Glossary — WhatsApp Business API terms explained

Words we use in the panel

The panel uses one word for each thing, everywhere:

We say	Not	Means
Chatbot	flow, bot flow	An automation that talks with the customer, built in Automation
Rule	run-alongside flow	An automation that works in the background (tag, assign, follow up) and never waits for an answer
WhatsApp Flow (form)	—	Meta’s in-chat forms, under WhatsApp Flows. Not a chatbot
Chat	conversation	One customer’s thread in the inbox. Conversation is only used for Meta’s own reports
Plan, account	licence, license	What you pay for, and the MeAPI account it belongs to
Number	channel	A WhatsApp phone number connected to MeAPI
Contact field	attribute	Information saved on a contact, like birthday or city
Saved reply	canned response	A ready answer you insert with / in the composer
Agent	team member, user	Someone you invite to work in your inbox
Sign in / Sign out	log in, logout

24-hour window

Also called the customer service window. When a customer messages you, you can reply with any message type for 24 hours. These replies are service messages: the first 1,000 per number each month are free, then Meta charges them. Once the 24 hours have passed, only an approved template can be sent. Each new customer message restarts the 24 hours.

A/B test

Sending two versions of a message to parts of the audience, to see which performs better. See A/B testing.

Add-on

An extra block of one plan limit (for example more agents or contacts) that MeAPI adds to your licence, sometimes for a set period. Listed on Subscription under What your plan includes.

Agent

A teammate with their own login under your licence. What they can do depends on their role; which chats they see depends on the numbers they are given.

All numbers (inbox view)

The Inbox tab that lists the chats of every number you may work in one list, each with a badge naming its number. This number shows only the number in the number switcher.

Announcement

A coloured note from MeAPI under the panel’s top bar (maintenance, news, offers). Close it with ×; it stays closed for you.

Authentication template

A template category only for one-time passwords (OTP).

Billing-only mode

What the panel does when a licence has expired: the owner can log in, but only Subscription and Support work until it is renewed. Nothing is deleted. See Subscription.

Business-initiated conversation

A conversation you start with a template. It counts towards your messaging limit, and Meta charges the template by its category.

Campaign

Sending one template to many contacts at once, now, scheduled or repeating. Sometimes called a broadcast.

Catalog

Your products in Meta Commerce Manager, shown inside WhatsApp. Customers can add them to a cart and send an order.

Click-to-WhatsApp ad (CTWA)

A Facebook or Instagram ad whose button opens a WhatsApp chat with you. Chats from ads are marked in the inbox.

Coexistence

Using the same number in the WhatsApp Business app and on the API (MeAPI) at the same time. See Coexistence.

Coupon

A code that takes a percentage or an amount off a MeAPI plan price, before GST. Enter it with Have a coupon code? at signup or on Subscription.

CSAT

Customer satisfaction: a 1–5 rating customers give after a chat is resolved.

Display name

The business name customers see at the top of the chat. Meta reviews it. See Display name.

Embeddings

Numbers that capture the meaning of text, so the AI can find relevant passages in your knowledge base even when different words are used. Created by providers like Gemini, OpenAI or Mistral.

Chatbot (automation)

A chatbot or rule built in the MeAPI builder: a trigger plus steps. Older pages called these flows.

Getting started checklist

The card on Home that lists seven setup steps for a new account owner and ticks them off as you do them. See Quick start.

Human handoff

Passing a chat from the bot to people. The bot pauses on that chat.

Knowledge base

Your documents, pages and FAQs, which AI bots answer from.

Account and plan

Your MeAPI account belongs to the account owner and holds your numbers and data. It runs on a plan (trial or paid) until the plan’s end date. Older pages called the account a licence.

Message categories / pricing

Meta charges per delivered message, by category (marketing, utility, authentication, service) and by the recipient’s country. Since 1 October 2026 each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages per month, and utility templates are charged even inside an open 24-hour window. Messages customers send you are never charged. See the FAQ.

Messaging limit (tier)

How many unique customers you can start conversations with in a rolling 24 hours: typically 250 → 2,000 → 10,000 → 100,000 → unlimited. It rises with verification and good-quality use. See Number health.

Opt-in / opt-out

Opt-in is a person’s agreement to get WhatsApp messages from you. Opt-out (replying STOP) removes them from campaigns.

Phone number ID

Meta’s ID for your number on the Cloud API. It’s shown on Connection.

Plan limits

What your MeAPI plan allows: WhatsApp numbers and, on some plans, agents, contacts, campaign messages a month, published flows and active reminder rules. See Subscription.

Quality rating

High / Medium / Low: how customers react to your messages (blocks, reports) over the last 7 days. Low quality can lower your limit and pause templates.

Quick reply

A template or message button that sends its label back as the customer’s reply.

Role

A set of permissions given to an agent: which menus, buttons and data they get. Ready-made roles are Admin, Manager, Agent (chat only) and Marketing; you can also make your own. See Roles and permissions.

Rule (background automation)

A background automation that runs next to chatbots and doesn’t wait for answers. In the builder: Background rule (runs next to chatbots).

Segment

A saved set of conditions (tags, fields, activity) that picks contacts dynamically for campaigns and flows.

Service message

A reply you send inside the 24-hour window. Since 1 October 2026 the first 1,000 per number each month are free; from the 1,001st, Meta charges them.

Support ticket

A conversation with MeAPI support inside the panel (Support in the left menu). See Support tickets.

Template

A message format pre-approved by Meta, required to start conversations. Categories: Marketing, Utility, Authentication.

Utility template

A template about a transaction or request the customer made: order updates, reminders, receipts.

UTR

The 12-digit reference number of a UPI payment (in your UPI app: the payment → details → UTR or UPI Ref No.). You enter it as proof when you pay by UPI QR.

Verified business

A business whose documents Meta has checked (Business verification). Needed for higher limits and to publish WhatsApp Flows. Not the same as the blue badge.

WABA

WhatsApp Business Account: the Meta account that holds your phone numbers and templates. Numbers under one WABA share templates.

Webhook

An automatic HTTP message from one system to another when something happens, for example “new order” from Shopify to MeAPI, or “message received” from MeAPI to your app.

WhatsApp Flow (form)

A native form with screens that opens inside WhatsApp. See WhatsApp Flows.

What’s next

Quick start →Put it into practice.FAQ →Common questions.