WhatsApp message types

WhatsApp gives you a fixed set of message types to build a conversation from. Some are plain — text, an image, a document. Others are interactive: reply buttons, scrollable lists, call-to-action links, and multi-screen flows that open inside the chat. Knowing what each one looks like, and what it’s good for, is most of what it takes to design a conversation that feels natural. These are platform building blocks — they exist on WhatsApp itself, whatever tool you use to send them. The code samples on this page show how each maps to a function in a Paige bot, so you can use them directly, but the shape of each message type is the same everywhere.

Interactive messages — buttons, list menus, URL buttons, and flows — are billed as “interactive” messages by WhatsApp. Plain text and media messages are billed as regular messages. Check the Meta pricing page for the current rates for your region.

The gallery

Scan these to recognise each type the way a customer sees it in a chat. Below the gallery, each type is covered in detail with the code to send it.

Message types in detail

Send a plain text message. Supports newlines using \n.

await sendText(conversationId, to, "Hello! How can I help you today?");

Parameters:

conversationId — the conversation ID from your database
to — the recipient’s phone number (e.g. "27821234567")
text — the message body; use \n for line breaks

Text messages are the simplest message type and work in all WhatsApp clients. Use them for confirmations, plain responses, and any message that does not need user input.

Send up to three quick-reply buttons below a message body. Each button has an id (used in your code logic) and a title (shown to the user).

await sendInteractiveButtons(
  conversationId,
  to,
  "What would you like to do?",
  [
    { id: "book_demo", title: "Book a demo" },
    { id: "get_support", title: "Get support" },
    { id: "learn_more", title: "Learn more" },
  ]
);

Parameters:

conversationId — the conversation ID
to — recipient phone number
bodyText — the message text shown above the buttons
buttons — array of up to 3 button objects, each with id and title

When the user taps a button, your webhook receives an interactive message with message.interactive.button_reply.id set to the button’s id. Use that value in your state handler to branch the conversation.

Button titles are limited to 20 characters. Button IDs are limited to 256 characters and must be unique per message.

Send a list menu — a scrollable list of options the user selects from by tapping “View Options”. Lists support more items than buttons and work well for menus with 4 or more choices.

await sendMenu(
  conversationId,
  to,
  "Choose a service:",
  [
    { id: "service_web", title: "Web design", description: "Custom websites" },
    { id: "service_seo", title: "SEO", description: "Search optimisation" },
    { id: "service_ads", title: "Paid ads", description: "Google & Meta ads" },
  ]
);

Parameters:

conversationId — the conversation ID
to — recipient phone number
bodyText — the message text shown above the list button
menuRows — array of row objects, each with id, title, and optional description

When the user selects a row, your webhook receives message.interactive.list_reply.id set to the row’s id.

Send a call-to-action button that opens a URL when tapped. Use this for links to web pages, booking portals, payment links, or any external resource.

await sendURLButton(
  conversationId,
  to,
  "Your booking is confirmed. View the details below.",
  "View booking",
  "https://example.com/bookings/abc123"
);

Parameters:

conversationId — the conversation ID
to — recipient phone number
bodyText — the message text shown above the button
buttonText — the button label
url — the URL to open

URL buttons open in the in-app browser inside WhatsApp. They do not generate a reply to your webhook when tapped.

Send an image with an optional caption. The image must be accessible via a public URL.

await sendImage(
  conversationId,
  to,
  "https://example.com/images/product.jpg",
  "Our latest model — available now."
);

Parameters:

conversationId — the conversation ID
to — recipient phone number
imageUrl — public URL of the image (JPEG or PNG)
caption — optional caption displayed below the image

Supported formats are JPEG and PNG. Images must be under 5 MB. If you omit the caption, pass null as the fourth argument.

Send a file (PDF or other document type) with a filename and optional caption. The file must be accessible via a public URL.

await sendPDF(
  conversationId,
  to,
  "https://example.com/files/invoice.pdf",
  "invoice_march_2025.pdf",
  "Your invoice for March 2025."
);

Parameters:

conversationId — the conversation ID
to — recipient phone number
pdfUrl — public URL of the file
fileName — the filename shown to the user (e.g. "invoice.pdf")
caption — optional caption shown below the document

Documents appear in WhatsApp with a download button. PDF is the most common format. Files must be under 100 MB.

Ask the user to share their location. WhatsApp displays a “Send location” button that opens the native location picker.

await sendLocationRequest(
  conversationId,
  to,
  "Please share your location so we can find the nearest branch."
);

Parameters:

conversationId — the conversation ID
to — recipient phone number
bodyText — the message text shown above the “Send location” button

When the user shares their location, your webhook receives a location message containing latitude, longitude, and optionally name and address. Access these via message.location.latitude and message.location.longitude.

Your bot does not send voice notes, but it can receive and transcribe them. When a user sends a voice note, the AI bot template automatically transcribes the audio to text using OpenAI and passes the transcript into your conversation handler as if it were a plain text message. Your existing state handlers process voice notes without any changes on your part.

// Voice notes are handled automatically by the AI bot template.
// The transcript is passed to your state handler as a plain text message.
// No additional code is required on your end.

Voice note transcription requires an OpenAI API key stored as a secret in your project. See Secrets for how to add one.

Send a Meta-approved message template to a user who has not messaged you recently (outside the 24-hour window) or for proactive outbound notifications.

await sendTemplate(
  to,
  "appointment_reminder",
  "en",
  [
    {
      type: "body",
      parameters: [
        { type: "text", text: "Sarah" },
        { type: "text", text: "tomorrow at 3pm" },
      ],
    },
  ]
);

Parameters:

to — recipient phone number
templateName — the approved template name
languageCode — language code (e.g. "en", "en_US", "es")
components — array of component objects with variable values

Templates must be approved by Meta before they can be sent. See Message Templates for how to create and manage them.

Carousel messages

You can also send a carousel of up to 10 cards, each with an image, body text, and quick-reply buttons. Carousels are useful for product listings, plan comparisons, or multi-item promotions.

await sendCarousel(
  conversationId,
  to,
  "Here are our current plans:",
  [
    {
      imageUrl: "https://example.com/images/starter.jpg",
      bodyText: "Starter — $29/month. Up to 1,000 conversations.",
      buttons: [{ id: "plan_starter", title: "Choose Starter" }],
    },
    {
      imageUrl: "https://example.com/images/pro.jpg",
      bodyText: "Pro — $79/month. Unlimited conversations.",
      buttons: [{ id: "plan_pro", title: "Choose Pro" }],
    },
  ]
);

Each card in the cards array takes imageUrl, bodyText, and a buttons array. Button clicks are returned via the webhook as interactive messages with button_reply.

Sending a WhatsApp Flow

To open a multi-screen WhatsApp Flow from within a conversation, use sendFlow. The user taps the call-to-action button and the flow opens inline in WhatsApp.

await sendFlow(
  conversationId,
  to,
  {
    flow_id: "1234567890",
    flow_cta: "Book now",
    body_text: "Fill in your details to complete your booking.",
    screen: "BOOKING_SCREEN",
  }
);

For the thinking behind when to use a flow, see Thinking in flows. For how to create and publish one in Paige, see Flows Builder.

​The gallery

​Message types in detail

​Carousel messages

​Sending a WhatsApp Flow

The gallery

Message types in detail

Carousel messages

Sending a WhatsApp Flow