Hibot WhatsApp Business API: Contacts Messages Complete Guide

Hibot WhatsApp Business API allows businesses to send rich contact cards directly inside WhatsApp.

Instead of sending plain text like a phone number or email address, you can send a complete contact profile with:

• Name

• Phone number

• WhatsApp number

• Email address

• Company information

• Physical address

• Website links

• Birthday

When the customer taps the contact card, WhatsApp opens a profile view with all the contact details.

What Are Contact Messages?

Contact messages are a special WhatsApp message type that lets businesses share one or more contacts.

These are useful when you want customers to:

• Save your support number

• Contact a sales representative

• Reach a delivery executive

• Save an emergency contact

• Get company office information

Each message can include up to 257 contacts, although Hibot recommends sending fewer contacts for a better customer experience.

What Information Can You Send?

Each contact can include the following details:

Section	Supported Fields
Name	First name, last name, formatted name, prefix, suffix
Phone Numbers	Multiple numbers with type labels
Email Addresses	Multiple emails with labels
Addresses	Home, office, work, shipping addresses
Company Details	Company name, department, job title
Websites	Company website, social links
Birthday	Date of birth

Contact Message Structure

A contacts message uses the /messages endpoint with type: contacts.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "contacts",
  "contacts": [
    {
      "name": {
        "formatted_name": "Rahul Sharma"
      }
    }
  ]
}

The formatted_name field is required.

Send a Basic Contact Card

Example request:

curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/<PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/messages' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>' \
-d '
{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "contacts",
  "contacts": [
    {
      "name": {
        "formatted_name": "Hibot Support",
        "first_name": "Hibot",
        "last_name": "Support"
      },
      "phones": [
        {
          "phone": "+919876543210",
          "type": "Support",
          "wa_id": "919876543210"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}'

This sends a simple contact card containing:

• Contact name

• Support phone number

• WhatsApp message button

• 
  

Send Full Contact Information

You can include addresses, emails, websites, and organization details.

curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/<PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/messages' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>' \
-d '
{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "contacts",
  "contacts": [
    {
      "addresses": [
        {
          "street": "1 Hibot Business Park",
          "city": "Mumbai",
          "state": "MH",
          "zip": "400001",
          "country": "India",
          "country_code": "IN",
          "type": "Office"
        }
      ],
      "birthday": "1999-01-23",
      "emails": [
        {
          "email": "support@hibot.live",
          "type": "Work"
        }
      ],
      "name": {
        "formatted_name": "Rahul Sharma",
        "first_name": "Rahul",
        "last_name": "Sharma",
        "prefix": "Mr."
      },
      "org": {
        "company": "Hibot",
        "department": "Customer Success",
        "title": "Support Manager"
      },
      "phones": [
        {
          "phone": "+919876543210",
          "type": "Mobile",
          "wa_id": "919876543210"
        },
        {
          "phone": "+911234567890",
          "type": "Office"
        }
      ],
      "urls": [
        {
          "url": "https://hibot.live",
          "type": "Company"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://www.instagram.com/hibot.live",
          "type": "Instagram"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}'

Multiple Contacts in One Message

You can send up to 257 contacts in a single message.

Example use cases:

• Share multiple branch managers

• Send contact list for delivery agents

• Send all support team members

Example:

"contacts": [
  {
    "name": {
      "formatted_name": "Sales Team"
    }
  },
  {
    "name": {
      "formatted_name": "Support Team"
    }
  }
]

However, for better readability, Hibot recommends keeping contact count below 10.

WhatsApp Button Behavior

The contact card buttons depend on whether you include wa_id.

If wa_id Is Included

When you include the contact’s WhatsApp ID:

"wa_id": "919876543210"

The customer sees:

• Message button

• Save Contact button

The customer can instantly open a chat with that contact.

If wa_id Is Missing

When you do not include wa_id, WhatsApp shows:

• Invite to WhatsApp button

This is useful when the contact does not use WhatsApp yet.

Example Phone Object

{
  "phone": "+919876543210",
  "type": "Mobile",
  "wa_id": "919876543210"
}

Supported phone number types include:

• Mobile

• Home

• Work

• Main

• Office

• Landline

• iPhone

• Cell

• 
  

Example Address Object

{
  "street": "1 Hibot Business Park",
  "city": "Mumbai",
  "state": "MH",
  "zip": "400001",
  "country": "India",
  "country_code": "IN",
  "type": "Office"
}

Supported address types include:

• Home

• Office

• Work

• Branch

• Shipping

• 
  

Example Email Object

{
  "email": "support@hibot.live",
  "type": "Work"
}

Supported email types include:

• Work

• Personal

• Office

• Support

• 
  

Example Website Object

{
  "url": "https://hibot.live",
  "type": "Company"
}

Supported website types include:

• Company

• Personal

• Facebook

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• Website

• 
  

Example Successful Response

After sending the contact message, WhatsApp returns a message ID.

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "contacts": [
    {
      "input": "+919876543210",
      "wa_id": "919876543210"
    }
  ],
  "messages": [
    {
      "id": "wamid.HBgLMTY0NjcwNDM1OTUVAgARGBI1RjQyNUE3NEYxMzAzMzQ5MkEA"
    }
  ]
}

You can use this message ID for delivery tracking and webhook events.

Important Notes

• formatted_name is mandatory

• Maximum 257 contacts per message

• Some metadata may not appear on all WhatsApp devices

• Linked devices may show fewer contact details than the primary device

• If wa_id is missing, WhatsApp shows an Invite button instead

• 
  

Common Use Cases

Share Business Contact

Send your company support contact after a customer purchases a product.

Assign a Delivery Executive

Send the contact details of the assigned delivery partner.

Send Relationship Manager Details

Banks, insurance companies, and agencies can send dedicated manager details.

Event Contact Sharing

Share organizer, coordinator, or emergency contact details.

Best Practices

To improve user experience:

• Always include wa_id if the contact uses WhatsApp

• Keep contact cards short and relevant

• Use clear labels like “Support” or “Sales”

• Avoid sending too many contacts at once

• Include company and designation for trust

• Add website and email for professional appearance

Example customer-friendly message before contact card:

Need help? Save our support contact below and message us anytime.

Why Use Hibot Contact Messages?

With Hibot WhatsApp Business API, contact messages help businesses:

• Make support easier

• Improve customer trust

• Share important contact details instantly

• Reduce manual typing errors

• Give users one-tap access to the right person

Whether you are sharing support numbers, sales managers, branch offices, or delivery agents, contact messages make communication faster and more professional.