WhatsApp to shift to per-message billing from July 1, 2025

WhatsApp to shift to per-message billing from July 1, 2025

Greetings Recruiters,

If you’re using WhatsApp to connect with candidates through Zoho Recruit, there’s an important pricing change coming up that you’ll want to plan for.

What’s changing?  

Starting July 1, 2025, WhatsApp is moving away from conversation-based pricing and switching to per-message billing on the WhatsApp Business Platform.

Previously, you were charged once for all messages sent within a 24-hour window (after initiating a conversation). With the new model, every business-initiated message will be charged separately—based on:

➡ WhatsApp Business Platform Pricing

Note: Charges apply only to messages successfully delivered to users.
So if you send, say, one marketing message and two utility messages outside a customer service window, you'll be billed for three separate messages.

What counts as a "customer service window"?  

The customer service window is a 24-hour period that starts every time a candidate sends you a message.

During this window:

  • You can send free-form/ non-template (real-time) replies

  • You can also send utility template messages 

This means updates like interview confirmations, status alerts, and reminders are now free—if they’re sent as part of an active conversation.

This update builds on a change introduced in November 2024, and now includes utility templates as well.

72-hour free messaging after ad or Facebook CTA clicks  

If a candidate taps on a WhatsApp ad or the "Send Message" button on your Facebook page, a 72-hour free window is triggered.

Here’s how it works:

  • First 24 hours: You can send any number of free-form or template messages

  • Next 48 hours: You can continue the conversation using template messages only

➡ More on the 72-hour window

This is a great way to follow up with interested candidates—at no extra cost.

Volume-based discounts now available  

If you regularly send high volumes of utility or authentication messages, WhatsApp’s new tier-based pricing model can help reduce costs automatically.

Discounts are:

  • Applied based on your monthly volume

  • Available for utility and authentication messages only

  • Region-specific, with updated rates shared by Meta

➡ View volume-based pricing

What’s considered a utility message?  

From July 1, 2025, utility templates must meet stricter criteria.

They should:

  • Be non-promotional

  • Contain information the user explicitly requested

  • Be essential to a process (e.g., appointment reminders, job status updates, or login alerts)

Templates that don’t meet these criteria may be recategorized as marketing, and charged accordingly.

What should you do now?  

  1. Audit your existing templates – Make sure they're correctly categorized

  2. Time your responses to make use of the free 24-hour and 72-hour windows

  3. Review your usage patterns and prepare for potential cost shifts

  4. Bookmark Meta’s pricing page for the most current region-specific rates

➡ WhatsApp's official website for up to date rates

We'll keep monitoring this on our side too. If anything changes from the Zoho Recruit end—or if we roll out specific features or best practices to support this—we’ll update you right away.

Regards,
Team Zoho Recruit



      • Sticky Posts

      • An update to improve email delivery | Email Authentication & Relay

        Update Rollout Latest Update: Enterprise users (8th July, 2025) This update is now live for Enterprise plan users in all regions. This includes People Plus, but not Zoho One, which will be covered in an upcoming update. Professional users (31st May 2025)

      • Zoho Recruit User Group Meet-up | INDIA 2025 (Venue Finalised)

        Hello Zoho Recruit users from India, We’re pleased and excited to announce our 2025 edition of Zoho user group meet-up in India in five cities! In this meet-up, our team of experts will help you understand the intricate nuances to use Zoho Recruit better,

      • Zoho Recruit is coming to the UK | Zoho Community Learning Series

        Customers from the United Kingdom, Exciting news: We will be in London for the Zoho Recruit user meet up. Our team will help you better understand the intricate nuances of Zoho Recruit to help you hire faster, inform about new and upcoming features, and

      • Ask the experts - A live Q & A discussion on Zoho Recruit

        We are delighted to come back with another edition of Ask the Experts community series. This edition, we'll be focusing on everything about Zoho Recruit. The topics will focus on the features that are used/asked by the majority of users and also based

      • Restriction on 'From' addresses with a public domain

        Dear Zoho Recruit Community, We hope this message finds you well. This post is to inform you about some important updates regarding email restrictions within Zoho Recruit. Effective post 31st March 2025, we will be implementing changes to the use of email

        • Recent Topics

        • Whatsapp Limitation Questions

          Good day, I would like to find out about the functionality or possibility of all the below points within the Zoho/WhatsApp integration. Will WhatsApp buttons ever be possible in the future? Will WhatsApp Re-directs to different users be possible based

        • Introducing parent-child ticketing in Zoho Desk [Early access]

          Hello Zoho Desk users! We have introduced the parent-child ticketing system to help customer service teams ensure efficient resolution of issues involving multiple, related tickets. You can now combine repetitive and interconnected tickets into parent-child

