Hibot WhatsApp Business API: Complete Guide to Sending Messages

With Hibot WhatsApp Business API, businesses can send many different types of WhatsApp messages to customers.

You can send:

• Text messages

• Images

• Videos

• Documents

• Audio

• Location messages

• Interactive buttons

• Lists

• Flows

• Authentication templates

• Marketing templates

• Utility templates

• Group messages

This guide explains how message sending works in Hibot WhatsApp Business API, what message types are supported, and how to send them successfully.

Send Message Endpoint

All message requests use the following endpoint:

POST /<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/messages

Every message request uses this common structure:

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "text",
  "text": {
    "body": "Hello from Hibot"
  }
}

Common Request Fields

Field	Description
messaging_product	Always use whatsapp
recipient_type	individual for 1:1 chat or group for group messaging
to	Customer WhatsApp number
type	Type of message you want to send
text/image/video/etc	Object containing the message content

Supported Message Types

Hibot WhatsApp Business API supports the following message types.

Text Messages

Text messages contain only text and optionally a preview URL.

Example:

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "text",
  "text": {
    "preview_url": true,
    "body": "Check our latest product: https://yourwebsite.com"
  }
}

Best for:

• Customer support

• Notifications

• Simple replies

• Sharing links

• 
  

Image Messages

Image messages show a single image with an optional caption.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "image",
  "image": {
    "link": "https://yourwebsite.com/product.jpg",
    "caption": "Our latest product"
  }
}

Best for:

• Product photos

• Offers

• Banners

• Promotions

• 
  

Video Messages

Video messages display a thumbnail and optional caption.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "video",
  "video": {
    "link": "https://yourwebsite.com/demo.mp4",
    "caption": "Watch our demo"
  }
}

Document Messages

Document messages allow users to download files.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "document",
  "document": {
    "link": "https://yourwebsite.com/invoice.pdf",
    "filename": "Invoice.pdf"
  }
}

Best for:

• Invoices

• Brochures

• Reports

• PDFs

• 
  

Audio Messages

Audio messages display a play button linked to an audio file.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "audio",
  "audio": {
    "link": "https://yourwebsite.com/audio.mp3"
  }
}

Sticker Messages

You can send static or animated sticker images.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "sticker",
  "sticker": {
    "link": "https://yourwebsite.com/sticker.webp"
  }
}

Location Messages

Location messages share latitude and longitude.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "location",
  "location": {
    "latitude": 19.8762,
    "longitude": 75.3433,
    "name": "Hibot Office",
    "address": "Aurangabad, Maharashtra"
  }
}

Contact Messages

Contact messages send rich contact information.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "contacts",
  "contacts": [
    {
      "name": {
        "formatted_name": "Hibot Support"
      },
      "phones": [
        {
          "phone": "+919876543210"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Interactive Message Types

Interactive messages help customers take action directly inside WhatsApp.

Reply Button Messages

You can send up to 3 reply buttons.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "button",
    "body": {
      "text": "Choose an option"
    },
    "action": {
      "buttons": [
        {
          "type": "reply",
          "reply": {
            "id": "yes",
            "title": "Yes"
          }
        },
        {
          "type": "reply",
          "reply": {
            "id": "no",
            "title": "No"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

List Messages

List messages show a menu of options.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "list",
    "body": {
      "text": "Select a service"
    },
    "action": {
      "button": "Choose",
      "sections": [
        {
          "title": "Services",
          "rows": [
            {
              "id": "api",
              "title": "WhatsApp API"
            },
            {
              "id": "chatbot",
              "title": "Chatbot"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

CTA URL Button Messages

CTA button messages allow users to click a button instead of a long URL.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "cta_url",
    "body": {
      "text": "View our pricing"
    },
    "action": {
      "name": "cta_url",
      "parameters": {
        "display_text": "Open Website",
        "url": "https://hibot.live/pricing"
      }
    }
  }
}

Voice Call Messages

Voice call messages allow customers to start a WhatsApp call.

This is useful for:

• Sales teams

• Customer support

• Consultation booking

• 
  

Flow Messages

WhatsApp Flows allow customers to:

• Book appointments

• Submit forms

• Browse products

• Give feedback

• Generate leads

Flows provide a complete interactive experience inside WhatsApp.

