---
title: "Twilio WhatsApp Notification"
---

# Twilio WhatsApp Notification

> <Feedback link="https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/twilio-whatsapp-sms-notification/108853" />
> <br/>

WhatsApp SMS notifications can be sent with the [Twilio Notification module](getting-started/modules-overview/additional-modules/twilio-alarm-notification.md). This profile does not require a cellular modem, but the Gateway must have Internet access and a Twilio account with SMS capabilities must be created (www.twilio.com). The Twilio account must then also be [defined in Ignition](../twilio-notification-profiles.md#define-a-twilio-account).

:::caution
The Alarm Notification module must be installed and enabled. If the Alarm Notification module is not installed or is disabled, a warning will appear in the logs and display the state as "Faulted Missing Dependency" on the Platform > System > Modules page.
:::

See the [system.twilio](../../../../../appendix/scripting-functions/system-twilio/system-twilio.md) section of the appendix for details on the two scripting functions available for the Twilio WhatsApp Notification Profile.

## Message Types

WhatsApp allows two types of messages, template and free-form. Upon initial communication, Twilio can only send these pre-approved template messages.

* **Template Messages**: Template messages are configurable messages on Twilio that can be sent to users via Twilio WhatsApp. Templates are generic messages, but parameters allow templates to be a bit more versatile. Template Parameters are entered in the Notification Block settings in the Designer. Refer to the [WhatsApp Message Template Overview](https://www.twilio.com/docs/whatsapp/tutorial/send-whatsapp-notification-messages-templates) for more information on template messages.

* **Free-Form Messages**: Any message that is not a pre-approved template message is considered free-form. You can configure your free-form messages using the Message field on the alarm or on the alarm Notification block.
 
The only way to send free-form SMS messages in WhatsApp is for the user to respond to a template in order to open a 24-hour messaging session. Once a user replies to a template message, then the alarm notifications will send out the configured free-form messages. The 24-hour Session will remain open for 24 hours from the last message received from the user.

## Create a Twilio WhatsApp Notification Profile

1. Go to the **Services** section of the Gateway Webpage.
2. Select **Alarming** > **Notification** from the menu on the left side. 
3. Click on **Create Profile +**. 
4. Select the **WhatsApp SMS Notification** profile type, and click **Next**.
5. Provide a name for the profile, and select a **Twilio Account** from the dropdown.
6. Set the other profile settings as desired. See table below for a description of all settings. 
7. Click **Create Alarm Notification Profile**.

Once your Notification profile is created, you can use it in an Alarm Pipeline. Note that your [user contact information](ignition-modules/alarm-notification/notification-contact-info/notification-contact-info.md) needs to be set to **WhatsApp SMS** to receive messages.

### Twilio WhatsApp Notification Profile Settings
The following table describes the settings on the Alarm Notification Profiles page for a Twilio WhatsApp Notification profile.

#### General

| Setting                 | Description   |
| ----------------------- | ----------------- |
| Name                    | Name for this alarm notification profile. |
| Description             | Description of the profile.|
| Enabled                 | Whether the profile is enabled or disabled.  |

#### Twilio

| Setting                 | Description   |
| ----------------------- | ----------------- |
| Twilio Account          | Select a Twilio account from the dropdown list. |
| Acknowledgement Allowed | Enables users to respond to notifications directly from the SMS message; also known as **Two-Way notification**. If enabled, the **Public Hostname** property in the Twilio Account must be configured. |

#### Auditing

| Setting                 | Description   |
| ----------------------- | ----------------- |
| Auditing Profile        | Select an audit profile from the dropdown list.|

#### WhatsApp

|Setting                  | Description             |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
|WhatsApp Service SID          | Twilio's messaging service ID, found on Twilio's Console when navigating under Develop > Messaging > Services.|