You have a list of 3,000 customer numbers and a WhatsApp campaign ready. Then someone asks: “Did they opt in?” You aren’t sure what that means, or whether a phone number on a bill counts.
The direct answer: WhatsApp opt-in is a person’s permission to receive messages from your business on WhatsApp. Meta’s Business Messaging Policy says you may only contact people who have given you their number and agreed to receive messages from you. The opt-in must clearly say they’re agreeing to hear from you and clearly name your business. It doesn’t have to be collected on WhatsApp, and you choose the method, as long as it follows the law that applies to you.
What Meta’s policy actually requires
Two Meta pages set the rules: the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy and the developer guide Obtaining user opt-in. In plain words:
| Requirement | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| They gave you their number | A number you bought, scraped or copied from a group doesn’t qualify |
| They agreed to receive messages from you | Having the number isn’t enough; there must be a clear yes |
| The opt-in names your business | “I agree to receive updates from Green Leaf Clinic”, not “from our partners” |
| It’s clear they’re agreeing to communication | Not hidden inside general terms nobody reads |
| It complies with applicable law | In India that includes the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; check with your adviser |
| You honour every opt-out | On or off WhatsApp, and remove them from your contact list |
Since Meta’s November 2024 policy update, the opt-in doesn’t have to mention WhatsApp specifically: a general agreement to hear from your business can count, provided it meets the points above. Meta lists SMS, a website, a phone call with an IVR flow, and in person or on paper as methods that can be compliant.
Opt-in is separate from the 24-hour rule. When a customer messages you, you can reply freely for 24 hours. To start a conversation, or to write after the window closes, you must use an approved template (error 131047 explains why). Opt-in decides whom you may message; templates decide how.
Meta’s best practices (not required, but they protect you)
- Say what you’ll send. Order updates, appointment reminders, offers. Meta suggests covering the categories of messages you plan to send.
- Separate opt-ins by category. Someone happy to get delivery updates may not want weekly offers. Meta says separate opt-ins reduce the chance of being blocked.
- Explain how to opt out, and honour it.
- Say why it’s worth it: “get your report on WhatsApp the same day”.
- Watch your quality rating, especially when you launch a new opt-in method. See WhatsApp quality rating explained.
Ways to collect WhatsApp opt-in
1. A checkbox on your website or checkout form
The most common and the easiest to prove. Leave it unticked, put it next to the phone field, and name your business.
☐ Send me order updates and offers from Kerala Spice Co. on WhatsApp at this number. I can reply STOP at any time.
2. Separate boxes for updates and offers
☐ Order and delivery updates on WhatsApp ☐ Offers and new arrivals on WhatsApp (about twice a month)
3. The customer messages you first
A WhatsApp button on your website, a QR code at the counter or a Click-to-WhatsApp ad gets the customer to write to you. You can answer them for 24 hours. Meta’s pages don’t say that one enquiry is permission for future offers, so ask in the chat while the window is open:
Thanks for your enquiry! Would you like us to send you new arrivals and festive offers on WhatsApp? Reply YES to join. You can reply STOP any time.
4. In the shop, clinic or office
A line on the registration form or bill book that the customer signs, or a counter QR code with a pre-filled message such as “YES, send me offers from Sharma Opticals”. Make one with the free WhatsApp link and QR code generator.
5. SMS or phone call
Meta lists SMS and an IVR phone flow as valid methods: “Reply Y to get your bills on WhatsApp”, or “Press 1 to receive updates on WhatsApp”.
Keep a record of every opt-in
Meta’s pages don’t set out a record-keeping rule, but when a customer complains or Meta reviews your account, “they agreed” is only as good as what you can show. Store, for each contact:
- When they opted in (date and time).
- How: website form, YES reply, signed form, IVR.
- The wording they agreed to, and which categories.
- Opt-outs, with the date, so nobody adds them back by accident.
Simple version: a tag or group called “WhatsApp offers: yes” in your CRM or WhatsApp tool, a column in your spreadsheet with date and source, and screenshots of each form version you’ve used.
Opt-out: STOP replies, blocks and error 131050
The policy is clear: you must respect every request to stop, whether it comes on WhatsApp, by phone or by email, and remove that person from your contact list. Meta’s opt-in guide adds that people can also act on their own: give feedback, stop receiving marketing messages from a business, or block and report it.
