Content Types Overview
The Content API is not publicly available yet. To get access please fill out this form or contact your AE/SE.
Content Translations
When you send a message using a Content Template, Twilio will translate it to the most visual and engaging format available in each channel. Additionally, you can define a simplified version of rich content to be sent over channels like SMS that don't support rich features.
For example, let’s consider a Content Template that includes both twilio/text and twilio/list-picker types. If the message is addressed to a WhatsApp recipient, Twilio will render the list-picker type since it is the more visually rich content type supported on the WhatsApp channel. If the message with the same template is addressed to a recipient on Facebook Messenger, Twilio will render the text type because list-picker is not currently supported on the Facebook Messenger channel. As the underlying channels release new features or modify existing ones, Twilio will also evolve our content type offerings to keep up with the changes.
| ↓Least to Most Visual |
|---|
| twilio/text |
| twilio/media |
| twilio/location |
| twilio/list-picker |
| twilio/call-to-action |
| twilio/quick-reply |
| twilio/card |
Channel Support
Twilio supports the following content types, which we describe in the sections that follow.
|
Channel Support |
||||
|
Content Type |
SMS |
MMS |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
twilio/text |
Yes |
Coming soon |
Yes |
Yes |
|
twilio/media |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
twilio/location |
|
|
Yes |
|
|
twilio/quick-replies |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
twilio/call-to-action |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
twilio/list-picker |
|
|
Yes |
|
|
twilio/card |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Channel Media Type Support
Twilio supports the following content types, which we describe in the sections that follow.
|
Channel Support |
||||
|
Content Type |
SMS |
MMS |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Images |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Video |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Document |
|
|
Yes |
Coming Soon |
|
Audio |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
||
Supported MIME Types
- Images: JPG, JPEG, PNG
- Documents: PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX
- Video: MP4 (with H.264 video codec and AAC audio)
WhatsApp Approval Requirements
WhatsApp has channel-specific approval requirements and limitations. By default, to send outbound messages to WhatsApp users, template approval by WhatsApp is required. This is done as a separate API request via the Content API. However, if a WhatsApp subscriber initiates a 24-hour messaging session with an inbound message, then certain outbound rich content types can be sent without a template during the 24-hour session.
| WhatsApp Session Type |
||
| Twilio Content Type | User Initiated: 24 hour Session (initiated by inbound message) | Business Initiated: Out of Session (initiated by a business - no inbound message) |
| twilio/text | ✅ No Approval Required to Send Messages | ⚠️ Template Approval Required to Send Messages |
| twilio/media | ✅ No Approval Required to Send Messages | ⚠️ Template Approval Required to Send Messages |
| twilio/location | ✅ No Approval Required to Send Messages | 🚫 Not supported |
| twilio/call-to-action | ⚠️ Template Approval Required to Send Messages | ⚠️ Template Approval Required to Send Messages |
| twilio/quick-reply | ✅ No Approval Required to Send Messages | ⚠️ Template Approval Required to Send Messages |
| twilio/list-picker | ✅ No Approval Required to Send Messages | 🚫 Not supported |
| twilio/card | ⚠️ Template Approval Required to Send Messages | ⚠️ Template Approval Required to Send Messages |
WhatsApp Template Approval Statuses
Templates can have the following statuses:
Pending: Indicates that the template is still under review by WhatsApp. Review can take up to 24 hours.Approved: The template was approved by WhatsApp and can be used to notify customers.Rejected: The template has been rejected by WhatsApp during the review process.Paused: The template has been paused by WhatsApp due to recurring negative feedback from end users, typically resulting from "block" and "report spam" actions associated with the template. Message templates with this status cannot be sent to end users.Disabled: The template has been disabled by WhatsApp due to recurring negative feedback from end users or for violating one or more of WhatsApp's policies. Message templates with this status cannot be sent to end users.
Common Components
The following parameters are used as an array in the "Actions" parameter of twilio/quick-reply, twilio/call-to-action, and twilio/card content types.
Actions:
|
Parameter |
Type |
Required |
Description |
|
|
type |
string (enum) |
yes |
no |
The type of action.
|
|
title |
string |
yes |
no - quick_reply buttons on templates for WA business initiated messages. yes - everywhere else |
Display value for the action. For type QUICK_REPLY, this is the message that will be sent back when the user taps on the button.
|
|
url |
string |
yes - URL no - others |
yes |
URL to direct to when the recipient taps the button. |
|
phone |
string |
yes - PHONE_NUMBER no - others |
no |
Phone number to call when the recipient taps the button.
|
|
id |
string |
no |
yes |
Postback payload. This field is not visible to the end user.
|
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