Direct Send

Send business-initiated Utility messages without creating a template first.

What is Direct Send

Direct Send lets you send business-initiated Utility messages without creating a template first. You send the content to the normal messages endpoint, add "category": "utility", and Meta creates and manages the matching template for you.

Use it when you send transactional updates that change per customer and you don't want to manage dozens of templates: order and shipping updates, appointment reminders, payment confirmations, account alerts.

Keep using regular templates for Marketing messages and anything with content Direct Send doesn't support (see Limits).

	Regular template	Direct Send
Create and approve template first	Yes	No
Where you send	/messages	/messages (same)
Extra field	type: template	category: utility
Price	Utility rate	Utility rate (same)
Template shows in WhatsApp Manager	Yes, yours	Yes, auto-created by Meta

Before you start

You need:

• A WhatsApp number connected to 360dialog on Cloud API, with an API key.

• A WABA in good standing (no recent policy violations).

• Content that is truly Utility: triggered by something the customer did or asked for, with no promotion in it.

Send your first message

Every Direct Send message is a normal Cloud API message plus "category": "utility". Pick the example closest to what you want to do.

Notify a customer (plain text)

Example: shipping update.

curl -X POST https://waba-v2.360dialog.io/messages \
  -H "D360-API-KEY: <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
    "recipient_type": "individual",
    "to": "<CUSTOMER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
    "type": "text",
    "text": { "body": "Hi Jane, your order #12345 has shipped and should arrive on March 20." },
    "category": "utility"
  }'

Ask the customer to confirm (reply buttons)

Example: appointment reminder with Confirm / Reschedule.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "<CUSTOMER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "button",
    "body": { "text": "Reminder: your appointment is tomorrow at 10:00." },
    "action": {
      "buttons": [
        { "type": "reply", "reply": { "id": "confirm", "title": "Confirm" } },
        { "type": "reply", "reply": { "id": "reschedule", "title": "Reschedule" } }
      ]
    }
  },
  "category": "utility"
}

Send the customer to a page (URL button)

Example: track your delivery.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "<CUSTOMER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "cta_url",
    "body": { "text": "Your package is out for delivery." },
    "action": {
      "name": "cta_url",
      "parameters": { "display_text": "Track package", "url": "https://example.com/track/12345" }
    }
  },
  "category": "utility"
}

Keep your template names (optional)

If your systems report by template name, set the name yourself with direct_send_config.template_name. Lowercase letters, numbers and underscores; unique in your WABA. Utility only, and access-restricted by Meta.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
  "type": "text",
  "text": {
    "body": "Hi Jane, your order #12345 has been shipped and is expected to arrive on March 20."
  },
  "category": "utility",
  "direct_send_config": {
    "template_name": "order_shipment_update"
  }
}

More detail: Business-named templates (Meta)

Drop messages that arrive too late (TTL)

For time-sensitive messages, set a time-to-live so WhatsApp drops the message if it can't be delivered in time. See Meta: Direct Send for the field and allowed range.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
  "type": "text",
  "text": {
    "body": "<BODY_TEXT>"
  },
  "category": "utility",
  "ttl_seconds": 600
}

What happens after you send

1. Meta checks whether your content matches a template you already have. If yes, it uses it.

2. If not, the message still goes out right away, and Meta creates a new template in the background (personal data removed, language detected).

3. Auto-created templates appear in the Templates API and WhatsApp Manager with names starting auto_generated_ and source=AUTO_GENERATED. You can't edit them.

4. Status webhooks work as usual and include a template_id, so you can see which template each message was billed against.

The category field controls the behaviour:

category	What happens
utility	Sent as a business-initiated Utility message, charged at Utility rates
omitted	Normal Cloud API behaviour: only works inside the 24-hour customer service window
anything else	Rejected with an error

Limits

You want to send	Supported
Text	Yes
Reply buttons	Yes
URL (call-to-action) buttons	Yes, max 2
Reply + URL buttons mixed	Yes, max 10 buttons total, max 2 URL
Image, video or document header	Access-restricted by Meta
Marketing content	No, use a Marketing template
Audio, sticker, location, contacts, address, reactions	No
Link previews (preview_url)	No

Text limits: body 1,024 characters, header and footer 60, button label 20. All Cloud API languages are supported. Throughput follows your number's normal Cloud API limits.

Full list: Supported features and limits (Meta)

Stay Utility, or lose access

Meta checks Direct Send content. If it looks like Marketing, you get a notice by email and webhook first. Repeated misuse leads to a 7-day suspension, then a 30-day ban, then permanent loss of Direct Send. Fix flagged content fast; if you think a flag is wrong, appeal to Meta.

Rule of thumb: if the message would still make sense with every promotional word removed, it's Utility.

See more about the Integrity and content guidelines

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Request rejected right away	Unsupported category value, or a message type Direct Send doesn't support	Use "category": "utility" and a type from Limits
Message only delivered to people who wrote to you recently	category missing, so it was sent as a service message	Add "category": "utility"
Content notice by email or webhook	Meta classified the content as Marketing	Remove promotional wording, or send it as a Marketing template
Message never arrived	TTL expired before delivery	Increase the TTL or drop it for non-urgent messages
Can't edit a template in WhatsApp Manager	It's an auto_generated_ template managed by Meta	Change the content you send instead

Error codes: Cloud API error codes (Meta)

Changes since the beta

For beta participants. Your existing integration keeps working; these are the differences.

	Beta	Now
Status (Utility)	Beta, enrollment form	Generally available
Buttons	Up to 3 reply buttons, or 1 URL button	Up to 10 buttons, max 2 URL, mixing allowed
Headers	Text only	Text; media headers access-restricted
Languages	Excluded zh, ja, ko, th, lo, ml, ar	All Cloud API languages
Template names	Auto-generated only	Optionally set your own (direct_send_config.template_name)
Webhooks	Standard	Status webhooks include template_id
Authentication category	Not available	Access-restricted by Meta

The beta enrollment form is closed.