Skip to main content
The whatsapp channel sends WhatsApp messages through Twilio’s API using pre-approved Content Templates. It depends on the laravel-notification-channels/twilio package.

​
Prerequisites

  • A Twilio account with WhatsApp messaging enabled.
  • A Twilio Content Template SID (created in the Twilio Console under Content Templates).
  • The laravel-notification-channels/twilio package installed.

​
Installation

composer require laravel-notification-channels/twilio
Add your Twilio credentials to .env: 
TWILIO_USERNAME=your_account_sid
TWILIO_PASSWORD=your_auth_token
TWILIO_FROM=whatsapp:+14155238886

​
Twilio Content Template SID

WhatsApp messages must use a Twilio-approved Content Template. Set the template SID in your environment: 
TWILIO_WHATSAPP_CONTENT_SID=HXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This value is read by the config: 
// config/notification-center.php
'whatsapp_content_sid' => env('TWILIO_WHATSAPP_CONTENT_SID'),
Content Template SIDs start with HX. Create and manage templates in the Twilio Console under Messaging → Content Template Builder. Templates must be approved by WhatsApp before use.

​
The WhatsAppNotification class

// src/Notifications/WhatsAppNotification.php
public function via(object $notifiable): array
{
    return [TwilioChannel::class];
}

public function toTwilio(object $notifiable): TwilioContentTemplateMessage
{
    $model = $this->delivery->notification;
    $data  = [
        1 => $model->summary,
        2 => $this->delivery->open_slug,
    ];

    return (new TwilioContentTemplateMessage)
        ->contentSid(config('notification-center.whatsapp_content_sid'))
        ->contentVariables($data);
}
The message passes two variables to the Content Template:
Variable indexValue
1$model->summary — the notification’s short text
2$this->delivery->open_slug — tracking slug for open tracking
Your Twilio Content Template should reference these as {{1}} and {{2}} respectively.

​
Registering the channel

Map the whatsapp identifier to the notification class in your config: 
// config/notification-center.php
'messages' => [
    'whatsapp' => \Opscale\NotificationCenter\Notifications\WhatsAppNotification::class,
    // ...
],
Then include it in a delivery strategy. The default alert strategy uses WhatsApp as a fallback after web push: 
// config/notification-center.php
'alert' => [
    'queue'               => 'notifications-alert',
    'channels'            => ['webpush', 'whatsapp', 'card'],
    'retry_interval'      => [30, 300, 900],
    'max_attempts'        => 3,
    'timeout_per_channel' => 1,
    'days'                => [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6],
    'hours'               => ['00:00', '23:59'],
],
In this strategy, if webpush times out (after 1 hour), delivery escalates to whatsapp, and then to card.

​
Example: reminder strategy with WhatsApp

'reminder' => [
    'queue'               => 'notifications-reminder',
    'channels'            => ['webpush', 'whatsapp'],
    'retry_interval'      => [1800],
    'max_attempts'        => 2,
    'timeout_per_channel' => 6,
    'days'                => [1, 2, 3, 4, 5],
    'hours'               => ['09:00', '19:00'],
],
Reminders attempt web push first, then escalate to WhatsApp after a 6-hour timeout, retrying up to twice with a 30-minute interval.
WhatsApp is well-suited for time-sensitive channels like alert and reminder because it reaches users on their mobile devices even when they are not actively browsing your web app.
WhatsApp via Twilio requires that the recipient’s phone number is registered as a profile contact. Ensure your Profile records include the user’s WhatsApp-enabled phone number through your notifiable model’s routeNotificationForTwilio() method.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us