Opt-in for WhatsApp

Unless customers start messaging your WABA first, you need to get their explicit consent (opt-in) via a 3rd party channel to be able to send messages to them.

Even if a customer reaches out for customer support and you wish to send him/her messages after the 24-hour window, you still need to collect their opt-in via a 3rd party channel.

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Only WhatsApp opt-in

You can ask for opt-in of WhatsApp only, never combined like in case of having one checkbox to opt-in for receiving "WhatsApp and SMS".

Opt-in Channels

You can ask for opt-in on any channel your business uses to communicate with people today. Examples of 3rd party channels are:

• website or application,
• SMS,
• email,
• retail location and others.

Opt-in Language & UI

Use this kind of copy for your opt-in forms:

Receive [subject] on [whatsapp_logo]

• [subject] - describes what kind of messages will the customer.
• [whatsapp_logo] - is Whatsapp logo. Use the official branded materials.

User Interface has to follow these rules:

• User must be able to edit his/her phone number.
• The opt-in message must be shown adjacent to UI elements.
• The opt-in message must clearly state what is the customer giving consent to.
• The opt-in must be triggered by a user action, such as entering a phone number or checking a box to indicate consent

How does WhatsApp check for Opt-in compliance?

WhatsApp routinely checks a business' opt-in flows. They also monitor some internal metrics that give them hints on what WABAs should be checked.