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Beginning June 1, 2023, the business-initiated conversation category will be split into three new categories (each with their own pricing structure): utility, authentication, and marketing conversations. All templates used to begin business-initiated conversations will be associated with one of those three categories. Additionally, the user-initiated conversation category will be reclassified as the service conversation category. All of the above-mentioned conversations will still last 24 hours.   If you send a template message, and an existing conversation in the template message's category does not already exist, a new conversation will start. If you send a template message while there is already a conversation in progress, and the category of the template and the category of the open conversation do not match, a new conversation will begin in the category of the template. Finally, any template messages sent during a service conversation will begin a new conversation in the category associated with the template.   For more information on this udpate, see WhatsApp's Updates to conversation-based pricing: Effective June 1, 2023. ... View more

In addition to facilitating conversations on many existing communication channels, you can also use the Conversation API to send and receive messages through chat clients integrated with your own apps and sites. This is made possible through the Sinch Chat channel of the Conversation API.   The Sinch Chat channel is automatically configured for every Conversation API app. In order to access the channel, you can use the Sinch Customer Dashboard to create a Client ID, which must be included in the code of your chat client. The customer dashboard will also provide you with code snippets that help in the creation of your chat client.   Note: The snippets that the customer dashboard provides can be used as a template in the creation of your chat client. However, you will have to edit, update, and adapt the code for your specific solution.   You can use the Sinch Customer Dashboard to help create and configure a chat client for iOS, Android, or a web page. To create a chat client for use with the Sinch Chat channel of the Conversation API:   Log in to the Sinch Customer Dashboard. Select Sinch Chat from the left menu and select Overview. The Sinch Chat - Overview page is displayed: In the Configure your clients section, click NEW CLIENT. Note: If you have never accessed the Sinch Chat tab before, you may be directed to a getting started wizard. The getting started wizard follows the same steps described in this guide, and the information provided below is still relevant. The new client dialog box is displayed: Select the Project for which you'd like to configure your chat client.  Projects group various resources together, including Conversation API apps. Enter a Display name for your chat client. Note that end-users will be able to see this name displayed in the chat client itself. Select your Conversation API app. You can also create a new Conversation API app by clicking CREATE NEW. Note: When creating a new Conversation API app using the CREATE NEW button within with the Sinch Chat client creation context, you are only able to set the name of the app. If you want to update the app's configuration settings after completing the chat client creation process, navigate to the Conversation API tab on the let side of the dashboard.  Once you have populated each field, click CREATE: A unique Client ID is generated and your new chat client will be added to the list of available clients on the Sinch Chat - Overview page. Additionally, a notification indicating that your new chat client has been created is displayed. Click GO TO CHAT CLIENT. Your chat client's page is displayed: Confirm that the Details for your chat client are accurate. Customize the look of your chat client in the Customization section: Modify the Brand color, Brand color light, and Brand color dark settings to change the coloration of your client. These fields only accept hex color codes. To preview how the client will appear in iOS apps, Android apps, and on web pages, use the ANDROID, IOS, and WEB tabs. The preview image will update based on your selection. To preview how the client will appear on devices set to light mode and devices set to dark mode, click on either LIGHT or DARK, respectively. To reset your changes to default values, click RESET TO DEFAULT VALUES. Once you have completed making changes, click SAVE: Once you have finished customizing your chat client, continue to the Installation script section. Template code snippets for adding your chat client to an iOS app, Android app, or website are displayed, with the Client ID already populated in the appropriate sections: Note: The code snippet's language is displayed in the upper left corner of the sample. To display code for adding your chat client to an iOS app, click Add chat to iOS app. To display code for adding your chat client to an Android app, click Add chat to Android app. To display code for adding your chat client to a website, click Add chat to website.   With the appropriate snippet selected, you are ready to copy and paste the code into your preferred code editor. To copy the entire snippet at once, click the COPY button in the upper right corner of the sample. Note that you will have to modify this code in order for it to function correctly for your specific solution. Additionally, ensure that you read through the comments in the code snippets; they provide useful instructions and tips for modifying and updating the code.   For more technical information on how to create and configure your chat client for use with Sinch Chat, see the Sinch Chat articles on our developer documentation site. You can also learn more about the Conversation API on our developer site. ... View more

The Conversation API supports sending template messages where all or parts of the message content is pre-defined. The message templates can also contain dynamic content which is populated when sending the message using template parameters. A channel-specific message template can only be used on the channel to which it corresponds. Currently, WhatsApp and KakaoTalk templates are the only supported channel-specific templates, and they're stored by Facebook WhatsApp Business API and KakaoTalk, respectively. Note that, in some cases, you must use channel-specific template messages when sending messages on the WhatsApp or KakaoTalk channels:   For WhatsApp, sending a message outside of a 24-hour customer care session requires an approved template. Templates are generally constructed by Sinch based on your organization's needs. You may also have access to WhatsApp-specific Message Composer functionality on the Sinch Customer Dashboard. If you used the embedded signup process, you'll also have access to a set of default templates. For KakaoTalk, sending an AlimTalk message requires an approved template. Sinch has a dedicated online team and account manager that will be able to assist you in the creation and submission of a template for approval. You may also have access to KakaoTalk-specific Message Composer functionality on the Sinch Customer Dashboard. Learn more about working with Conversation API templates. ... View more

The Conversation API supports sending template messages where all or parts of the message content is pre-defined. The message templates can also contain dynamic content which is populated when sending the message using template parameters. An omni-channel message template can be used to send messages on any channel supported by the Conversation API. Omni-channel messages can be created and managed using either the Template Management API or the Message Composer in the Sinch Customer Dashboard.   Learn more about working with Conversation API templates. ... View more