        • Download a file from within a zoho creator widget

          I have a widget running in Zoho Creator , it displays uploaded documents in a table file, and I have added a download link in the view. ( The widget is created with html, css and javascript). I do not succeed in getting the download working. Do I have

        • Correlated subqueries not supported in Zoho Analytics. This creates huge limitations

          Running into a major limitation in Zoho Analytics: correlated subqueries simply don’t work, even in completely standard SQL patterns inside a JOIN. Example: LEFT JOIN "Bills" b ON d."Id" = b."Deal ID" AND EXISTS ( SELECT 1 FROM "Bill

        • Zoho / Outlook Calendar sync

          The current Marketplace -> Microsoft -> Meetings integration needs 2 changes. 1. The current language for the Two-Way sync option should be changed. It currently states, "Sync both your Zoho CRM Calendar and Office 365 Calendar meetings with each other."

        • Email content just contain 'OK' ,not what we expect

          create campaign API URL: https://campaigns.zoho.com/api/v1.1/createCampaign req params: {'campaignname': 'General_Outreach_d0cfc415-43aa-4b96-bb09-558e76a3dda3_50_20251117_214806_660', 'from_email': 'admin@allinmedia.ai', 'subject': 'ALL IN MEDIA', 'list_details':

        • Introducing the all-new email parser!

          Greetings, We are pleased to introduce to you, a brand-new, upgraded version of the Zoho CRM Email Parser, which is packed with fresh features and has been completely redesigned to meet latest customers needs and their business requirements. On that note,

        • Possible to connect Zoho CRM's Sandbox with Zoho Creator's Sandbox?

          We are making some big changes on our CRM so we are testing it out in CRM's Sandbox. We also have a Zoho Creator app that we need to test. Is it possible to connect Zoho CRM's Sandbox to Zoho Creator's Sandbox so that I can perform those tests?

        • Reopen ticket

          Hello! Can I reopen a ticket just using the API ticket/sendReply ? What's the rules to do it? I'm trying but it doesn't reopen the ticket, it just send the reply

        • Allow Admins to Transfer Ownership of Their Own Files & Folders

          Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request an important enhancement to the ownership-transfer functionality in Zoho WorkDrive, specifically regarding administrator capabilities. As administrators, we have the ability to

        • Tip#46: Capture accurate log hours

          Hello everyone, Use the newly introduced timer settings that will streamline the usage of timers and help admins or workspace owners to manage the time entries of the workspace users better. Check out the below mentioned timer settings added to the Timesheet

        • Moving to app-specific authentication for Google integrations

          Hello everyone, We’re making an important change to how Google integrations work in our platform. Until now, we used a common Google project across Zoho to enable integrations like Google Drive, Calendar, and more. Going forward, we’ll be moving to an

        • Double opt-in notifications and customizable confirmation messages for your webforms

          Dear CRM Community, We are excited to announce a major upgrade to our Webforms feature. You can now customize the confirmation message shown to your users who double opt-in from your webform and also customize your confirmation emails when they submit

        • Lost the ability to sort by ticket owner

          Hi all, in the last week or so, we have lost the ability to sort tickets by Ticket Owner. Unlike the other columns which we can hover over and click on to sort, Ticket Owner is no longer clickable. Is it just us, or are other customers seeing this too?

        • Using a CRM Client Script Button to create a Books Invoice

          Hello, I need help handling error messages returned to my client script from a function. The scenario I have setup a client script button which is available from each Deal. This CS executes a crm function, which in turn creates an invoice based on the

        • How Can i put a form in Zobot

          Hi,how can i integrate a form which has a multiple options to choose from.the form should be opened or displayed by zobot after it meets a requirement in the conversation. Thanks in advance !

        • Has Anyone successfully integrated Zoho and Sage Intact?

          Hey all, We’re evaluating Zoho One + Sage Intacct and I’m trying to connect with anyone who has actually implemented the two together.Specifically, I’d love to know: -- Which functions you kept in Zoho vs. Intacct (e.g., Product Catalog, AR/AP, invoicing,

        • Admin asked me for Backend Details when I wanted to verify my ZeptoMail Account

          Please provide the backend details where you will be adding the SMTP/API information of ZeptoMail Who knows what this means?

        • Playback and Management Enhancements for Zoho Quartz Recordings

          Hello Zoho Team, We hope you're all doing well. We would like to submit a feature request related to Zoho Quartz, the tool used to record and share browser sessions with Zoho Support. 🎯 Current Functionality As of now, Zoho Quartz allows users to record

        • Zoho Analytics - Feature Request For Time Based Data Source Fetch

          Hi Analytics Team, I have a client using Zoho CRM and they want a weekly report at 4:30pm every Friday, emailed to the sales team showing a pie chart of Closed Won Deals for that week. This is easy to achieve in Analytics but not so easy to ensure the

        • Which user's capacity is used for Shared Mailbox storage?

