Hi team,
One of our clients is building their own system on the API: creating templates, managing variables and running conversations from their own product instead of the dashboard. They’ve hit six gaps where the dashboard has a feature but the API doesn’t. The client is actively waiting on these, so they’re urgent for us.
1. Reacting to a message with an emoji
- What’s there now: Agents can react to a message in the shared inbox. Through the API, Get Conversation returns each message’s
wa_message_idand itsreaction_data, so reactions can be read. - The problem: There’s no endpoint to send a reaction, so the client’s product can’t react to a customer’s message the way the shared inbox can.
- How it would help: A send-reaction endpoint taking the message ID and an emoji would let the client’s agents and bots react from their own product.
2. Replying to a specific message
- What’s there now: In the shared inbox, a reply can quote the message it answers, so the customer can see what it refers to.
- The problem: None of the send endpoints (text, media, interactive buttons, template) can say which message they reply to. Every API reply arrives as a separate message, which gets confusing when a customer has asked several things.
- How it would help: An optional “reply to message ID” field on the send endpoints would make the client’s replies quote the right message, just like the shared inbox.
3. Listing template variables
- What’s there now: Custom Fields List returns the custom fields. Template variables can only be seen in the dashboard, under Message Templates → Template Variables.
- The problem: When the client creates a template through the API, there’s no way to know which template variables exist. They have to guess the names or look them up in the dashboard.
- How it would help: A template variable list endpoint would let the client show their users the available variables while they build a template, and use the right names every time.
4. Creating template variables
- What’s there now: Template variables can only be created in the dashboard.
- The problem: The client’s template builder can’t make a new variable, so their users have to leave it and go to the dashboard in the middle of creating a template.
- How it would help: A create endpoint (ideally with update and delete too) would let the client handle the whole template flow inside their own product.
5. Syncing templates
- What’s there now: After a template is submitted, someone has to open the dashboard and click Sync Templates. Template Status checks WhatsApp live, but it doesn’t update the stored copy.
- The problem: Until someone syncs manually, Bot Template Get shows an out-of-date status and the client’s system can’t tell that a template is ready. Every new template needs a person to step in.
- How it would help: A sync endpoint that does the same as the button would let the client keep templates current automatically. It would be even better if the stored status updated itself from WhatsApp’s template status webhook.
6. Sending a WhatsApp Form
- What’s there now: WhatsApp Forms can be built and used on the platform.
- The problem: There’s no API to list the forms or send one to a contact, so the client can’t send a form from their own system.
- How it would help: A form list endpoint and a send-form endpoint (form ID, button text, message text), with the submitted answers coming back on the webhook or through Get Conversation, would let the client collect details from customers through their own product.
Since the client is waiting on these, a rough timeline would help us a lot.
If you need any testing from our side, we’re happy to help.
Thanks