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One-tap autofill authentication templates | Developer Documentation

One-tap autofill authentication templates

Updated: Feb 6, 2026
Upcoming deprecation: Starting April 15, 2026, the PendingIntent-based handshake method for authentication templates will be deprecated. If you are currently using PendingIntent to initiate handshakes or verify app identity, the OTP Android SDK is the preferred way to migrate.
One-tap autofill authentication templates allow you to send a one-time password or code along with an one-tap autofill button to your users. When a WhatsApp user taps the autofill button, the WhatsApp client triggers an activity which opens your app and delivers it the password or code.
One-tap autofill button authentication templates consist of:
    Preset text: <VERIFICATION_CODE> is your verification code.An optional security disclaimer: For your security, do not share this code.An optional expiration warning (optional): This code expires in <NUM_MINUTES> minutes.A one-tap autofill button.
    Note: The OTP Android SDK features a simplified workflow for implementing one-tap and zero-tap authentication templates. You can learn how to use it below.

    Limitations

    One-tap autofill buttons are only supported on Android. If you send an authentication template to a WhatsApp user who is using a non-Android device, the WhatsApp client will display a copy code button instead.
    URLs, media, and emojis are not supported.

    Creating authentication templates

    Use the WhatsApp Business Account > Message Templates endpoint to create authentication templates.

    Request syntax

    curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID>/message_templates' \
    -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
    -H 'Authorization: Bearer EAAJB...' \
    -d
    '{
      "name": "<TEMPLATE_NAME>",
      "language": "<TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE>",
      "category": "authentication",
      "message_send_ttl_seconds": <TIME_T0_LIVE>, // Optional
      "components": [
        {
          "type": "body",
          "add_security_recommendation": <SECURITY_RECOMMENDATION> // Optional
        },
        {
          "type": "footer",
          "code_expiration_minutes": <CODE_EXPIRATION> // Optional
        },
        {
          "type": "buttons",
          "buttons": [
            {
              "type": "otp",
              "otp_type": "one_tap",
              "text": "<COPY_CODE_BUTTON_TEXT>",  // Optional
              "autofill_text": "<AUTOFILL_BUTTON_TEXT>", // Optional
              "supported_apps": [
                {
                  "package_name": "<PACKAGE_NAME>",
                  "signature_hash": "<SIGNATURE_HASH>"
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }'
    Note that in your template creation request the button type is designated as otp, but upon creation the button type will be set to url. You can confirm this by performing a GET request on a newly created authentication template and analyzing its components.

    Request parameters

    Placeholder Description Example Value
    <AUTOFILL_BUTTON_TEXT>
    String
    Optional.
    One-tap autofill button label text.
    If omitted, the autofill text will default to a pre-set value, localized to the template’s language. For example, Autofill for English (US).
    Maximum 25 characters.
    Autofill
    <CODE_EXPIRATION>
    Integer
    Optional.
    Indicates the number of minutes the password or code is valid.
    If included, the code expiration warning and this value will be displayed in the delivered message. The button will be disabled in the delivered message the indicated number of minutes from when the message was sent.
    If omitted, the code expiration warning will not be displayed in the delivered message. In addition, the button will be disabled 10 minutes from when the message was sent.
    Minimum 1, maximum 90.
    5
    <COPY_CODE_BUTTON_TEXT>
    String
    Optional.
    Copy code button label text.
    If omitted, the text will default to a pre-set value localized to the template’s language. For example, Copy Code for English (US).
    If included, the authentication template message will display a copy code button with this text if the message fails the eligibility check.
    Maximum 25 characters.
    Copy Code
    <PACKAGE_NAME>
    String
    Required.
    Your Android app’s package name.
    The string must have at least two segments (one or more dots), and each segment must start with a letter.
    All characters must be alphanumeric or an underscore [a-zA-Z0-9_].
    If using Graph API version 20.0 or older, you can define your app’s package name outside of the supported_apps array, but this is not recommended. See Supported Apps below.
    Maximum 224 characters.
    com.example.luckyshrub
    <SECURITY_RECOMMENDATION>
    Boolean
    Optional.
    Set to true if you want the template to include the string, For your security, do not share this code. Set to false to exclude the string.
    true
    <SIGNATURE_HASH>
    String
    Required.
    Your app signing key hash. See App Signing Key Hash below.
    All characters must be either alphanumeric, +, /, or = (a-zA-Z0-9+/=).
    If using Graph API version 20.0 or older, you can define your app’s signature hash outside of the supported_apps array, but this is not recommended. See Supported Apps below.
    Must be exactly 11 characters.
    K8a/AINcGX7
    <TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE>
    String
    Required.
    en_US
    <TEMPLATE_NAME>
    String
    Required.
    Template name.
    Maximum 512 characters.
    verification_code
    <TIME_TO_LIVE>
    Integer
    Optional.
    Authentication message time-to-live value, in seconds. See Customizing Time-To-Live.
    60