Location Request Messages

These messages ask the customer to share their live location.

Useful for:

• Delivery tracking

• Pickup services

• Service visits

• 
  

Template Messages

Template messages allow you to send:

• Marketing templates

• Utility templates

• Authentication templates

Unlike normal messages, template messages can be sent even when there is no active 24-hour chat window.

Example:

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "template",
  "template": {
    "name": "order_confirmation",
    "language": {
      "code": "en_US"
    }
  }
}

Customer Service Window

When a customer sends you a message or calls you, a 24-hour customer service window starts.

During this window, you can send:

• Text

• Images

• Videos

• Documents

• Interactive messages

• Any non-template message

If the 24-hour window is closed, you can only send template messages.

Message Quality Rating

WhatsApp tracks the quality of your messages.

Your quality rating is based on:

• Blocks

• Reports

• Mutes

• Archives

• Negative feedback

To keep high quality:

• Send only to opted-in users

• Personalize messages

• Avoid spam

• Do not send too many messages daily

• Follow WhatsApp Business Policy

Message quality affects your:

• Messaging limit

• Phone number status

• Ability to send campaigns

• 
  

Example Success Response

When Hibot accepts your message request, you receive:

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "contacts": [
    {
      "input": "+919876543210",
      "wa_id": "919876543210"
    }
  ],
  "messages": [
    {
      "id": "wamid.HBgLMTY0NjcwNDM1OTUVAgARGBI4"
    }
  ]
}

Important:

This only means the API accepted the request.It does not mean the message was delivered.

Message Delivery Status

To know whether a message was:

• Sent

• Delivered

• Read

• Failed

You must use WhatsApp webhooks.

The message ID returned in the response will also appear in webhook events.

Read Receipts

You can mark customer messages as read.

This shows the double blue tick in WhatsApp.

Useful for:

• Customer support

• Chat agents

• CRM systems

• 
  

Typing Indicators

If your reply takes time, you can show a typing indicator.

This helps the customer know your team is preparing a response.

Contextual Replies

You can reply to a specific previous message.

This creates a quoted message bubble and makes the conversation easier to understand.

Correct Phone Number Format

Always include:

• Plus sign (+)

• Country code

Correct:

+919876543210

Incorrect:

9876543210

Without the country code, WhatsApp may send the message to the wrong number.

Media Caching

If you send media using a URL, WhatsApp caches the media for 10 minutes.

Example:

https://yourwebsite.com/image.jpg

If you send the same URL again within 10 minutes, WhatsApp uses the cached file.

To force a new file, add a random query string:

https://yourwebsite.com/image.jpg?v=123

Delivery Sequence of Multiple Messages

If you send multiple messages quickly, WhatsApp does not guarantee they will arrive in the same order.

Best practice:

Wait until the previous message is delivered before sending the next one.

Use delivery webhooks to confirm the message status.

Message Time-To-Live (TTL)

If a message cannot be delivered immediately, WhatsApp retries delivery for a limited time.

Default TTL:

• Normal messages: 30 days

• Authentication templates: 10 minutes

If the message is still not delivered after the TTL expires, the message is dropped.

Custom TTL for Templates

You can customize TTL for:

• Authentication templates

• Utility templates

• Marketing templates

Recommended values:

• OTP: 5–10 minutes

• Payment reminders: 1 day

• Promotional campaigns: 2–3 days

• 
  

Best Practices for Sending Messages

To improve delivery and engagement:

• Send only to opted-in users

• Use the correct phone format

• Personalize every message

• Avoid too many messages per day

• Use templates outside the 24-hour window

• Test media links before sending

• Track delivery using webhooks

• Keep your quality rating high

• 
  

Final Thoughts

Hibot WhatsApp Business API makes it easy to send every type of WhatsApp message from a single API.

Whether you want to send:

• Text

• Media

• Interactive messages

• OTP templates

• Marketing campaigns

Hibot gives you complete control over message delivery, automation, and customer communication.

By using the correct message type, following the 24-hour rule, and maintaining high message quality, you can improve customer engagement and get better results from WhatsApp.