WhatsApp marketing and PDPA in Malaysia: opt-in and Meta rules

Someone at the counter asks to be told when the durian cakes are back. You write her number on the back of a receipt. Three months later, that number is in a campaign list next to hundreds of others, and nobody remembers which ones asked.

WhatsApp is personal, and both Meta and Malaysian law expect businesses to treat it that way. Getting consent right protects your customers, your quality rating and your number.

This page covers:

What opt-in consent means for WhatsApp marketing
The PDPA in plain terms
Meta's messaging and commerce policies
Why message templates get rejected
What gets a number restricted

Meta only lets you message people who gave you their number and agreed to receive messages from you. You must also respect every request to stop, whether it comes on WhatsApp or anywhere else. The exact wording is in the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.

How do I manage opt-in in HeyBirdy?

HeyBirdy uses labels to keep track of who agreed to what.

Go to Contacts, then Labels, and select New Label.
Name it after the consent, such as Promotions opt-in, and say in the description where people signed up.
Add the label to each contact who agreed, from All Contacts or when you import contacts.
When you create a campaign, pick that label in Filter by Labels.
When someone asks to stop, remove the label from their contact.

What does Malaysia's PDPA mean for WhatsApp marketing?

Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) sets out how businesses may collect and use personal data, such as a customer's phone number. In plain terms: get consent, tell people what you will use their data for, and keep it secure and accurate. The Department of Personal Data Protection lists the principles of personal data protection on its official site.

For a WhatsApp campaign, that means telling customers when you collect their number that you will send them offers, and keeping a record of who agreed. A label with a clear description is a simple record.

What do Meta's WhatsApp policies require?

The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy covers consent, opt-outs, what you must never ask customers for, and giving customers a clear way to reach a person. Meta's Commerce Policies list what you cannot sell, so check them if your menu or shelves include restricted items.

HeyBirdy already gives customers a route to a person: when your AI assistant cannot help, it hands the chat to your team as a chat alert.

Why do WhatsApp message templates get rejected?

Meta reviews every template before you can send it, using automated checks and people. Common reasons are badly formatted variables, content that breaks Meta's policies, and templates that duplicate one you already have. Meta lists the reasons and the appeal process in Template review.

To check a template's status in HeyBirdy:

Select Templates in the sidebar.
Select Sync Templates to fetch the latest status from WhatsApp.
Read the Status column: Approved, In Review or Rejected.
To look into a rejection, select the template's name to open it in Meta's template manager.

See Templates for where to check a template's status in HeyBirdy.

What gets a WhatsApp number blocked or restricted?

Meta can limit or block a business that sends spam, misclassifies templates, sells restricted goods, or collects too much negative feedback from customers. Restrictions range from a short pause on templates to a locked account. Meta explains the levels and how to appeal in Policy enforcement.

The early warning sign is your quality rating. Check it in Settings, then WhatsApp Business, on the Phone Status tab. WhatsApp Business basics explains what it means and how to protect it.

Customers who asked to hear from you open your messages. That is good for them, good for your rating, and good for the next campaign.