Supported Message Types

Meta supports a range of webhook notifications for WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) to facilitate user interactions. These notifications are sent to your webhook URL when users send messages to your business account. The following sections outline the message types you receive, along with webhook notification payload examples.

Text Messages

When a user sends a text message, the webhook notification contains the message content and metadata such as timestamp and sender information.

{
  "owner": "[email protected]",
  "date": "2022-12-06T11:13:55.908937523Z",
  "processId": 1348,
  "origin": "1923847583",
  "externalId": "[email protected]_32118",
  "callback": "https://webhook.example/1234",
  "id": "35678765432347284737272",
  "text": "What is my order ID?",
  "user": "5500000000",
  "extraInfo": {
    "SAMWELL_WEBHOOK_NAME": "test webhook",
    "MSGI_SOURCE_CAMPAIGN": "EliPackage",
    "type": "text",
    "contacts": [
      {
        "profile": {
          "name": "John Doe"
        },
        "wa_id": "5500000000"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Media Messages

Users send various media files, including images, videos, audio, and documents.

{
  "owner": "[email protected]",
  "date": "2022-12-06T11:14:32.911652119Z",
  "processId": 1347,
  "origin": "1923847583",
  "externalId": "[email protected]_3558",
  "callback": "https://webhook.example/1234",
  "id": "4567876543473736251",
  "text": "",
  "user": "5500000000",
  "extraInfo": {
    "SAMWELL_WEBHOOK_NAME": "test webhook",
    "MSGI_SOURCE_CAMPAIGN": "EliPackage",
    "attachments": [
      {
        "fileName": "newimage.jpg",
        "shaData": "ertyuhgf456789876ghjhg",
        "url": "https://whatsapp-mo-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/testing_space.com_file/newimage.jpg",
        "caption": ""
      }
    ],
    "type": "image",
    "contacts": [
      {
        "profile": {
          "name": "John Doe"
        },
        "wa_id": "5500000000"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Sticker Messages

Meta supports stickers, but only if they adhere to Meta's specifications. If a user sends a sticker that meets Meta's supported formats, your webhook receives a dedicated payload.

{
  "owner": "[email protected]",
  "date": "2022-12-06T11:20:58.786725956Z",
  "processId": 2020,
  "origin": "1923847583",
  "externalId": "[email protected]_3438",
  "callback": "https://webhook.example/1234",
  "id": "456789876543245678",
  "text": "",
  "user": "5500000000",
  "extraInfo": {
    "SAMWELL_WEBHOOK_NAME": "test webhook",
    "MSGI_SOURCE_CAMPAIGN": "EliPackage",
    "sticker": {
      "fileName": "newsticker.webp",
      "shaData": "b77c614a24a075f0d59c030c",
      "url": "https://whatsapp-mo-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/testing_space.com_file/newsticker.webp",
      "caption": ""
    },
    "type": "sticker",
    "contacts": [
      {
        "profile": {
          "name": "John Doe"
        },
        "wa_id": "5500000000"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Location Messages

Users share their geographic location with your business through these messages. Meta supports these messages. The webhook sends a notification with details about the shared location.

{
  "owner": "[email protected]",
  "date": "2025-01-22T15:38:38.374199828Z",
  "processId": 1818,
  "origin": "1923847583",
  "externalId": "[email protected]_3435",
  "callback": "https://webhook.example/1234",
  "id": "87654678909283472771",
  "text": "",
  "user": "5500000000",
  "extraInfo": {
    "SAMWELL_WEBHOOK_NAME": "test webhook",
    "MSGI_SOURCE_CAMPAIGN": "EliPackage",
    "location": {
      "longitude": "-99.128059387207",
      "latitude": "19.292819976807",
      "name": "EliPackage Company",
      "address": "Tlalpan, Mexico City"
    },
    "type": "location",
    "contacts": [
      {
        "profile": {
          "name": "John Doe"
        },
        "wa_id": "5500000000"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Contacts Messages

Users share their contact information with your business through these messages. When a user sends a contact message, the payload includes the shared contact's details, such as name and phone number.

