WhatsApp Business conversations
Important notice: This page describes the conversation-based billing model, which was valid until June 30, 2025. As of July 1, 2025, the WhatsApp Business Platform has transitioned to a new model where billing is per individual message, not per conversation. For current information on message-based billing, please visit this page.
WhatsApp Business charges per conversation, not per message. Conversations are 24-hour message threads between you and your customers. They open when you deliver messages to your customers. The criteria that determine when a conversation is opened and how it is categorized are explained below.
Conversation categories
Conversations are categorized by one of the following categories:
Marketing - Marketing conversations include promotions or offers, informational updates, or prompts for customers to respond or take action.
Utility - Utility conversations facilitate a specific, agreed-upon request or transaction or update a customer on a pending transaction. They may include transaction confirmations, transaction updates and/or post-purchase notifications.
Authentication - Authentication conversations allow users to be authenticated using one-time passcodes or at multiple steps in the login process (e.g., account verification, account renewal, integrity prompts).
Service - Service conversations help you resolve customer queries.
Marketing, Utility and Authentication conversations can only be opened using template messages. Service conversations can only be opened using free-form messages.
We will gradually add new functionalities.
Opening conversations
Conversations are opened when a template or free-form message is sent under the following conditions.
Marketing, service and verification conversations
Marketing, utility, and verification conversations open when you send an approved template marketing, utility, or verification message to a customer and there is no open conversation with that category between you and that customer. For example, if an open authentication conversation exists between you and a customer and you send another authentication template message within 24 hours, the new conversation will not open. However, if you send him a marketing message, a new marketing conversation opens, resulting in two open conversations.
Service conversation
Service conversations are open when you are in the customer service window, you send a free form message to the customer, and there is no open conversation of any category between you and the customer. For example, if there is an open conversation of any category between you and the customer and you send a free-form message within 24 hours, no new conversation is opened. However, if no open conversation exists and the customer sends you a message (which triggers the customer service window) and you reply with a free-form message within 24 hours, a new service conversation is opened.
Customer service windows
When a customer sends you a message, a 24-hour timer called a customer service window is triggered. If you are in this window, you can send free-form or template messages. If you are outside the window, you can only send template messages.
Conversation duration
Conversations about marketing, services, and authentication last 24 hours, unless they end with a newly opened conversation with a free entry point. Conversations with a free entry point last 72 hours.
More conversations
You can have multiple conversations open between you and a customer. This can occur in the following situations:
There is an open marketing, utility, or verification conversation between you and the customer and you send them a template message of a different category within 24 hours.
An open service conversation exists between you and the customer and you send a template message within 24 hours. See examples of conversations below.
Scaling conversations
In total, you can open up to 250 marketing, utility, and verification conversations in a rolling 24-hour period, but to open more than 250 conversations, you must complete company verification and display name approval.
Messaging limits
Messaging limits determine the maximum number of business-initiated conversations you can initiate using each of your phone numbers in a rolling 24-hour period. A business-initiated conversation begins when the first template message is delivered to a customer and ends 24 hours later.
Business phone numbers without a connected status and an approved display name are limited to 250 business-initiated conversations in a rolling 24-hour period. This includes all business phone numbers of an unverified business since these numbers cannot receive display name approval until the business is verified.
Business phone numbers with a connected status and approved display name can initiate conversations with the following number of unique customers in a rolling 24-hour period:
1K unique customer
10K unique customers
100K unique customers
An unlimited number of unique customers
This amount starts at 1K unique customers and scales automatically based on phone number status, phone number quality rating, and how often you initiate conversations with unique customers.
More information at https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/messaging-limits.
Examples of conversations
Only one conversation is open with a customer:
There are no open conversations between you and the customer, and you send multiple template messages to the customer within 24 hours.
An open conversation of any category exists between you and the customer, and you send multiple free template messages to the customer within 24 hours.
Multiple conversations are open with the customer:
Open Marketing Conversation: An open marketing conversation exists between you and the customer, and you send a utility template message within 24 hours. The result is a marketing conversation and a utility conversation.
An open service conversation exists between you and the customer and you send them a utility template message within 24 hours. The result is a service conversation and a utility conversation.