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A template is a message format you design in Xobito and submit to Meta for approval. Once approved, you can send the template to any contact — even if they haven’t messaged you recently.

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Why templates exist

WhatsApp has strict rules to protect users from spam. You can reply freely only during a 24-hour window that starts when a contact messages you first. After that window, or for a brand-new contact, Meta requires you to use an approved template. Templates prove to Meta that:
  • The message is pre-reviewed and safe.
  • Users receive predictable content, not surprise promotions.
  • Sending businesses are accountable for their messaging.
Templates are the only way to start a conversation or reach a contact outside the 24-hour session. Once the contact replies, you can send free-form messages for the next 24 hours.

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Template categories

When you create a template in Xobito, you choose one of two categories:

Marketing

Promotional messages — offers, launches, announcements, newsletters.

Utility

Transactional messages tied to a specific action — order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders.
Picking the wrong category is one of the most common reasons templates get rejected or re-categorised by Meta. If your message promotes anything — a sale, a new product, an event — it is Marketing, even if it looks like a “notification”.

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Template parts

A template has four possible parts: See Variables & Media for details on each part.

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Template lifecycle

Every template in Xobito has one of four statuses:
Only APPROVED templates can actually be sent through Xobito. Sending attempts using a DRAFT, PENDING, or REJECTED template are blocked.

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Approval process at a glance

1

You design it

Pick category, language, and fill in the content. See Create a Template.
2

You submit it

Saving the template submits it to Meta via the WhatsApp Cloud API.
3

Meta reviews it

Meta assigns the template a template_id and sets its status to PENDING while their reviewers look at it.
4

Approved or rejected

Meta’s decision updates the status to APPROVED or REJECTED. Approved templates can be sent immediately.
See Meta Approval for the full walkthrough and common rejection reasons.

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Where templates get used

  • Live chat — start a new conversation with any contact.
  • Campaigns — broadcast the template to a group of contacts.
  • Template bots — schedule the template to send on a delay or trigger.
  • API — send the template from your own systems.

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Static vs. dynamic templates

  • Static template — fixed text. Every recipient sees the same message.
  • Dynamic template — uses variables ({{1}}, {{2}}…) that are filled in per recipient at send time.
Most useful marketing templates are dynamic. See Dynamic Templates.
Template variables in Xobito use {{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}} — indexed numeric placeholders. Bot Flows use a different syntax ({variable_name}) with single braces. Don’t mix them up.

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Quick rules to follow

A template tagged en_US must be written in US English. A Spanish template tagged es must be in Spanish. Mismatches get rejected.
Don’t use {{1}} to replace a whole sentence. Variables should be short and specific: a name, an order number, a date.
Utility means transactional. Adding “Check out our sale!” to an order confirmation will get the template re-categorised or rejected.
Before using a newly approved template in a large campaign, send it to yourself or a test contact to see how variables merge in practice.

Create a Template

Step-by-step walkthrough.

Dynamic Templates

Personalise each recipient’s message with variables.

Meta Approval

Submission, timing, and rejection guidance.

Variables & Media

Headers, media uploads, and buttons.