WhatsApp Business Policy

Last modified: September 15, 2021

Ensure your use of the WhatsApp Business Products complies with these policies. The WhatsApp Business Products include:

• The WhatsApp Business app.
• The WhatsApp Business Solution, which is comprised of the WhatsApp Business Client and the WhatsApp Business APIs. If you are using the WhatsApp Business Solution as a service provider on behalf of your Clients, these policies apply to your use and your Clients’ use of the WhatsApp Business Solution.
• Other WhatsApp Business offerings or features that we may provide to you in the future.

1. Create a Quality Experience

• Follow any guidelines and instructions in technical and product documentation.
• Maintain a WhatsApp Business profile with customer support contact information and one or more of the following: email address, website address, and/or telephone number. Keep all information accurate and up-to-date. You must not impersonate another business or otherwise mislead customers as to the nature of your business.
• You may only contact people on WhatsApp if: (a) they have given you their mobile phone number; and (b) they have agreed to be contacted by you over WhatsApp. Do not confuse, deceive, defraud, mislead, spam, or surprise people with your communications.
• You may not send advertising, marketing or promotional messages unless in the 24-hour window, as defined below. Responding to a person who contacts you directly as a result of an advertisement you have placed on a surface outside of a WhatsApp chat thread, is permissible as long as that advertisement does not conflict with the Commerce Policy.
• You must respect all requests (either on or off WhatsApp) by a person to block, discontinue, or otherwise opt out of communications from you via WhatsApp, including removing that person from your contacts list.

2. WhatsApp Business Solution (WhatsApp Business API) Specific Terms

• The below sections on "Opt-in" and "Acceptable Message Types" only apply to the WhatsApp Business Solution (WhatsApp Business API).

  • Opt-in:

    • In order to initiate a WhatsApp message to a person, you must first receive opt-in permission confirming that they wish to receive future messages from you on WhatsApp. The opt-in must (a) clearly state that the person is opting in to receive messages from you over WhatsApp and (b) clearly state your business’ name.
    • You are solely responsible for determining the method of opt-in, that you have obtained opt-in in a manner that complies with laws applicable to your communications, and that you have otherwise provided notices and obtained permissions that are required under applicable law.
    • To help ensure a strong user experience, review the best practices suggested below.

  • Acceptable Message Types:

    • You may only initiate chats using an approved Message Template (as defined in our documentation), subject to applicable pricing. Any Message Template must comply with our terms and these policies, and only be used for its designated purpose. We have the right to review, approve and reject any Message Template at any time.
    • If a person initiates a chat with you, you may continue that conversation via WhatsApp for up to 24 hours after the last message sent to you by that person without charge ("24-hour Window"). Outside of the 24-hour Window, you may only send messages via approved Message Templates, for which we will charge the applicable rate.
    • You may use automation when responding during the 24-hour Window, but must also have available prompt, clear, and direct escalation paths to human agents. These escalation paths include:
      • In Chat Human Agent transfer
      • Phone number
      • Email
      • Web support (on the business website)
      • In-store visits (ex: visit retail store, bank branch)
      • Support form
        

3. Protect Data & Comply with Law

• You are responsible for and must secure all necessary notices, permissions, and consents to collect, use, and share people's content and information, including maintaining a published privacy policy, and otherwise complying with applicable law.
• Don't use any data obtained from us about a person you message with in WhatsApp, other than the content of message threads, for any purpose other than as reasonably necessary to support messaging with that person.
• Don't share or ask people to share full length individual payment card numbers, financial account numbers, personal ID card numbers, or other sensitive identifiers.
• Don’t use WhatsApp for telemedicine or to send or request any health information, if applicable regulations would limit distribution of such information to systems that do not meet heightened requirements to handle health information.
• You may not forward or otherwise share information from a customer chat with any other customer.

4. Prohibited Organizations & Use

• We prohibit organizations and/or individuals engaged in terrorist or organized criminal activity from using the WhatsApp Business Products.
• We prohibit the use of the WhatsApp Business Products to facilitate or organize criminal activity, including exploiting or causing physical, financial, or other harm to people, businesses, or animals.
• Organizations must not wrongfully discriminate or suggest a preference for or against people because of a personal characteristic, included but not limited to, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, marital status, disability, or medical or genetic condition. Organizations must comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination.
• Organizations that primarily publish news content must be registered as a news Page through Facebook.
• If you are discussing, offering, or completing sales of goods or services, including sending messages in connection with such offers or sales, you must also comply with the Commerce Policy.
• If your organization's primary business or purpose (as determined by us in our sole discretion) is to distribute, sell, offer to sell, transact in, trade in, promote, endorse, or commercially deal in any of the goods and services prohibited by the Commerce Policy, then we may prohibit your organization from using the WhatsApp Business Products.
• Messages must not contain offensive content, for example sexually explicit materials or nudity, determined at our sole discretion.

5. Enforcement & Updates

• We may limit or remove your access to or use of the WhatsApp Business Products if you receive excessive negative feedback, cause harm to WhatsApp or our users, or violate or encourage others to violate our terms or policies, as determined by us in our sole discretion.
• If you use or operate a service which utilizes WhatsApp in violation of our terms or policies, such as messaging people at scale in an unauthorized manner, we have the right to limit or remove your access to WhatsApp's services.
• WhatsApp may update this WhatsApp Business Policy ("Change") without notice (unless such notice is required by law); by continuing to use the WhatsApp Business Products after such Change, you consent to such Change.
• If we terminate your account for violations of relevant WhatsApp Business terms or policies, we may prohibit you and your organization from all future use of WhatsApp products.

Opt-In Best Practices

Driving high quality conversations between people and businesses is a top priority. People can block or report businesses and our systems will rate limit businesses if the business' quality is low for a sustained period of time. We may also reactively evaluate a business' opt-in flows, including review of user feedback, to flag policy violations and develop additional types of enforcement over time.

Best practices to create a high-quality opt-in experience:

• Users should expect the messages they receive. You can set this expectation by:
• Obtaining an opt-in that encompasses the different categories of messages that you 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 your 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 your opt-in and opt-out flows are clear and intuitive for users.
• Clearly communicate the value of receiving this information on WhatsApp.