When the message recipient is offline or unreachable, WhatsApp will continue trying to resend (retry) your template message. To set the duration for resending the message, Mekari Qontak provides the Message Validity Period feature (also called Message Time-To-Live or TTL). This feature allows you to determine how long WhatsApp will try to send the message before it expires. If the message has not been successfully delivered by the end of that period, WhatsApp will not try to send it again, and the system will display the information "Delivery period expired".

This setting can be configured when creating a template, for each template based on its category. Previously, the delivery period followed WhatsApp's default settings: 10 minutes for the Authentication category and 30 days for the Marketing and Utility categories. These periods could not be viewed or changed by the template creator. This feature will be available in Mekari Qontak starting at the end of October 2026.

The validity period options for Marketing templates are only available on WABAs that have been migrated to the Marketing Messages API (MM API). 

Tip: How to Check Whether Your WABA Is Already Using the MM API

You can check whether your account has been migrated to the MM API through the WhatsApp template and campaign creation pages. After selecting the Sender or Account information, if you see information like the example below, your WABA has not yet been migrated to the MM API. If the information does not appear, your WABA is already using the MM API. Learn how to migrate to the MM API.

A. About the Message Validity Period

Time-sensitive messages—such as OTP codes, flash sale promotions, or delivery schedule reminders—lose their value if they arrive late to customers. With the Message Validity Period, you can tell WhatsApp: "if this message cannot be delivered immediately, do not deliver it at all."

You can select a delivery period from the predefined preset list for each category. The value in bold is the default that is filled in automatically. 

Important
- If you do not set the validity period, the applicable WhatsApp default is: 30 days for Marketing and Utility, and 10 minutes for Authentication.
- Authentication templates created before October 23, 2024 have a 30-day default, not 10 minutes. We recommend setting a shorter preset so that OTP codes are not received after they have expired.
- The delivery period can only be set when creating the template. Changing the delivery period for an existing template is not available in this release—to change it, create a new template.

B. Setting the Message Validity Period When Creating a Template

Follow the steps below to set the validity period when creating a WhatsApp campaign template in Mekari Qontak.

1. Log in to your Mekari Qontak Account.
2. Select the Campaign menu, then click "Templates".
   
3. Next, on the "WhatsApp" tab, click "Create template". 
   
4. Then select the template category you want to create: Marketing, Utility, or Authentication. Learn the complete template creation steps here.
   

5. Go to the "Content & delivery" stage (previously called "Content editing"), then scroll to the "Delivery settings" section below the message content. Then enable the toggle ‘Customize delivery period’.
   

   For Marketing templates on WABAs that use the MM API, the validity period setting is in the same "Delivery settings" group as the Max Price setting (if the feature is enabled). About Max Price.

6. Click the dropdown "Delivery period" and select the preset you want. The displayed presets follow the selected template category (see section A). The default value is filled in automatically—change it as needed.
   
7. Make sure the selected delivery period is correct in the "Delivery settings" section, then complete the other template information and click "Submit" to send the template to META for review.
   
8. The template you created will then appear on the main Templates page.
    

C. Viewing the Message Validity Period on the Template Details Page

After the template has been successfully created, you can view the saved validity period on the Template Details page. The information is displayed in the "Delivery period" row and is read-only (cannot be changed).


 

D. "DeliveryPeriod Expired" Status in the Campaign Log

If the recipient cannot be reached during the entire validity period, WhatsApp will stop trying to deliver the message, and the message will not be delivered. In the campaign delivery log, the message will be displayed with the failure reason "Delivery period expired".

Tip
If this status frequently appears for a type of template, consider selecting a longer preset when creating a new template, then resend the message if it is still relevant.

Important
If META automatically changes the template category (for example, from Utility to Marketing), the configured validity period will revert to the default of 30 days. Please create a new template and make sure the template content complies with META's requirements to reduce the likelihood of category reclassification. Learn about template recategorization.