    Example request

    This example creates a template named “authentication_code_autofill_button” categorized as authentication with all optional text strings enabled and a one-tap autofill button.
    curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/102290129340398/message_templates' \
    -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
    -H 'Authorization: Bearer EAAJB...' \
    -d '
    {
      "name": "authentication_code_autofill_button",
      "language": "en_US",
      "category": "authentication",
      "message_send_ttl_seconds": 60,
      "components": [
        {
          "type": "body",
          "add_security_recommendation": true
        },
        {
          "type": "footer",
          "code_expiration_minutes": 10
        },
        {
          "type": "buttons",
          "buttons": [
            {
              "type": "otp",
              "otp_type": "one_tap",
              "text": "Copy Code",
              "autofill_text": "Autofill",
              "package_name": "com.example.luckyshrub",
              "signature_hash": "K8a/AINcGX7"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }'

    Example response

    {
    "id""594425479261596",
    "status""PENDING",
    "category""AUTHENTICATION"
    }

    Webhooks

    The button messages webhook is triggered whenever a user taps the “I didn’t request a code” button within the message.

    Example webhook

    {
      "object": "whatsapp_business_account",
      "entry": [
        {
          "id": "320580347795883",
          "changes": [
            {
              "value": {
                "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
                "metadata": {
                  "display_phone_number": "12345678",
                  "phone_number_id": "1234567890"
                },
                "contacts": [
                  {
                    "profile": {
                      "name": "John"
                    },
                    "wa_id": "12345678"
                  }
                ],
                "messages": [
                  {
                    "context": {
                      "from": "12345678",
                      "id": "wamid.HBgLMTIxMTU1NTE0NTYVAgARGBJDMDEyMTFDNTE5NkFCOUU3QTEA"
                    },
                    "from": "12345678",
                    "id": "wamid.HBgLMTIxMTU1NTE0NTYVAgASGCBBQ0I3MjdCNUUzMTE0QjhFQkM4RkQ4MEU3QkE0MUNEMgA=",
                    "timestamp": "1753919111",
                    "from_logical_id": "131063108133020",
                    "type": "button",
                    "button": {
                      "payload": "DID_NOT_REQUEST_CODE",
                      "text": "I didn't request a code"
                    }
                  }
                ]
              },
              "field": "messages"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }

    App signing key hash

    You must include your app signing key hash in your post body.
    To calculate your hash, follow Google’s instructions for computing your app’s hash string.
    Alternatively, if you follow Google’s instructions and download your app signing key certificate (step 1), you can use your certificate with the sms_retriever_hash_v9.sh shell script to compute the hash. For example:
    ./sms_retriever_hash_v9.sh --package "com.example.myapplication" --keystore ~/.android/debug.keystore

    Supported apps

    The supported_apps array allows you define pairs of app package names and signing key hashes for up to 5 apps. This can be useful if you have different app builds and want each of them to be able to initiate the handshake:
    "buttons": [
      {
    "type""otp",
        ...
    "supported_apps": [
          {
    "package_name""<PACKAGE_NAME_1>",
    "signature_hash""<SIGNATURE_HASH_1>"
          },
          {
    "package_name""<PACKAGE_NAME_2>",
    "signature_hash""<SIGNATURE_HASH_2>"
          },
          ...
        ]
      }
    ]
    Alternatively, if you are using Graph API version 20.0 or older and have only a single app, you can define the app’s package name and signing key hash as buttons object properties, but this is not recommended as we will stop supporting this method starting with version 21.0:
    "buttons": [
      {
    "type""otp",
        ...
    "package_name""<PACKAGE_NAME>",
    "signature_hash""<SIGNATURE_HASH>"
      }
    ]

