How to Create a WhatsApp Authentication Template? How to Create a WhatsApp Authentication Template?

How to Create a WhatsApp Authentication Template?

Asha Chintaluru

Objective

This article walks you through creating a WhatsApp Authentication template using either WhatsApp Manager (UI) or the Vonage WhatsApp Template Management API.

Applies To

  • WhatsApp Business Platform

  • Vonage Messages API

  • WhatsApp Template Management API

 

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following are in place:

Option A — WhatsApp Manager (UI)

  1. Log in to WhatsApp Manager

  2. Under Message Templates, you can access the template creation in one of two ways:

    • Go to Manage Templates → Create Template, select Authentication as the category, then select Go to Template Library

    • Or go directly to Template Library, select Authentication as the category, then select Browse Templates

  3. Select a preset authentication template

  4. Add your template name and select the language

  5. Configure the Code delivery setup — choose how customers send the code from WhatsApp to your app:

    • Copy Code — copies the OTP to the device clipboard; works on all platforms (Android and iOS)

    • One-Tap Autofill — automatically delivers the OTP to your Android app; requires package_name and signature_hash; falls back to Copy Code on non-Android devices

    • Zero-Tap Autofill — OTP is delivered silently to your Android app with no user interaction; requires package_name, signature_hash, and a broadcast receiver in your app. Android only — if sent to a non-Android device, the WhatsApp client will display a Copy Code button instead. On Android, when the WhatsApp client receives the message, it performs a series of eligibility checks — if the check fails, it automatically falls back to either a One-Tap Autofill or Copy Code button. For this reason, you must include both a One-Tap Autofill and Copy Code button in your template payload, even if the user may never see them.

  6. Configure Message content — the core template text cannot be edited. You can optionally add:

    • Add contact number — includes your business contact number in the message

    • Add security recommendation — appends "For your security, do not share this code."

    • Add expiry time for the code — appends "This code expires in X minutes." (set the number of minutes)

    • Add business name — includes your business name in the message

  7. Set the Message validity period — it is recommended to set a custom validity period that your authentication message must be delivered by before it expires. If a message is not delivered within this time frame, you will not be charged and your customer will not see the message.

    • Valid range: 30 seconds to 15 minutes

    • If not set, the default WhatsApp message validity period of 10 minutes will be applied

  8. Click Submit — the template will be reviewed by Meta (typically within 24 hours)

Once approved, the template status changes to Active and it is ready to use. If you encounter any issues during the creation process, please contact Vonage Support.

 

Option B — Vonage WhatsApp Template Management API

Use the Vonage WhatsApp Template Management API to create the template programmatically. The API supports all the same options as WhatsApp Manager — OTP button type, message content add-ons, and message validity period.

Once submitted, the template will have a status of PENDING. Once approved by Meta, the status changes to APPROVED and the template can be used to send messages.

 

 

Additional Information   

Related to:

WhatsApp Templates WhatsApp Authentication Template

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