Glossary / WhatsApp

Industry terms

WhatsApp Business app

The WhatsApp Business app is WhatsApp's app for small businesses, with a business profile, catalogue, quick replies, labels and broadcast lists, run from a phone.

Also called: WhatsApp Business, WA Business app

By Aulto · Last reviewed

What can the app do?

Show a business profile and catalogue, answer with quick replies and greetings, organise chats with labels, and send broadcast lists of up to 256 contacts.

What are its limits?

Broadcasts only reach people who saved your number, there's no proper automation, and it's tied to the phones it runs on. Larger senders move to the WhatsApp Business Platform.

Can you use both?

A number is used with one or the other, though Meta has added ways to connect an app number to the Platform.

Example

A home baker runs orders from the WhatsApp Business app, with a catalogue of cakes and a broadcast list for weekly specials.

  • WhatsApp Business Platform

    The WhatsApp Business Platform (the WhatsApp Business API) lets businesses message customers at scale through software, using Meta-approved templates and opted-in contacts.

  • WhatsApp broadcast

    A WhatsApp broadcast is one message sent to many opted-in contacts at once, each receiving it as a private chat rather than in a group.

  • Message template

    A message template is a pre-approved WhatsApp message format a business must use to start a conversation with someone on the WhatsApp Business Platform.

  • 24-hour customer service window

    On the WhatsApp Business Platform, when someone messages a business, the business can reply freely for 24 hours; after that it must use an approved template.

  • Release flow

    A release flow is a set of messages sent automatically around a release: an announcement before it, a reminder the day before, an out-now message and a follow-up.

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