WhatsApp Business display name: the rules, approval and how to change it

What the display name is

When you add a phone number to your WhatsApp Business account you give it a display name. It appears on your number's WhatsApp profile. Once the name has been approved it can also appear at the top of each chat and in the chat list. If a customer edits your name in their own WhatsApp, the name they typed shows instead of yours, for them.

You can start before it is approved

Meta says you do not need to pass a display name review to get started on the WhatsApp Business Platform: you can begin sending messages to customers straight after sign-up.

The review comes later. Meta says your requested name becomes eligible for review once your business becomes eligible for higher messaging limits. It then checks the name against its guidelines, and tells you the result in Meta Business Suite. Meta does not say how long the review takes.

What Meta wants in a name

Meta's display name guidelines come down to these rules, each with examples on Meta's page:

1. It must obey the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy. Meta's example: a sporting goods shop's name is fine, but adding a guns department is not.
2. It must accurately describe your business, or one of its services, products or departments.
3. It must not be only a generic word (Meta's example: "Fashion") or only a place ("New York").
4. It must not suggest an endorsed status, so "Official" and "Verified" do not belong in it.
5. It must not mention Meta or its apps: no "WhatsApp" or "Facebook" in the name.
6. It is the business name only, with no promotional words such as "20% off sale" or "best rated store".
7. It must not be written as a website address or an email address.
8. It must clearly relate to your legal business name and match how your business is named on outside sources such as your website or social pages.

On that last point, Meta accepts a shortened form of your name, such as initials, and a branch or department added to it, such as a city or "Customer Service". If a brand's link to your company is not obvious, Meta suggests "by" and the company name. If a name belongs to a business you work for, such as an agency, distributor or partner, your website must show the relationship. If the name is a person's name, outside sources should make clear what kind of business it is.

When Meta approves or refuses it

If the name is approved, your number's name status shows as approved. If it is refused, the status shows as declined. You can edit the name to follow the guidelines and send it again, or appeal through Meta's developer support.

How to change it

You can change the name after it has been approved. In Meta's WhatsApp Manager, Meta describes this path:

1. In Meta Business Suite, open WhatsApp Manager and choose your account.
2. Click Phone numbers in the left menu.
3. Under the Name column, hover over your current name and click the pencil icon.
4. Type the new name and click Next.

The new name goes back for review. When Meta approves it, you must register the number again for the change to take effect; registering before approval does nothing. Meta gives you 14 days after approval to do this, and if the 14 days pass you must send the name for review again.

Meta allows 10 name changes in any 30 days. Any change you make while a review is under way also needs approval before the new name is used. And if your number has an official business account, Meta says to contact its direct support instead of using this screen.

Pick the name once

Every change restarts the review and uses up part of your ten changes, so choose a name that matches your website, your legal name and your branding before you connect. If you want the blue checkmark later, an approved display name is one of Meta's conditions: see the WhatsApp green tick guide.

With VartaAPI the number stays on your own Meta account, so you set and change the name in Meta's own screens. If you get stuck on the register-again step after an approval, write to [email protected] and we will help you through it.