Authentication Templates
Last updated
Last updated
Starting April 1, 2024, any existing authentication template that is not an authentication template with a one-time password button cannot be sent, edited, or appealed. Authentication templates are available in India since July 1, 2024.
Authentication templates enables businesses to authenticate users with one-time passcodes (usually 4-8 digit alphanumeric codes), potentially at multiple steps in the login process (e.g., account verification, account recovery, integrity challenges).
If your mobile app offers users the option to receive one-time passwords or verification codes via WhatsApp, you must use an authentication template.
It's appropriate to use an authentication template when:
Providing an authentication code to the user
"{{1}} is your verification code."
"{{1}} is your verification code. For your security, do not share this code."
"{{1}} is your verification code. This code expires in 15 minutes."
Authentication templates include optional add-ons like security disclaimers and expiry warnings. In addition, authentication templates must have a one-time password button (copy code or one-tap).
It consist of:
Fixed preset text: <VERIFICATION_CODE> is your verification code.
An optional security disclaimer: For your security, do not share this code.
An optional expiration warning: This code expires in <NUM_MINUTES> minutes.
Either a one-tap autofill button, a copy code button, or no button at all if using zero-tap.
URLs, media, and emojis are not supported. Because authentication templates with OTP buttons only consist of preset text and buttons, their risk of being paused is significantly minimized.
This feature is enabled by default by Meta and does not require code changes. It cannot be configured or customized. It is only available on Cloud API.
Authentication templates now feature linked device security. This means that authentication messages are only delivered to a user's primary WhatsApp device.
Authentication messages that are sent to a user's linked devices are masked with a prompt instructing the user to view the message on their primary device.
Authentication templates must include either a copy code or one-tap autofill button. Buttons behave differently when tapped by a user:
A copy code button copies the one-time password or code to the user's clipboard. The user can then manually switch to your app and paste the password or code into your app's interface.
A one-tap autofill button automatically loads and passes your app the one-time password or code.
Zero Tap Authentication Templates allow your users to receive one-time passwords or codes via WhatsApp without having to leave your app. See See Zero-Tap Authentication Templates to learn how to use them.
Authentication Templates requires changes to your application in order to perform a "handshake" with Meta, and your app's signing key hash.
See Meta's Official documentation for Handshake and App Signing Key Hash.
If Meta is unable to deliver a message to a WhatsApp user, they will continue attempting to deliver the message for a period of time known as a time-to-live.
If Meta is unable to deliver an authentication template for an amount of time that exceeds its time-to-live, they will stop retrying and drop the message. If the time between your authentication template message send request exceeds the time-to-live and you receive no webhook, assume it was dropped.
To override the default time-to-live when creating an authentication template, include the message_send_ttl_seconds
property with a value set between 60
and 600
seconds.
Confirm the user's WhatsApp phone number before sending the one-time password or code to that number.
Make it clear to your user that the password or code will be delivered to their WhatsApp phone number, especially if you offer multiple ways for the user to receive password or code delivery. See Template Messages for additional tips.
When the user pastes the password or code into your app, or your app receives it as part of the one-tap autofill button flow, make it clear to the user that your app has captured it.
See more of Meta best practices to follow before you enable zero-tap authentication templates for WhatsApp business accounts
You can use the Partner API to create authentication templates. Alternatively, you can also create it using the 360dialog Hub.
Use the create template endpoint and assemble the authentication components in the request:
The base-url should be https://waba-v2.360dialog.io
for Cloud API and https://waba.360dialog.io
for On-Premise.
As announced in November 2023, Meta is transitioning to a fully Cloud-hosted WhatsApp Business Platform and will stop supporting On-Premise API in October 2025. Starting from On-Premise client v2.53, all new feature updates will be exclusively delivered to Cloud API. While the On-Premise API client will receive quarterly releases, they will focus solely on bug fixes and security patches.
POST
https://waba-v2.360dialog.io/v1/configs/templates
The message template name field is limited to 512 characters. The message template content field is limited to 1024 characters.
D360-API-KEY
string
name*
string
components*
array[objects]
Array of objects that describe the components that make up the template.
category*
string
Allowed values: AUTHENTICATION
language*
string
Upon success, the API will respond with a JSON object describing the newly created template.
The components
value in the request must be an array of objects that describes each component that makes up the template. Authentication templates must have the following components:
a single body component
a single footer component
a single OTP Button component
<ADD_SECURITY_RECOMMENDATION>
Optional.
Boolean. Set to true
if you want the template to include the string: For your security, do not share this code. Set to false
to exclude the string.
true
<CODE_EXPIRATION_MINUTES>
Optional.
Integer. Indicates number of minutes the password or code is valid.
If omitted, the code expiration warning will not be displayed in the delivered message.
Minimum 1, maximum 90.
5
<OTP_TYPE>
Enum. Indicates button type. Set to COPY_CODE
if you want the template to use a copy code button, or ONE_TAP
to have it use a one-tap autofill button.
ONE_TAP
<TEXT>
String. Copy code button text.
Maximum 25 characters.
'Copy Code'
<AUTOFILL_TEXT>
One-tap buttons only.
String. One-tap button text.
Maximum 25 characters.
'Autofill'
<PACKAGE_NAME>
One-tap buttons only.
Your Android app's package name.
'com.example.myapplication'
<SIGNATURE_HASH>
One-tap buttons only.
'K8a%2FAINcGX7'
Sample request with components descriptions
Sample Copy Code Button Components Value
Sample One-tap Autofill Button Components Value
POST
https://waba-v2.360dialog.io/messages
name
String
Name of the template.
type
String
Message type
to
String
Recipient wa_id
messaging_product
String
Required only for Cloud API.
Messaging service used for the request. Use "whatsapp"
.
components
String
language
String
<CUSTOMER_PHONE_NUMBER>
The customer's WhatsApp phone number.
12015553931
<ONE-TIME PASSWORD>
The one-time password or verification code to be delivered to the customer.
Note that this value must appear twice in the payload.
J$FpnYnP
<TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE_CODE>
en_US
<TEMPLATE_NAME>
The template's name.
verification_code
Sample payload with Copy Code Button
As announced in November 2023, Meta is transitioning to a fully Cloud-hosted WhatsApp Business Platform and will stop supporting On-Premise API in October 2025. Starting from On-Premise client v2.53, all new feature updates will be exclusively delivered to Cloud API. While the On-Premise API client will receive quarterly releases, they will focus solely on bug fixes and security patches.
POST
https://waba.360dialog.io/v1/messages
to
Recepient_wa_id
language
String
Contains a language
object. Specifies the language the template may be rendered in.
The language
object can contain the following fields:
policy
string – Required. The language policy the message should follow. The only supported option is deterministic.
code
string – Required. The code of the language or locale to use.
Accepts both language
andlanguage_locale
formats (e.g., en
and en_US
).
name
String
Name of the template.
namespace
Namespace of the template.
components
String
Sample payload with Copy Code Button
See above.
Note that even if your template is using a one-tap autofill button, this value must still be supplied. If Meta's unable to validate your the authentication template message will display a copy code button with this text instead.
Your app signing key hash. See Meta's Official documentation for .
See
The template's .
See