# Opt In ### Overview Businesses are required to obtain opt-in permission before initiating conversations with people on WhatsApp. Opt-in confirms that a person agrees to receive communications from a specific business. Collecting valid opt-in is the responsibility of the business and must comply with applicable laws and WhatsApp policies. A business may contact a person on WhatsApp only if: * The person has provided a mobile phone number, and * The business has received permission confirming the person wishes to receive messages or calls from that business. Business-initiated conversations must use approved Message Templates that comply with WhatsApp policies and applicable regulations. ### Opt-In Requirements Businesses must follow the below requirements when obtaining opt-in: * Businesses must clearly state that a person is opting in to receive communication from the business * Businesses must clearly state the business’s name that a person is opting in to receive messages from * Businesses must comply with applicable law ### Opt-in methods It is up to businesses to determine the method of opt-in, that they have obtained opt-in in a manner that complies with laws applicable to their communications, and that they have otherwise provided notices and obtained permissions that are required under applicable law\.As long as the opt-in method meets the above requirements, it will be policy compliant. The following are examples of supported opt-in methods: * **SMS** – Users confirm consent through a text-based interaction. * **Website forms** – Opt-in collected via online signup or checkout flows. * **Phone or IVR flows** – Consent provided during a call or automated voice interaction. * **In-person or paper forms** – Physical documents signed by customers. * **Messaging channels** – Opt-in gathered through existing customer communication channels. * In a **WhatsApp Thread** during the first customer-initiated conversation ### Opt-in best practices Businesses should continue to optimize for the user experience while obtaining opt-in. For example: * Users should expect the messages they receive. Businesses can set this expectation by: * Obtaining an opt-in that encompasses the different categories of messages that a business will send (ex: order updates, relevant offers, product recommendations, etc.). * Obtaining separate opt-in by specific message category. This mitigates the risk that users will block a business because they receive unsolicited messages. * Provide clear instructions for how people can opt out of receiving specific categories of messages, and honor these requests. * Ensure opt-in and opt-out flows are clear and intuitive for users. * Businesses should clearly communicate the value of receiving this information. * Businesses should monitor quality rating, especially when rolling out new opt-in methods. ### Maintaining high quality Driving high-quality chat threads between people and businesses is still a top priority. People can share feedback with WhatsApp or choose to stop receiving marketing messages from individual businesses. People can also block or report a business. Meta systems will rate-limit businesses if the business’s quality is low for a sustained period of time. We may also reactively evaluate user feedback to flag policy violations and develop additional types of enforcement over time.