WhatsApp Business API sending isn’t part of Robase’s core API yet — it’s on the Phase 4 roadmap. This guide shows the pattern using your own WhatsApp provider today (Twilio, 360dialog, Infobip), falling back to
pm.sms.send when WhatsApp fails.Why fallback, not one or the other
Send via WhatsApp first, watch for delivery, and fall back to SMS if it doesn’t deliver within a window.
The flow
Reference implementation
Tuning the fallback window
- OTP: 30–45s. Users expect the code fast.
- Ride ETA: 60s.
- Receipts / non-urgent: 5 min. Most users read WhatsApp within 5 minutes; SMS is a safety net, not a duplication.
- Marketing: Don’t fall back. If WhatsApp fails, the message isn’t worth $1 of SMS.
Two versions of the body
Keep your WhatsApp body rich (links, bold, emoji) and the SMS body tight (≤ 160 GSM-7):Measuring the fallback rate
High fallback rate (say, >30%) usually means:- Users disabled WhatsApp notifications — they’ll still receive the SMS, but your WhatsApp cost is wasted. Check opt-in quality.
- WhatsApp templates not approved — silent delivery failures. Check your WA dashboard.
- Network issues in a specific region — cluster by user location; route problem regions to SMS-primary.