Opt-in (consent)
An opt-in is the customer's clear agreement to receive WhatsApp messages from a business — a ticked box on a form, a reply to a message, a number typed into a sign-up. Meta requires one before any marketing template is sent and may ask a business to show how it was collected.
On this page
What counts
- A form on your site with a WhatsApp box the customer ticks.
- A customer messaging you first (for service; marketing still needs the box).
- An in-store sign-up, a QR scan with the intent stated, a reply of YES to a question.
What does not
A number bought from a list, a number scraped from a directory, or a number the customer gave for something else. A tool that imports a list should ask on what basis the list may be messaged — and refuse to send marketing to a list that has none.
What counts as a WhatsApp opt-in?
A clear agreement from the customer to receive WhatsApp messages from your business: a ticked box on a form, a reply saying yes, a number given at checkout for updates, a message they sent you. Meta requires it before a marketing template; India's DPDP Act asks for it to be recorded with its source.
Do I need an opt-in to reply to a customer?
No. A customer who messages you has opened a 24-hour window in which you may reply. The opt-in is for messages you start — marketing above all.
Is a phone number on an invoice an opt-in?
For a utility message about that transaction, yes in practice; for marketing, no. A number handed over to complete a purchase is not consent to receive offers.
How should opt-ins be stored?
Per person, per channel, per purpose, with the source and the time — never as a flag on a list. Every outbound message should check the record, and a STOP should suppress the person everywhere at once.
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Nearby terms
See it in a product. Linkubit answers, qualifies and quotes on WhatsApp from your catalogue, and adds nothing to Meta’s per-message price. Start free — fourteen days of Pro, no card — or read the pricing.
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