From 01/10/2026, Meta charges for WhatsApp Business messages in a new way. Here is exactly what changes for your shop, in plain words, with real examples. This is a Meta change, not a HeyHomie change.
From 01/10/2026, Meta gives every WhatsApp number 1,000 free service messages a month, then charges per message. Template messages are charged, replies you type by hand in the WhatsApp Business App stay free, receiving is free, and your customers pay nothing. These are Meta's charges, billed as per your HeyHomie plan.
Meta has been moving toward paying for each message for a while. Here are the three dates that matter. The last one is the one to know.
Every business message is one of four types. Once you know these, the whole change makes sense.
Marketing, Utility and Authentication are ready formats, called templates, that you send when you reach out. Service is your free flowing reply while helping.
A service message is any reply your business sends that is not a template, while the customer's 24 hour window is open, through HeyHomie. These are the messages your 1,000 free a month applies to.
Many shops use the WhatsApp Business App and HeyHomie on the same number at the same time. This is called Coexistence. There is one important difference in how your messages are counted.
The 24 hour window decides when you can reply without a template. A second window can make messages free for longer.
It opens when a customer messages you. While it is open, you can send non template replies without a template, and those come out of your 1,000 free a month. Once it closes, you need an approved template to start or continue the chat.
When a customer reaches you from a Click to WhatsApp ad, or the message button on your Facebook or Instagram page, messaging to them is free for 72 hours. A strong reason to drive customers through your ads and page buttons.
Here are the everyday situations you actually run into. Tap a filter to sort them.
A service message, covered by your 1,000 free a month.
WhatsApp Business App replies are free and not counted in your 1,000.
Non template automation replies are service messages, within your 1,000.
That is 500 marketing template messages, billed as per your plan.
Utility template messages, charged even inside the 24 hour window.
An authentication template. Never part of your 1,000 free.
Only the extra ones, charged as per your HeyHomie plan.
The ad opens a 72 hour free window. Everything you send is free.
Receiving is free, and your reply sits inside your 1,000.
You need an approved template to reopen the chat.
You pay only for messages that are delivered. No delivery, no charge.
Each business number gets its own 1,000 free every month.
To start the chat you send a template, charged as per your plan.
A non template media reply is a service message, within your 1,000.
Replies sent from the app stay free and are not counted.
These are Meta's charges, not a HeyHomie price change. They are billed as per your HeyHomie plan and shown separately from your subscription or platform fee. You do not manage anything with Meta directly. HeyHomie keeps your billing transparent, so you always know what you are paying for.
Extra service messages past 1,000, and all template messages, are charged as per your HeyHomie plan. There is nothing to pay to Meta directly and no card to add. If you want the exact rates on your plan, just ask us and we will walk you through them.
Reply by hand from the WhatsApp Business App and those replies stay free.
Use HeyHomie to manage chats and your first 1,000 service messages a month are free.
Service messages past 1,000 are charged as per your HeyHomie plan.
Marketing, utility and authentication templates are charged as per your HeyHomie plan.
Messages you receive stay free, and your customers pay nothing.
These Meta charges are separate from your HeyHomie subscription.
Those manual replies stay free and never touch your 1,000.
Send the replies that help, so your 1,000 free service messages go further.
Stay in the window and you avoid needing a paid template to reply.
That opens the 72 hour free window, where messaging is free.
A well timed offer to the right people earns far more than it costs.
We will read your usage and fit your plan to how you actually sell.
No jargon. Here is what each word really means.
The WhatsApp Business App is the free green app you download and reply from by hand on your phone. The Business Platform, also called the Cloud API, is the system HeyHomie uses to send and automate messages at scale. The new charges and the 1,000 free service messages apply to the Platform, which is what HeyHomie uses.
A WhatsApp feature that lets you use the WhatsApp Business App and a platform tool like HeyHomie on the same number at the same time. Your hand typed replies in the WhatsApp Business App stay free, while messages sent through HeyHomie use the Platform and its 1,000 free service messages.
A non template reply your business sends through HeyHomie while a customer's 24 hour window is open. This includes normal replies, team inbox replies, and non template automation, flow, form and chatbot replies. You get 1,000 free every month per number.
A ready made, pre approved format you send when you start a chat or send an update, like an order confirmation or a sale offer. Templates are charged by their type: marketing, utility or authentication. They are never part of your 1,000 free service messages.
The 24 hour timer that starts when a customer messages you. While it runs, you can reply with non template service messages. Once it closes, you need an approved template to start or continue the conversation through the Platform.
Delivered means the message reached the customer's phone. You are charged only for delivered messages. If a message does not deliver, there is no charge for it.
The common worries small shops have, in plain words.
No. This change is introduced by Meta, not by HeyHomie. Any message charges are separate from your HeyHomie subscription and are billed as per your HeyHomie plan. What we are doing is giving you full visibility and keeping the billing simple and transparent.
