# WhatsApp key concepts > The accounts, reviews, and limits that shape WhatsApp business messaging, and which of them Meta controls. WhatsApp business messaging is regulated by Meta. Your business, your number, your display name, and each template are reviewed by Meta, and Meta sets the limits on how many customers you can reach. This page explains each piece and what it means for your integration. ## How the pieces fit together | Piece | Owned by | What it is | | --- | --- | --- | | Business portfolio | You, in Meta | Your company in Meta, also called Business Manager. Business verification happens here. | | WhatsApp Business Account | You, in Meta | Holds your WhatsApp phone numbers and your message templates. Meta bills its message fees to it. | | Sender | Your Nexiom project | One connected WhatsApp phone number. You send from it by its phone number. | | Template | Your WhatsApp Business Account | An approved message format. In Nexiom, each template name and language has its own Template ID (`wat_…`). | | Message | Your Nexiom project | One template sent to one recipient. Its ID starts with `msg_`. | A sender, its templates, and its messages belong to the Nexiom project the number was connected in. API keys of that project can send from it; keys of other projects cannot. A number stays with the project it was first connected in, so connect production numbers in your production project. ## Business portfolio A business portfolio represents your company across Meta's products. You need admin access to one to connect a WhatsApp number; you can also create one in the signup window. **Business verification** confirms to Meta that your company is real, using documents such as a registration certificate or a utility bill. It is free and done in Meta's Business Settings, under **Security Center**. It is separate from the paid "Meta Verified" subscription. You can connect a number and send before your business is verified. Verification: - Shows your display name in chats instead of your phone number, once the name is also approved. - Lets your messaging limit grow beyond its starting level. - Lets you register more than two WhatsApp phone numbers in your business portfolio. Meta's review can take from a few days to several weeks. Start it early. ## WhatsApp Business Account A WhatsApp Business Account belongs to your business portfolio and holds your phone numbers and templates. Templates belong to the WhatsApp Business Account, so a sender can only send the templates of its own account. Nexiom Connect connects one phone number per WhatsApp Business Account. To send from several numbers, give each number its own WhatsApp Business Account; they can all belong to the same business portfolio. Meta charges its WhatsApp fees to the payment method of the WhatsApp Business Account. Add one in WhatsApp Manager, under **Payment settings**. Without a valid payment method, WhatsApp refuses template messages. See [Costs](/docs/whatsapp/sending#costs). ## Senders A sender is a phone number connected to your Nexiom project. It has: - A **status**: **Connected** numbers can send. **Pending** numbers are still being set up; **Disconnected** numbers cannot send until you connect them again. - A **display name**, a **quality rating**, a **messaging limit**, and a **throughput**, all reported by WhatsApp. - A **business profile**: the description, address, email, websites, industry, and photo customers see on your WhatsApp profile. Edit it from the sender's page. You send from a sender by its **phone number**, in international format such as `+213555000111`. Messages, webhooks, and logs show the same number. A phone number can be connected only once in a project. See [Connect a WhatsApp number](/docs/whatsapp/senders). ## Display name The display name is the business name customers see. WhatsApp reviews it after the number is connected, checking that it matches your business and its brand. Until your business is verified **and** WhatsApp approves the display name, chats show your **phone number** instead of your name. Your number can send messages during both reviews; only the name shown changes. | Display name review | What customers see | | --- | --- | | Not reviewed or in review | Your phone number. | | Approved, business not verified | Your phone number in chats; the name appears in your profile details. | | Approved, business verified | Your display name. | | Rejected | Your phone number. Change the name in WhatsApp Manager and it is reviewed again. | The sender's page in the dashboard shows the current review status. Display names are changed in WhatsApp Manager, not in Nexiom Connect. > [!TIP] > Use the name your customers already know from your website, app, or store. Generic words, a different company's name, or a name that doesn't appear on your website are common reasons for rejection. ## Templates Every message you send is a template message: a format WhatsApp approved in advance, with variables you fill in for each recipient. You need at least one approved template before you can send. A template has a name, a language, a category, and its content: an optional header, a body, an optional footer, and optional buttons. Each name and language pair is a separate template with its own Template ID, so a template translated into three languages has three IDs. WhatsApp reviews every new or edited template. Most reviews take a few minutes; some take up to 24 hours. See [Templates](/docs/whatsapp/templates). ### Template categories | Category | Use it for | Examples | | --- | --- | --- | | Utility | Updates about something the customer did or asked for. | Order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders, account alerts. | | Marketing | Anything promotional, or anything that is not utility or authentication. | Offers, product announcements, newsletters, invitations to buy again. | | Authentication | One-time codes that confirm a customer's identity. | Login codes, account recovery codes. | WhatsApp decides the final category. A template that mixes utility and promotional content is treated as marketing, and WhatsApp can change a template's category after it was approved. The category is shown on the template and on every message sent with it. ## Customer service window When a customer messages your business, WhatsApp opens a 24-hour customer service window with that customer. Inside it, businesses can reply with free-form messages; outside it, only templates can start a conversation. Nexiom Connect does not receive customer messages or send free-form messages yet. Every message you send is a template, which WhatsApp allows whether or not a window is open. ## Opt-in WhatsApp requires that customers agree to receive WhatsApp messages from your business before you message them. The opt-in must name your business and make clear that messages arrive on WhatsApp. Keep a record of each opt-in, and stop messaging customers who ask you to. Messaging people who did not opt in leads to blocks and reports, which lower your quality rating and can restrict your number. See [Best practices](/docs/whatsapp/best-practices#get-and-respect-opt-in). ## Messaging limits Your messaging limit is the number of different customers your business can message in a rolling 24-hour period. The limit applies to your whole business portfolio and is shared by all of its numbers: adding numbers doesn't add capacity. - New business portfolios start with a limit of 250 customers. - WhatsApp raises the limit automatically as you verify your business and keep sending messages that customers value. - Messages to the same customer within 24 hours count once. The sender's page shows the current limit. Past it, WhatsApp refuses additional template messages until the 24-hour window moves on, and the message becomes `failed`. Meta publishes the current rules in its [messaging limits documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messaging-limits). ## Quality rating WhatsApp rates each number **High**, **Medium**, or **Low**, based on how customers reacted to your recent messages: blocks, reports, and the reasons they give. The sender's page shows the current rating. A low rating can stop your messaging limit from growing, and can lead WhatsApp to limit or restrict the number. A template that receives too much negative feedback is **paused**, and repeated pauses can **disable** it. See [Protect your quality rating](/docs/whatsapp/best-practices#protect-your-quality-rating). ## Throughput Throughput is how fast one number can send, in messages per second. Most numbers start at 80 messages per second; WhatsApp raises it automatically for businesses with the highest messaging limit. The sender's page shows the current value. ## Next steps - [Connect a number](/docs/whatsapp/senders) Requirements and every step of the signup window. - [Templates](/docs/whatsapp/templates) Create, review, and send templates. - [Sending messages](/docs/whatsapp/sending) Statuses, retries, costs, and retention. --- Source: https://connect.nxiom.com/docs/whatsapp/key-concepts