    Handshake

    You must signal to the WhatsApp client to expect imminent delivery of a password or code. You can do this by initiating a “handshake”.
    A handshake is an Android intent and public class that you implement but that the WhatsApp client can start.
    When a user in your app requests a one-time password or verification code and chooses for it to be delivered to their WhatsApp number, first perform the handshake, then call our API to send the authentication template message. When the WhatsApp client receives the message, it will perform an eligibility check, and if there are no errors, start the intent and display the message to the user. Finally, when the user taps the message’s one-tap autofill button, we automatically load your app and pass it the password or code.
    If you do not perform a handshake before sending the message, or the message fails an eligibility check, the delivered message will display a copy code button instead of a one-tap button.

    Eligibility check

    The WhatsApp client performs the following checks when it receives an authentication template message. If any check fails, the one-tap autofill button will be replaced with a copy code button.
      The handshake was initiated no more than 10 minutes ago (or no more than the number of minutes indicated by the template’s code_expiration_minutes property, if present).The package name in the message (defined in the package_name property in the components array upon template creation) matches the package name set on the intent. The match is determined through the getCreatorPackage method called in the PendingIntent object provided by your application.None of the other apps that you included in the template’s list of supported_apps initiated a handshake in the last 10 minutes (or the number of minutes indicated by the template’s code_expiration_minutes property, if present).The app signing key hash in the message (defined in the signature_hash property in the components array upon template creation) matches your installed app’s signing key hash.The message includes the one-tap autofill button text.Your app has defined an activity to receive the password or code.

      Android notifications

      Android notifications indicating receipt of a WhatsApp authentication template message will only appear on the user’s Android device if:
        The user is logged into the WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Business app with the phone number (account) that the message was sent to.The user is logged into your app.Android OS is KitKat (4.4, API 19) or above.Show notifications is enabled (Settings > Notifications) in the WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Business app.Device level notification is enabled for the WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Business app.Prior message threads in the WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Business app between the user and your business are not muted.

        Using the SDK

        The OTP Android SDK can be used to perform handshakes, as well as other functions in both one-tap and zero-tap authentication templates.
        To access SDK functionality, add the following configuration to your Gradle file:
        dependencies {
            implementation 'com.whatsapp.otp:whatsapp-otp-android-sdk:1.0.0'}
        To your repositories, add mavenCentral():
        repositories {
            mavenCentral()}

        Activity

        Declare an activity and intent filter that can receive the one-time password or code. The intent filter must have the action name com.whatsapp.otp.OTP_RETRIEVED.
        <activityandroid:name=".ReceiveCodeActivity"android:enabled="true"android:exported="true"android:launchMode="standard"><intent-filter><actionandroid:name="com.whatsapp.otp.OTP_RETRIEVED"/></intent-filter></activity>
        This is the activity that the WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Business app will start once the authentication template message is received and it passes all eligibility checks.

        Activity class

        Using the SDK (Preferred)
        Define the activity public class and instantiate a WhatsAppOtpIncomingIntentHandler object to handle the intent. The .processOtpCode() method validates the handshake ID against the expected value you stored during handshake initiation and handles errors.
        publicclassReceiveCodeActivityextendsAppCompatActivity{@Overrideprotectedvoid onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState){super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);WhatsAppOtpIncomingIntentHandler incomingIntentHandler =newWhatsAppOtpIncomingIntentHandler();// Retrieve the expected handshake ID that was stored during handshake initiationString expectedHandshakeId = retrieveStoredHandshakeId();
        
                  incomingIntentHandler.processOtpCode(
                                         getIntent(),
                                         expectedHandshakeId,(code)->{// The handshake ID has been validated by the SDK
                                           validateCode(code);},// call your function to handle errors(error, exception)-> handleError(error, exception));}
        Without the SDK
        Define the activity public class that can accept the code once it has been passed to your app. The activity should validate the request_id (handshake ID) to ensure the OTP code is coming from a legitimate handshake initiated by your app.
        publicclassReceiveCodeActivityextendsAppCompatActivity{@Overrideprotectedvoid onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState){super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);Intent intent = getIntent();// Extract the handshake ID from the intentString incomingRequestId = intent.getStringExtra("request_id");// Retrieve the previously stored handshake IDString storedRequestId = retrieveStoredRequestId();// Validate the handshake ID matchesif(storedRequestId !=null&& storedRequestId.equals(incomingRequestId)){// use OTP codeString otpCode = intent.getStringExtra("code");// ...}}}

