A template is a message Konvo submits to Meta for approval in advance. Once approved, it stays in your list and can be used instantly whenever you need to open a conversation with a customer. Without templates, every new message outside an active conversation would go through Meta's review first, which can cause delays. Templates solve this by getting pre-approval from Meta, so you're ready to message customers immediately when you need to.

WhatsApp has a 24-hour rule: if more than 24 hours have passed since a customer's last message, the conversation is closed and can only be reopened with an approved template. You'll need templates for reactivating an inactive conversation after 24 hours, starting a proactive conversation with a customer, and sending reminders, promotions, or notifications.

You can find all your templates in Settings → Templates. This is where you'll see every template you've created, its current approval status (pending, approved, or rejected), where it comes from (origin), what type it is (category), when it was created, and the option to delete it.

⚠️ You can only delete templates. To modify one, you need to delete it and create a new one from scratch. There's no edit function.

📸 [Image: Templates list showing all templates with status, origin, type, and creation date columns]

Creating a template doesn't mean it's ready immediately. Meta reviews every template you create. While Meta is reviewing, the template shows as "Pending"—you can't use it yet. Once approved, the status changes to "Approved" and it's ready to use in your conversations. If Meta rejects it (doesn't meet their policies), the status shows "Rejected" and you must recreate it with fixes.

📸 [Image: Templates list with Approved/Rejected status columns highlighted]

Go to Settings → Templates and click "Create Template."

📸 [Image: Settings screen with Templates selected in the side menu]

You'll fill in several fields. Template Name is the internal name to identify it in Konvo (customers don't see this). Category is the message type—Marketing is the most common. Language lets you create versions in multiple languages (each language needs a separate template).

Header (optional) is a title or image at the top of the message. Message Body is your main content with a maximum of 1024 characters. Footer (optional) is small text at the bottom. Call-to-actions (optional) are buttons with a link or phone number. Quick reply buttons (optional) are predefined response options the customer can tap.

📸 [Image: "Create Template" form with all fields visible and mobile preview showing how it looks to customers]

Using variables lets you personalize messages with customer data using the $ symbol. For example: "Hi $name, your order $order_number is ready for pickup." Variable values are filled in at the moment you send the template from the inbox, so the same template works for every customer with their specific information.

Once your template is approved, you can use it in conversations. Open the customer conversation in the Inbox, click "Select template" at the bottom of the chat, choose the template from the list, review the variables (make sure they're filled correctly), and hit send. The template populates with the customer's specific information and sends immediately.

📸 [Image: "Select template" button in the WhatsApp chat bottom bar with template selection dropdown]

Don't worry, rejections happen. Meta rejects templates that don't meet their formatting guidelines, but it's usually a quick fix. You can't edit a rejected template directly—delete it and create a new one with adjustments.

Common rejection causes: image or video file too large (compress or remove the media), message body too long (shorten the text to stay within the 1024 character limit), or too many line breaks or empty spaces (remove unnecessary blank lines between paragraphs).

When in doubt, keep the message clean and concise. Meta favors simple, well-structured templates without excessive formatting.

Create templates for your most common scenarios. Don't create 50 templates—focus on the messages you send repeatedly, like order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders, or promotional offers.

Use clear, descriptive internal names. When you're looking at your template list, names like "Order Confirmation - Shipped" are much more useful than "Template 1" or "Message A."

Test your templates before relying on them. After Meta approves a template, send it to a test customer (or yourself) to verify variables populate correctly and the formatting looks good on mobile.

Keep variables simple. Use $name, $order_number, $date—short, clear variable names that make sense when you're filling them in from the inbox.

⚠️ Template stuck in Pending for days: Meta usually reviews within 24 hours. If it's been longer, the template might be in a review queue. Delete and recreate it—sometimes a fresh submission moves faster.

⚠️ Template rejected but I followed the guidelines: Meta's rejection reasons aren't always specific. Common hidden issues: promotional language that's too aggressive, claims that need verification (like "best" or "guaranteed"), or spacing that looks fine to you but triggers Meta's automated review. Try simplifying the language further.

⚠️ Variables not populating correctly: Check that you're using the exact variable names Konvo supports ($name, $order_number, etc.). Custom variables may not work—stick to the documented options.

⚠️ Can't find my approved template in the inbox: Check that you're looking in the right channel (templates are WhatsApp-specific). Also verify the template is actually approved, not still pending.

⚠️ Want to create a template in multiple languages: You need to create separate templates for each language. Each version goes through Meta's review independently and may have different approval timelines.

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