What is WhatsApp Direct Send?

How it works

Normally, any message you send outside an open 24-hour customer service window must use a message template that Meta has reviewed and approved in advance. Direct Send is Meta's own exception to that rule for the Utility category: Meta can deliver a plain, well-formed utility message straight to WhatsApp without a template ever being submitted or approved, provided the message content and the sending account meet Meta's eligibility checks at the time of sending.

Meta made Direct Send generally available for utility messages on 31 July 2026; the authentication version of the feature was still in beta as of Meta's October 2026 changelog. Since 8 October 2026, Direct Send is on by default for business portfolios whose messaging limit tier is 100,000 or Unlimited, and Meta documents it as something an account can switch off if it prefers to keep sending only pre-approved templates.

Worked example

Rangoli Home's business portfolio has reached the Unlimited messaging tier after months of good-quality sends. Its order system usually sends a 'Your order has shipped' utility template. With Direct Send switched on for that portfolio, Meta can, for an eligible one-off utility message, deliver the text straight through without Rangoli Home having to first build and get a matching template approved. The business still needs an approved template for any message it cannot send through Direct Send, and for every marketing and authentication message, which Direct Send does not generally cover.

Why it matters

• Fewer templates to maintain. Businesses with many slightly different one-off utility notices no longer need a separate approved template for each wording.
• Still billed, still governed. Direct Send does not change WhatsApp's pricing or policy: a delivered utility message is charged at the same utility rate, and the 24-hour window and opt-in rules still apply.
• Only for eligible portfolios and content. Meta decides eligibility account by account and message by message; Direct Send is not a general replacement for templates, and marketing content still needs an approved template category.
• Can be switched off. If your business wants every outbound message to go through the template review process, Direct Send can be disabled for the portfolio.

How it appears when you send through Broadchat

Broadchat sends every WhatsApp message through Meta's official Cloud API (Graph API), so Direct Send is a setting on your business portfolio with Meta, not a separate switch inside the panel. If Meta has enabled Direct Send for your portfolio's tier, an eligible utility send from Broadchat's Campaigns or Automations can be delivered the same way; if a message isn't eligible, it still needs an approved template, exactly as before. Keep message templates ready for utility content outside Direct Send's coverage and for all marketing and authentication sends.