        Initiating the handshake

        Using the SDK (Preferred)
        Performing a handshake can be done by instantiating the WhatsAppOtpHandler object and passing in your context to the .sendOtpIntentToWhatsApp() method. The method returns a UUID (handshake ID) that must be stored and used to validate the incoming OTP code later:
        WhatsAppOtpHandler whatsAppOtpHandler =newWhatsAppOtpHandler();
        UUID handshakeId = whatsAppOtpHandler.sendOtpIntentToWhatsApp(context);// Store handshakeId to validate the received OTP code later
        Without the SDK
        This example demonstrates one way to initiate a handshake with the WhatsApp client. The handshake includes a request_id (UUID) that must be stored and validated when receiving the OTP code.
        privateString currentRequestId;publicvoid sendOtpIntentToWhatsApp(){// Generate a unique handshake ID
           currentRequestId = UUID.randomUUID().toString();// Store this ID for later validation when receiving the OTP
           storeRequestId(currentRequestId);// Send OTP_REQUESTED intent to both WA and WA Business App
           sendOtpIntentToWhatsApp("com.whatsapp", currentRequestId);
           sendOtpIntentToWhatsApp("com.whatsapp.w4b", currentRequestId);}privatevoid sendOtpIntentToWhatsApp(String packageName,String requestId){/**
          * Starting with Build.VERSION_CODES.S, it will be required to explicitly
          * specify the mutability of  PendingIntents on creation with either
          * (@link #FLAG_IMMUTABLE} or FLAG_MUTABLE
          */int flags =Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >=Build.VERSION_CODES.S ? FLAG_IMMUTABLE :0;PendingIntent pi =PendingIntent.getActivity(
              getApplicationContext(),0,newIntent(),
              flags);// Send OTP_REQUESTED intent to WhatsAppIntent intentToWhatsApp =newIntent();
          intentToWhatsApp.setPackage(packageName);
          intentToWhatsApp.setAction("com.whatsapp.otp.OTP_REQUESTED");// WA will use this to verify the identity of the caller app.Bundle extras = intentToWhatsApp.getExtras();if(extras ==null){
             extras =newBundle();}
          extras.putParcelable("_ci_", pi);// Add the handshake ID for secure validation
          intentToWhatsApp.putExtra("request_id", requestId);
          intentToWhatsApp.putExtras(extras);
          getApplicationContext().sendBroadcast(intentToWhatsApp);}

        Checking if WhatsApp is installed on Android

        You can check WhatsApp installation before offering WhatsApp as an option if you expect both WhatsApp and your app to be on the same device.
        First, you need to add the following to your AndroidManifest.xml file:
        <queries>
        <packageandroid:name="com.whatsapp"/>
        <packageandroid:name="com.whatsapp.w4b"/>
        </queries>
        Using the SDK (Preferred)
        Instantiate the WhatsAppOtpHandler object:
        WhatsAppOtpHandler whatsAppOtpHandler =newWhatsAppOtpHandler();
        Check if the WhatsApp client is installed by passing the isWhatsAppInstalled method as the clause in an If statement:
        If(whatsAppOtpHandler.isWhatsAppInstalled(context)){// ... do something}
        Without the SDK
        if(this.isWhatsAppInstalled(context)){// ... do something}publicboolean isWhatsAppInstalled(final@NonNullContext context){return isWhatsAppInstalled(context,"com.whatsapp")||
                   isWhatsAppInstalled(context,"com.whatsapp.w4b");}publicboolean isWhatsAppInstalled(final@NonNullContext context,final@NonNullString type){finalIntent intent =newIntent();
            intent.setPackage(type);
            intent.setAction("com.whatsapp.otp.OTP_REQUESTED");PackageManager packageManager = context.getPackageManager();List<ResolveInfo> receivers = packageManager.queryBroadcastReceivers(intent,0);return!receivers.isEmpty();}}

        Checking if WhatsApp is installed on iOS

        Use the following code in your iOS application to check if WhatsApp is installed
        let schemeURL = URL(string:"whatsapp://otp")!let isWhatsAppInstalled =UIApplication.shared.canOpenURL(schemeURL)

        Error signals

        See Error Signals that can help with debugging.

