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Authentication templates enable businesses to verify a user’s identity (usually with alphanumeric codes), potentially at various steps of the customer journey:
  • New account creation
  • Account integrity, access or recovery
  • New or existing orders/transactions
Businesses can only send template messages to users who have subscribed to receive messages from them on WhatsApp.

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Requirements

Authentication templates are Meta’s most restricted category. For a template to be classified as authentication, a business must:
1

Use WhatsApp's preset authentication message templates

The preset templates include optional add-ons like security disclaimers and expiry warnings.
2

Configure a one-time password button

The button must be either copy-code or one-tap.
3

Follow content restrictions

URLs, media, and emojis are not allowed for authentication template content or parameters. An additional length restriction of 15 characters also applies to parameters.
Effective October 1, 2024, businesses on Cloud API can use authentication templates from the Template Library.

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Message objective

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Identity verification

Business goal: authenticate users with one-time passcodes. Example templates:
  • {{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.
On the user’s device, the delivered message renders the code with the configured one-time password button beneath it — either an Autofill button (one-tap) that fills the code into your app directly, or a Copy code button that copies the code to the clipboard. For example: “797011 is your verification code. For your security, do not share this code. This code expires in 10 minutes.”
Only authentication templates can be used to send a one-time passcode for identity verification. A template that delivers an OTP cannot be submitted as utility or marketing.
More detail on authentication templates and their requirements is outlined in Meta’s authentication templates documentation.
Examples are illustrative only; templates containing similar content or content including this example text may be categorized differently based on their exact content.