The Conversation API allows you to send template messages in which all or some of the message content is pre-defined. Message templates can also contain dynamic content which is populated when sending the message using template parameters.   The Message Composer is a tool on the Sinch Customer Dashboard that helps with template creation and management. You can use the Message Composer to create new omni-channel message templates.   To create a new omni-channel message template using the Message Composer:   Log in to the Sinch Customer Dashboard. Select Conversation API from the left menu and select the Message Composer option. The Message Composer page is displayed. In the Message templates section, click NEW TEMPLATE.   The Create message template dialog box is displayed: From the Template type drop-down list, select Omni-channel template and then click CREATE. The Create message template form is displayed:   Enter a Template Name, select a Default Language, select the Region of your template, and select the Template type. Note the following: The Template Name is returned in the description field of API calls made to the template-specific Conversation API endpoints. The Default Language defines which translation will be used when sending template messages without specifying a template language in the API call. Templates are only stored in the Region in which they're created and can only be used by Conversation API apps created in the same region. The Template Type is the message type that your template will correspond to. You can update the Template type after completing this form. You may Select a pre-defined template to work from, which will allow you to continue the template creation process with some options configured automatically. These options can be updated later in the process. Select a pre-defined template by using the Select a pre-defined template drop-down list or by using the BROWSE TEMPLATES button. When the form is complete, click CREATE.   A message confirming that your template has been created is displayed:   Click GO TO TEMPLATE to continue the configuration process. Your template's page is displayed: Note: The template's ID is displayed below the template's name. Ensure that you are configuring a template for the appropriate message type: To change message types, select a new message type in the Choose Message Type section of the page. The contents of a message template are associated with specific language translations. Note: You can configure different content for different languages and store them in the same omni-channel template. Ensure that you are configuring content for the appropriate Language: To change the  current template language option, select a new language from the Add language drop-down list. The language is added above the drop-down list. You can select any of the languages currently assigned to your template. Begin adding content to your template using the editor. Note: Upon template creation, the editor is automatically set to Form. Depending on the Template type you selected, different options will be available to you in the editor: Depending on which field you are editing, you may be able to add variables in the form of  ${YOUR_variable_name} . These variables can be populated dynamically by using the parameters field when sending messages using this template. Note: You can use the Code editor to create template content using code samples, or you can use the Form or Visual editors to compose a message and then extract the snippet from the Code editor. This snippet can then be used to populate the  message field of non-template messages. If you added variables to any fields, they will be displayed in the Samples for variables section under the Previewer: You can populate these with sample values. These values are displayed in the Previewer, as described in the following step. Note: The Samples for variables section is only for preview purposes, and does not affect the actual content of your template. To see how your message will display on the various Conversation API channels, use the Previewer. There, you'll see your message with your configured content as it would appear on the channel selected in the drop-down list. If you provided sample values for any variables, they are included in the preview: To change the channel displayed in the previewer, simply click the drop-down list and select a new channel: Once you are pleased with how your template message will appear on all the relevant channels, click SAVE MESSAGE TEMPLATE in the upper-right corner of your template's page: A notification indicating that your template has been saved is displayed. Your omni-channel message template has been successfully created. See our developer documentation to learn how to send template messages using the Conversation API. ... View more

If a messaging channel receives a delivery error during submission, or if the delivery is cancelled because a successful delivery event did not occur within a specified amount of time, you may or may not be charged for the undelivered message. This is because some channels charge for message submission, while others charge for successful message delivery.   Because the Conversation API is a multi-channel solution, you can configure a failover strategy for your app by prioritizing your Conversation API app's channels or by defining a failover channel in a submitted message. With a failover strategy in place, unsuccessful message delivery on the primary channel triggers the delivery of the same message on a fallback channel. If the message is delivered successfully on the fallback channel, you are charged the normal rate associated with that channel.   Note: Charges incurred depend on a variety of factors which will be covered within your channel contract and associated rate card. ... View more

If you are an Application Service Provider (ASP) for Sinch Products, and you want to set up the Facebook Messenger channel on a Conversation API app for one of your customers, you must provide a way for your customer to connect their Facebook Page to the Conversation API app. You can do so by adding a Facebook Login button to your site. When you give a customer access to this button, they'll be able to provide the account information required to complete the configuration of the Facebook Messenger channel on the Conversation API app.   In order to add a Login button: Follow the Facebook SDK for JavaScript guide. When populating the field for application ID, use one of the following values (based on the region for which you configured the app): - For the US region, set 373040934451540 as your application ID. - For the EU region, set 534018227670344 as your application ID. Follow the Login Button guide to add a Login button to your app. Reach out to your Sinch contact to provide the domain of the site to which you added the button. Your Sinch contact will ensure that the domain is not blocked. Learn more about the Facebook Messenger channel of the Conversation API. ... View more

If an end-user's WhatsApp account is associated with multiple devices, those devices may support different messaging features. If one device supports your outbound message's features, but another does not, you may receive multiple delivery receipts that report contradictory delivery statuses.   For example, it is possible for WhatsApp end-users to connect their WhatsApp account to a Meta Portal. If you send a message to an end-user, and the end-user has connected their WhatsApp account to their Portal, the message may be routed to both a smartphone and a Portal. If the message includes features that are supported on a smartphone, but not a Portal, you may get two contradictory delivery receipts: one that reports that the message was successfully delivered (to the smartphone), and another that reports that the message delivery failed (to the Portal).   Learn more about the Sinch WhatsApp Business API. ... View more