When someone has stopped marketing messages from you, a marketing template to them fails with error 131050. Meta's error reference describes it as the recipient having chosen to stop receiving marketing messages, and says not to retry, because they won’t be received.
- Put a way out in every marketing message: “Reply STOP to unsubscribe”, or a quick-reply button such as “Stop offers”.
- Act on STOP the same day, in every list and tool you use.
- Treat 131050 as a permanent no for marketing. Drop them from offer lists; don’t retry with a new template.
- Keep them for utility messages only if they still want those. Order updates and appointment reminders are a different category from offers; see template categories explained.
An easy STOP costs you one contact. A block counts against your quality rating, and many blocks lead to restrictions.
What NOT to do
- Don’t buy or rent lists. Those people never gave you their number or agreed to hear from you.
- Don’t pre-tick the box or hide consent in terms and conditions.
- Don’t assume a past purchase is an opt-in for offers. A phone number on an invoice isn’t agreement to receive messages.
- Don’t add WhatsApp group members to a campaign. Being in a group isn’t agreement to hear from your business.
- Don’t ignore STOP because it came as a phone call or an Instagram DM. The policy covers requests made off WhatsApp too.
These are the same mistakes behind most bans. See how to send bulk WhatsApp messages without getting banned and, if it’s already happened, what to do when your WhatsApp Business account is banned.
Related errors and terms
| Term | What it means | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| 131050 | The customer stopped marketing messages from you. Don’t retry. | Meta’s error reference |
| 131049 | Meta held back a marketing message to protect engagement. Wait 24 hours. | Error 131049 |
| 131047 | Over 24 hours since the customer last wrote; send a template. | Error 131047 |
| Quality rating | Meta’s measure of how people react to your messages | Quality rating |
How WaBot handles this
- Campaigns go to the audience you choose. Pick contacts, groups or tags, so you can keep opted-in customers in their own group or tag and send offers only to them. Blocked contacts are left out of campaign audiences.
- Opt-outs in plain words. When Meta returns error 131050, the campaign results show Contact stopped marketing messages, so you can see who said no and leave them out next time.
- Block in bulk. Anyone who asks to stop can be blocked from the inbox or the contacts list.
- Record opt-ins automatically. A workflow can add a tag when a customer replies YES to your opt-in question (workflows are on the Base Plan).
Campaigns are on Starter (₹840/month + GST) and above; workflows on the Base Plan (₹9,240/year + GST). Meta bills its message charges directly: ₹0.8631 per marketing message and ₹0.115 per utility message in India, plus 18% GST. Details in our pricing guide.
Send offers only to customers who said yes
Create your free WaBot account, connect your number to the official API, and send campaigns to an opted-in group with opt-outs shown in plain words. 15 days of the Base Plan included, no card needed.
Frequently asked questions
Is opt-in mandatory for WhatsApp Business?
Yes. Meta’s Business Messaging Policy allows you to contact people only if they gave you their number and agreed to receive messages from your business. This applies to the WhatsApp Business app and the API.
Does the opt-in have to mention WhatsApp?
Not since Meta’s November 2024 policy update. The opt-in must clearly name your business and make clear the person is agreeing to hear from you, and it must comply with applicable law. Mentioning WhatsApp is still a good idea.
If a customer messages me first, have they opted in?
You can reply to them freely for 24 hours. Meta doesn’t say that an enquiry is permission for future marketing, so ask them in the chat whether they want offers and record the answer.
What is WhatsApp error 131050?
It means the customer has chosen to stop receiving marketing messages from your business. Meta says not to retry; the message won’t be received.
How should I prove opt-in?
Meta doesn’t prescribe a format. Keep the date, the method, the wording the customer agreed to and any opt-out, so you can show it if a customer or Meta asks.
Final thoughts
WhatsApp opt-in is simple: the customer gave you their number and clearly agreed to hear from your business, by name. Collect it where they already are (checkout, counter, chat), keep a record, give an easy way out, and treat STOP and 131050 as final.
Next: send bulk messages without getting banned and keep your quality rating high.