01/10/2026. Until 30/09/2026, service messages are free the way they are today. Nothing changes for you before that date.
For most small shops, no big jump. Replies you type by hand in the WhatsApp Business App stay free. Your first 1,000 service messages through HeyHomie are free every month. The charges mostly touch templates and any service messages beyond 1,000, and you control those.
Nothing technical. Keep your HeyHomie plan active so your messages keep flowing. If you send a lot of templates or service messages, review your plan with us so it fits how you sell. You can also reply by hand from the WhatsApp Business App to keep more replies free.
No. This is only about business messaging sent through the WhatsApp Business Platform. Your personal WhatsApp chats are untouched.
A service message is your free flowing, non template reply while helping a customer who messaged you, sent through HeyHomie inside the 24 hour window. A template is a ready, pre approved format you send to reach out or send an update. Templates are charged by type: marketing, utility or authentication.
All non template replies sent through HeyHomie inside the 24 hour window: your normal replies, your team's replies from the HeyHomie inbox, and non template replies from your automations, flows, forms and chatbot. Marketing, utility and authentication templates do not count and are always charged.
No. An OTP or login code is an authentication template. Templates are never part of the 1,000 free service messages. They are charged as per your HeyHomie plan.
No. Your automations, flows and replies keep working. Once you pass 1,000 service messages in a month, the extra service messages are simply charged as per your HeyHomie plan.
Yes. The 1,000 free service messages are per WhatsApp number, per month. Everyone replying on that number draws from the same 1,000. If you have two numbers, each gets its own 1,000.
The 1,000 free service messages reset on the first of every month. Unused messages do not carry forward into the next month, and you do not lose anything by using few of them.
Each WhatsApp Business number gets its own 1,000 free service messages every month. Two numbers means two separate quotas.
The WhatsApp Business App is the free green app where you reply by hand on your phone. HeyHomie uses the WhatsApp Business Platform to manage and automate chats at scale. WhatsApp Business App replies stay free and are not counted. Messages through HeyHomie use your 1,000 free service messages, then are charged, and templates are charged.
A WhatsApp feature that lets you use the WhatsApp Business App and HeyHomie on the same number at the same time. Your hand typed replies in the app stay free, while messages sent through HeyHomie use the Platform and its 1,000 free service messages.
No. Messages sent directly from the WhatsApp Business App stay free. They are not counted towards your 1,000 free service messages, and the 24 hour Platform window does not apply to them.
If they are the built in quick replies, greeting or away messages of the WhatsApp Business App, sent from the app, they stay free. If the same kind of automatic reply is sent through HeyHomie, it is a service message and uses your 1,000 free.
Yes. If a lot of your replies are manual, doing them by hand from the WhatsApp Business App keeps them free and saves your 1,000 for automations and busy days.
Your charges for these messages are as per your HeyHomie plan. Service messages past 1,000, and all template messages, are billed as per your plan. If you would like the exact rates on your plan, just ask us and we will walk you through them.
They are billed as per your HeyHomie plan and shown separately from your HeyHomie subscription or platform fee, so you always know what you are paying for.
No. HeyHomie manages the Platform side for you. You do not deal with Meta billing directly. Any charges reach you through HeyHomie, as per your plan, shown separately from your subscription.
Your HeyHomie account shows your messaging activity. If you want help reading it or choosing the right plan for your volume, just reach out and we will walk you through it.
To start a chat with someone who has not messaged you, you send an approved template, which is charged by its type as per your HeyHomie plan. Once they reply, the 24 hour window opens and your non template replies become service messages.
Once the 24 hour window closes, a plain reply will not go through. You send an approved template to reopen the chat, charged by its type. This is why quick replies inside the window are the cheapest way to help.
No. Receiving is always free. Meta does not charge your business for receiving WhatsApp messages, and your customers never pay anything.
A photo, PDF or product message sent as a non template reply inside the window is a service message, so it uses your 1,000 free. If the same is sent as a template to reach out, it is charged as a template. A customer simply browsing your catalogue is never a charge.
Each message from the customer refreshes the 24 hour window. Your replies are still counted one by one against your monthly 1,000, not per conversation, so a long back and forth is simply several service messages.
No. You are charged only for messages that are delivered to the customer. If a message does not deliver, there is no charge for it.
Template rates can differ by the customer's country, but for you it is simple: any charges are billed as per your HeyHomie plan. Most shops message customers in India, and your plan covers it.
This change is about messages, not calls. Voice and video calls on WhatsApp are a separate feature and are not part of this message pricing.
Marketing and other template messages that go out from 01/10/2026 follow the new pricing, so yes, they are charged as per your HeyHomie plan. It is a good moment to review your scheduled sends.
Reply to our email, or message us on WhatsApp. A real person from HeyHomie will help you understand your situation and pick the plan that fits how you sell.
Talk to a real person at HeyHomie. We will look at how you sell and help you pick the plan that fits, with no jargon.