        Handshake ID error codes

        The following error codes may be returned when using the SDK with handshake ID validation:
        Error CodeDescription
        HANDSHAKE_ID_MISSING
        The handshake ID was not included in the intent from WhatsApp
        HANDSHAKE_ID_INVALID_FORMAT
        The handshake ID is not a valid UUID format
        HANDSHAKE_ID_MISMATCH
        The handshake ID in the intent does not match the expected value

        Sample app

        See our WhatsApp One-Time Password (OTP) Sample App for Android on Github. The sample app demonstrates how to send and receive OTP passwords and codes via the API, how to integrate the one-tap autofill and copy code buttons, how to create a template, and how to spin up a sample server.

        Sending authentication template

        This document explains how to send approved authentication templates with one-time password buttons.
        Note that you must first initiate a handshake between your app and the WhatsApp client. See Handshake above.

        Request

        Request syntax

        curl -X POST "https://graph.facebook.com/v23.0/<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/messages" \
          -H "Authorization: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>" \
          -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
          -d '{
        "messaging_product""whatsapp",
        "recipient_type""individual",
        "to""<CUSTOMER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
        "type""template",
        "template": {
        "name""<TEMPLATE_NAME>",
        "language": {
        "code""<TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE_CODE>"
              },
        "components": [
                {
        "type""body",
        "parameters": [
                    {
        "type""text",
        "text""<ONE-TIME PASSWORD>"
                    }
                  ]
                },
                {
        "type""button",
        "sub_type""url",
        "index"0,
        "parameters": [
                    {
        "type""text",
        "text""<ONE-TIME PASSWORD>"
                    }
                  ]
                }
              ]
            }
          }'

        Request parameters

        Placeholder Description Sample Value
        <CUSTOMER_PHONE_NUMBER>
        The customer’s WhatsApp phone number.
        12015553931
        <ONE-TIME PASSWORD>
        The one-time password or verification code to be delivered to the customer.

        Note that this value must appear twice in the payload.

        Maximum 15 characters.
        J$FpnYnP
        <TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE_CODE>
        The template’s language and locale code.
        en_US
        <TEMPLATE_NAME>
        The template’s name.
        verification_code

        Response

        Upon success, the API will respond with:
        {
        "messaging_product""whatsapp",
        "contacts": [
            {
        "input""<INPUT>",
        "wa_id""<WA_ID>"
            }
          ],
        "messages": [
            {
        "id""<ID>"
            }
          ]
        }

        Response parameters

        Placeholder Description Sample Value
        <INPUT>
        String
        The customer phone number that the message was sent to. This may not match wa_id.
        +16315551234
        <WA_ID>
        String
        WhatsApp ID of the customer who the message was sent to. This may not match input.
        +16315551234
        <ID>
        String
        WhatsApp message ID. You can use the ID listed after “wamid.” to track your message status.
        wamid.HBgLMTY1MDM4Nzk0MzkVAgARGBI3N0EyQUJDMjFEQzZCQUMzODMA

        Example request

        curl -L 'https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/105954558954427/messages' \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -H 'Authorization: Bearer EAAJB...' \
        -d '{
              "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
              "recipient_type": "individual",
              "to": "12015553931",
              "type": "template",
              "template": {
                "name": "verification_code",
                "language": {
                  "code": "en_US"
              },
              "components": [
                {
                  "type": "body",
                  "parameters": [
                    {
                      "type": "text",
                      "text": "J$FpnYnP"
                    }
                  ]
                },
                {
                  "type": "button",
                  "sub_type": "url",
                  "index": "0",
                  "parameters": [
                    {
                      "type": "text",
                      "text": "J$FpnYnP"
                    }
                  ]
                }
              ]
            }
          }'

        Example response

        {
        "messaging_product""whatsapp",
        "contacts": [
            {
        "input""12015553931",
        "wa_id""12015553931"
            }
          ],
        "messages": [
            {
        "id""wamid.HBgLMTY1MDM4Nzk0MzkVAgARGBI4Qzc5QkNGNTc5NTMyMDU5QzEA"
            }
          ]
        }