If your utility template recently got reclassified as a marketing message by Meta, you’re not alone, and unfortunately, you’re not in control of this decision either.
Here’s why it happens, what’s changed recently, and what you can try to do about it:
1. Meta Can Reclassify Templates Anytime
Even if you submit a template as “Utility”, Meta’s automated systems can reclassify it based on their internal review process. If the system believes the message is promotional — even slightly — they will reclassify it as Marketing.
Earlier, if you filed a marketing template under utility, Meta would simply reject it and inform you that it was filed under the wrong category. You could then resubmit it under the correct one.
But now, even if you submit a template under utility, and Meta’s internal checks believe it belongs to marketing instead, they will go ahead and approve it — but under marketing. And unless you look closely, you might not even realize that it’s been reclassified.
This change is usually final and cannot be reversed, even by Spur. Once it’s classified as Marketing, that’s what it is, and all associated charges will follow Meta’s marketing rate card.
Heads up: You can still request a review with Meta if you believe your template was wrongly classified. However, the outcome of that review is not guaranteed, Meta may still choose to keep it as Marketing, even after reconsideration.
2. Stricter Enforcement (Especially Since Mid April 2025)
Meta has grown more aggressive and strict about template classification in the past month at the time of writing this. We’re seeing many older utility templates, ones that have been live for months, getting silently moved to the marketing category without prior warning.
Even templates with no discount language or clear promotions are sometimes flagged, simply for having friendly phrasing or open-ended engagement.
3. What You Can Do About It
If you want to try getting a utility template approved, here are some best practices:
Make it 100% utilitarian. Use factual, dry language. Think of it like an alert, not a conversation.
Avoid all greetings or soft language (e.g., don’t say “Hi”, “Hope you’re well”, or “Thank you”).
Stick to pure information, e.g., “Your order has shipped. Track here: {{1}}.”
Don’t add promotional hooks, not even implicit ones like urgency (“in stock now”) or subtle persuasion (“get it before it’s gone”).
Submit a fresh template instead of editing the old one, edited templates often get stuck in pending or silently fail.
Final Note
We’re facing the same issues on our end too, even some of Spur’s own internal utility templates are being flagged as marketing. So we know how frustrating this can be, but unfortunately, Meta’s moderation policies are not something we can override.
If you’re unsure about a template, feel free to reach out and we’ll help review the language before you submit.
Need help creating a compliant utility message? Talk to us and we’ll guide you through it.