Conversational Components

Conversational Components are new in-chat features that you can enable for each business phone numbers. They make it easier for WhatsApp users to interact with your business.

You can configure easy-to-use commands, provide pre-written icebreakers that users can tap, and greet first time users with a welcome message.

This feature can be configured within the WhatsApp Business Manager. Access through the API is expected to be available later this year.

Welcome Messages

Activating Welcome Messages allows your business to automatically greet users opening your chat for the first time.

This feature can be particularly useful for enhancing service interactions like customer support or account management.

For example: embedding a WhatsApp button on your app or website directs users to WhatsApp, where they're can be met with a welcome message that provides context on how they can interact with you.

• If you enable this feature and a user messages you, Meta checks for an existing message thread between the user and your business phone number.

• If there is none, it triggers a messages webhook with type set to request_welcome. You can use this to then respond to the user with your own welcome message.

• The request_welcome webhook triggers a customer service window which allows your business to send free-form messages when responding to customers.

Webhook Payload

{
  "object": "whatsapp_business_account",
  "entry": [
    {
      "id": "<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID>",
      "changes": [
        {
          "value": {
            "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
            "metadata": {
              "display_phone_number": "<BUSINESS_DISPLAY_PHONE_NUMBER>",
              "phone_number_id": "<BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>"
            },
            "contacts": [
              {
                "profile": {
                  "name": "<WHATSAPP_USER_NAME>"
                },
                "wa_id": "<WHATSAPP_USER_ID>"
              }
            ],
            "messages": [
              {
                "from": "<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
                "id": "<WHATSAPP_MESSAGE_ID>",
                "timestamp": "<TIMESTAMP>",
                "type": "request_welcome"  // Indicates first time message from WhatsApp user
              }
            ]
          },
          "field": "messages"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Ice Breakers

Ice Breakers are customizable, tappable text options that appear in the message thread the first time a user starts a chat with your business. They help guide users on how to begin a conversation — for example:

“Plan a trip” or “Create a workout plan”.

Use Cases

Ice Breakers are ideal for service-oriented interactions, such as:

• Customer support

• Account management

• Guided onboarding or FAQs

You can also embed a WhatsApp button on your website or app that opens a chat window with pre-defined Ice Breakers.

When users tap the button, they are redirected to WhatsApp and presented with your list of suggested prompts.

Configuration

• You can set up to 4 Ice Breakers per business number in WhatsApp Manager.

• Each Ice Breaker can contain up to 80 characters.

• Emojis are not supported.

Use short, action-driven phrases that help users understand what they can do next — for example, “Track my order” or “Update payment method.”

Behavior & Webhook Response

When a user taps an Ice Breaker, it triggers a standard messages webhook event with the Ice Breaker text contained in the body field.

If the user chooses to type a message instead, the keyboard overlays the Ice Breaker list — but the menu can be dismissed to make the Ice Breakers visible again.

Limitations

If a WhatsApp user taps a universal link (i.e. wa.me link) configured with pre-filled text, the user interfaces for ice breakers are automatically dismissed.

Webhook Payload

{
  "object": "whatsapp_business_account",
  "entry": [
    {
      "id": "<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID>",
      "changes": [
        {
          "value": {
            "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
            "metadata": {
              "display_phone_number": "<BUSINESS_DISPLAY_PHONE_NUMBER>",
              "phone_number_id": "<BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>"
            },
            "contacts": [
              {
                "profile": {
                  "name": "<WHATSAPP_USER_NAME>"
                },
                "wa_id": "<WHATSAPP_USER_ID>"
              }
            ],
            "messages": [
              {
                "from": "<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
                "id": "<WHATSAPP_MESSAGE_ID>",
                "timestamp": "<TIMESTAMP>",
                "text": {
                  "body": "Plan a trip" //ice breaker string
                },
                "type": "text"
              }
            ]
          },
          "field": "messages"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Commands

Commands are predefined text strings that appear when a WhatsApp user types a forward slash (/) in a message thread with your business. They help users quickly discover and trigger available actions within your service.

Each command consists of:

• A command keyword, which the user types after /

• A hint, which briefly describes what the command does

Example:

/imagine - Create images using a text prompt

When a user types a command such as:

/imagine cars racing on Mars

WhatsApp will send a standard received message webhook containing the full text string as the body property.

Your backend or chatbot can then parse this command and, for instance, generate and return an image of cars racing on Mars.

Configuration

• You can define up to 30 commands per WhatsApp Business Account.

• Each command can have up to 32 characters.

• Each hint can have up to 256 characters.

• Emojis are not supported.

Use short, descriptive verbs for clarity — e.g., /trackorder, /cancelbooking, /checkstatus.

Behavior & Webhook Response

When a command is used, it triggers a webhook event containing the user’s full input string.

Example webhook payload:

{
  "object": "whatsapp_business_account",
  "entry": [
    {
      "id": "<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID>",
      "changes": [
        {
          "value": {
            "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
            "metadata": {
              "display_phone_number": "<BUSINESS_DISPLAY_PHONE_NUMBER>",
              "phone_number_id": "<BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>"
            },
            "contacts": [
              {
                "profile": {
                  "name": "<WHATSAPP_USER_NAME>"
                },
                "wa_id": "<WHATSAPP_USER_ID>"
              }
            ],
            "messages": [
              {
                "from": "<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
                "id": "<WHATSAPP_MESSAGE_ID>",
                "timestamp": "<TIMESTAMP>",
                "text": {
                  "body": "/imagine cars racing on Mars"
                },
                "type": "text"
              }
            ]
          },
          "field": "messages"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}