WhatsApp marketing on Cloud API ends 2027: what to do
Meta will stop delivering WhatsApp marketing messages sent through the Cloud API on 13 October 2027. After that date, promotional broadcasts must go through the Marketing Messages API (MM API). Meta announced the change on its developer blog on 21 October 2026. Utility, authentication and service messages are not affected. If your brand sends offers, cart reminders or launch broadcasts on WhatsApp, your provider has to move you, and you should check that they have a plan.
What changed
Until now, most Indian brands sent every kind of WhatsApp template through one route, the Cloud API, usually via a provider such as Gupshup, Interakt, AiSensy, WATI or Twilio. Meta is splitting marketing traffic off into its own API.
According to the MM API overview:
- The MM API (formerly "Marketing Messages Lite API") became generally available on 10 February 2026.
- It uses the same billing model as the Cloud API, so the price per marketing message doesn't change because of the switch.
- You keep your existing phone numbers and templates. The technical setup is similar to the Cloud API.
- It adds features the Cloud API doesn't have: delivery optimisation (Meta prioritises people likely to engage), performance benchmarks against similar businesses, time-to-live for time-sensitive offers, and richer media such as GIFs. Automatic creative tweaks, such as animating images, are still in testing.
Meta says integration takes about two weeks on average. It also flags a detail that matters: if Meta reclassifies a utility template as marketing, that traffic must go through the MM API too.
What it means for Indian brands
Most of the work sits with your provider, but the risk sits with you. If your BSP misses the deadline, your Diwali 2027 broadcasts are the first thing that breaks. Ask them now, in writing, when they will move your account.
"Optimised delivery" means Meta decides who sees your marketing messages. That's the same trade-off as Advantage+ on the ads side. Meta's overview page says it tested optimised delivery with advertisers in India in January 2025, so the Indian market has been part of the testing. In practice, a broadcast to 1 lakh opted-in users may not reach all 1 lakh at the same rate. Your reports need to show sent, delivered and read separately, and you should judge campaigns on clicks and orders, not on sends.
Template classification becomes more important. Many Indian brands disguise promotions as utility ("Your order is ready… also, 20% off!") to pay the lower rate. If Meta reclassifies those templates, they move to marketing pricing and to the MM API. Clean up now: keep transactional templates purely transactional.
Time-to-live is useful for flash sales. A "sale ends at midnight" message delivered at 10 am the next day is worse than no message at all. TTL lets you stop late delivery. Use it for quick-commerce slots, live webinars and same-day offers.
Cloud API vs MM API for marketing
| Cloud API (marketing) | Marketing Messages API | |
|---|---|---|
| Available after 13 Oct 2027 | No | Yes |
| Phone numbers and templates | Existing | Same, reused |
| Billing model | Per message | Same model |
| Delivery optimisation | No | Yes |
| Benchmarks vs similar businesses | No | Yes |
| Time-to-live | No | Yes |
| Creative optimisation | No | In testing |
What to do this week
- Email your WhatsApp provider. Ask whether they support the MM API today, the date they will move your account, and whether their dashboard will show MM API delivery and read metrics.
- List your templates by category. Flag any "utility" template that contains an offer, discount or upsell. Rewrite it or reclassify it as marketing yourself before Meta does.
- Note who holds the Meta Business Manager admin role. Moving to the MM API requires accepting Meta's MM API terms, and only an admin can do it. In many Indian brands, that admin is a former employee or agency.
- Set a baseline. Export the last 90 days of marketing broadcasts with sent, delivered, read and clicks. You need it to tell whether optimised delivery helps or hurts.
- Plan one test campaign on the MM API before mid-2027, not in the festive season. Compare click-through and orders against a Cloud API send to a matched audience.
If you're also weighing RCS for promotional traffic, our RCS playbook for India covers what to send first. And if your WhatsApp list grows from lead ads, these lead quality fixes will clean it up before you message it.
FAQ
Will WhatsApp marketing messages cost more on the MM API?
Meta says the MM API uses the same billing model as the Cloud API. The switch itself doesn't change pricing, but Meta's rate cards for India can change separately.
Do I need new templates or a new number?
No. Meta says you can reuse your existing phone numbers and approved templates.
Are OTP and order-update messages affected?
No. The sunset covers only marketing messages. Authentication, utility and service messages continue on the Cloud API, unless Meta reclassifies a template as marketing.
What happens if we do nothing?
From 13 October 2027, marketing messages sent through the Cloud API will no longer be delivered.