{
  "owner": "[email protected]",
  "date": "2025-01-22T15:45:13.637933811Z",
  "processId": 3435,
  "origin": "1923847583",
  "externalId": "[email protected]_4041",
  "callback": "https://webhook.example/1234",
  "id": "876546789345432211",
  "text": "",
  "user": "5500000000",
  "extraInfo": {
    "SAMWELL_WEBHOOK_NAME": "test webhook",
    "MSGI_SOURCE_CAMPAIGN": "EliPackage",
    "contact": [
      {
        "name": {
          "first_name": "Elizabeth Smith",
          "formatted_name": "Elizabeth Smith"
        },
        "phones": [
          {
            "phone": "+52 55 0101 0101",
            "type": "CELL",
            "wa_id": "525501010101"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "type": "contacts",
    "contacts": [
      {
        "profile": {
          "name": "John Doe"
        },
        "wa_id": "5500000000"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Unsupported Message Types

When a user sends a type of message not supported by Meta, the payload will include a placeholder indicating that the message type is not supported. Your application identifies and handles unsupported content without breaking functionality. These messages do not conform to the API's predefined structure and cannot be processed or displayed by your application.

Therefore, it's possible to receive an unknown message callback notification. For example, a customer could send a disappearing message. In that case, the platform notifies the customer that the message type is not supported.

The following example shows an unsupported message type. Your webhook receives a notification with the following key details:

{
  "owner": "[email protected]",
  "date": "2025-01-22T15:53:34.938220399Z",
  "processId": 9845,
  "origin": "1923847583",
  "externalId": "[email protected]_5455",
  "callback": "https://webhook.example/1234",
  "id": "7374664646372828",
  "text": "The message type is not currently supported by Meta",
  "user": "5500000000",
  "extraInfo": {
    "SAMWELL_WEBHOOK_NAME": "test webhook",
    "MSGI_SOURCE_CAMPAIGN": "EliPackage",
    "type": "unsupported",
    "contacts": [
      {
        "profile": {
          "name": "John Doe"
        },
        "wa_id": "5500000000"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Common causes of unsupported message types include:

Unsupported Media Formats: Files with uncommon or proprietary formats that are not included in Meta's list of supported types (e.g., some video codecs or rare document formats, media size).
Third-Party Stickers: Stickers that do not meet WhatsApp's specifications (e.g., incorrect format, size, or resolution).
Non-Standard Interactive Elements: Custom interactive features outside the scope of WhatsApp's API, such as buttons or lists not defined by the API.
Polls — Not supported when a user sends a survey as an attachment.\

Reactions — Not supported when a user responds with emojis instead of typing a full message. For example:

{
  "owner": "[email protected]",
  "date": "2025-01-22T16:02:36.050350125Z",
  "processId": 9534,
  "origin": "1923847583",
  "externalId": "[email protected]_7272",
  "callback": "https://webhook.example/1234",
  "id": "73746261525342519873",
  "text": "The message type is not currently supported: Reaction",
  "user": "5500000000",
  "extraInfo": {
    "SAMWELL_WEBHOOK_NAME": "test webhook",
    "MSGI_SOURCE_CAMPAIGN": "EliPackage",
    "type": "reaction",
    "contacts": [
      {
        "profile": {
          "name": "John Doe"
        },
        "wa_id": "5500000000"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Unrecognized Message Types: New or experimental message formats introduced by users using unofficial WhatsApp versions or third-party tools.
Corrupted Messages: Messages that were improperly transmitted due to network errors or user-side issues.

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NOTE
When navigating to Messaging Logs in the Communications Platform, users can verify the details of incoming WhatsApp messages by clicking in the Details icon. In cases where a user sends a message type that is not currently supported by Meta, the phone visualizer displays the next message "The Message type is not currently supported by Meta".