          We use shared mailboxes at our company, and their size is increasing daily. Which user(s)'s total mailbox limit is being used up by this space?

        • Inserting the current date / time

          I'd like to use Zoho Notebook as a log - so it would be great to be able to insert the current date and time at the beginning (or end) of each my log/journal entries - or wherever I want. Something simple, like pressing a button/icon to insert it wherever my text cursor is. It could be formatted like "Mon Dec 11, 2017 - 11:43p". 

        • Migrate data from old to new account

          Hy, Have one Old Zoho Notebook Account with Data , want to migrate that whole Data to New Zoho Notebook Account which is in Zoho One . Is that possible ? If Yes then how?

        • Campaign editor overrides href value

          I've been trying to insert a deep link in an email campaign so recipients can directly open a native app on their device. My deep link looks something like "myapp://". The options to insert links in the campaign editor are limited to strict urls, emails,

        • Can't login IMAP suddenly

          Since this evening I'm getting the error: You are yet to enable IMAP for your account. Please contact your administrator... IMAP always been enabled in my account and was workign fine for the past 7 years. Already tried turning IMAP off and on again.

        • how to add subform over sigma in the CRM

          my new module don't have any subform available any way to add this from sigma or from the crm

        • Bug Report and Suggestions for Improvement in Zoho Applications

          Hi Zoho Team, I’d like to report a few bugs and improvement suggestions I’ve noticed while using Zoho products: Zoho Cliq Video Call: The camera sometimes turns off automatically during video calls. This seems to be a bug — please check and fix it. Zoho

        • Super Admin Logging in as another User

          How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working

        • Canvas Flex Box containers should not require a width/height.

          Flexbox containers are often used as organizational concepts, to ease re-flow on mobile etc. - I cannot use % for flexbox W or H - I cannot omit W or H This means that the content cannot dictate, and a Flexbox container cannot be used merely as an organizational

        • Zoho Desk Android app update: Filter enhancement, Save Filters

          Hello everyone! We have now enhanced the filter section on the ticket listing screen of Zoho Desk Android app as it is on the web(desk.zoho.com). Also, we have introduced an option to save filters for tickets on the mobile app. You can easily apply, rename,

        • Very long loading times | bad performance [ZOHO DC: EU]

          Hello there, we have recently noticed that the loading times have become extremely long when retrieving tickets and ticket details. For example, I open any ticket and get the following view. The subject and standard information (ticket owner, status etc.)

        • Zia Profile Summary now supports six languages and responds faster

          After numerous customer requests, we’ve expanded Zia Profile Summary to do more than just summarize resumes quickly. It can now summarize them in six different languages and deliver results even faster. What’s New 1. Extended language support Zia can

        • Introducing Zoho Show Android 3.0

          Good ideas need the right space to grow. They deserve tools that move as fast as your thoughts and make creating feel effortless. And that is why we are bringing you Zoho Show Android 3.0! From a brand-new look and smoother navigation to improved collaboration

        • Properly Capture Dropdowns & Hover Elements When Recording a Window/Tab

          Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing great. We encountered a limitation when recording a selected window or browser tab: Certain UI elements, such as dropdown lists, hover menus, and overlays, are not captured unless we record the entire screen.

        • Peppol integration zoho invoicefu

          Hi, Belgium will require Peppol invoicing as of 2026. I found that this is being prepared for Zoho books, to be released in Sep 2025. Will Zoho Invoice get this functionality too? I like the Invoice app for my part-time side business as bike mechanic

        • CRM x WorkDrive: File storage for new CRM signups is now powered by WorkDrive

          Availability Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: Released for new signups in all DCs. It will be enabled for existing users in a phased manner in the upcoming months. Help documentation: Documents in Zoho CRM Manage folders in Documents tab Manage files

        • Allow Recording Only a Selected Portion of the Screen

          Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request a more flexible recording option in Zoho WorkDrive. At the moment, we can record either the entire screen or a specific window/tab — but not a custom selected portion of the screen

        • Restricting Calendar View to Working Hours

          Hi: I'm trying to implement a calendar which displays all of my customer appointments.  Currently, the calendar shows all 24 hours of the day.  Is there a way to restrict the hours to simply the times my business is open? Thanks!

        • Add Camera Background Blur During Recording

          Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope everything is well. We would like to request an enhancement to the video recording feature in Zoho WorkDrive. Currently, the camera preview displayed during a recording does not support background blur. This is an essential

        • Amazon FBA integration - Handle invoice reconciliation under different GSTINs,

          Dear Zoho Community, Thank you for the clarification regarding the Amazon FBA integration, default warehouse, and GSTIN mapping in Zoho Inventory. I understand that Zoho currently supports only one warehouse for Amazon FBA, and that all FBA orders are

        • Next Page