited |
| Buttons | Limited |
The console disables fields you can't edit and explains why.
## Limits
Meta enforces per-template edit rate limits. When you reach them,
the template editor surfaces the remaining quota and blocks further
edits until the window rolls over — so you don't burn an edit on a
typo.
## Sync
Templates stay in sync whether you authored them in ApifyCloud or in
your provider's dashboard — approval status, rejection reasons,
category changes, and new templates flow both ways automatically.
## What's next
How submission works, reasons for rejection, and how to handle
them.
Marketing, Utility, Authentication, and when to use each.
Copy-and-adapt patterns you can submit for approval.