June 24, 2026
Viber is introducing templates for all Transactional Business Messages
What businesses need to know and do before July 1, 2026.
Business messaging is entering a more structured era. Customers expect important updates to be clear, timely, and trustworthy, while messaging platforms are tightening their rules to protect users from spam, fraud, and low-quality communication.
Starting July 1, 2026, Rakuten Viber will require all transactional Viber Business Messages to be sent using approved Message Templates.
This applies to messages such as:
- OTP authorization codes
- order confirmations
- delivery updates
- appointment reminders
- account alerts
- payment notifications
- booking confirmations
- subscription updates
- other automated service messages
At ImLink, we see this update as both a compliance requirement and an opportunity for businesses to improve customer communication.
What is changing in Viber Business Messaging
From July 1, 2026, businesses will need to use pre-approved Transactional Message Templates for recurring operational and service-related messages on Viber.
This means that free-form transactional messages will no longer be the standard option. Instead, businesses will need to prepare templates with fixed text and dynamic variables, submit them for approval, and update their messaging workflows.
The change will affect:
- customer authentication flows
- transactional notifications
- CRM-triggered messages
- order and delivery communication
- appointment and booking systems
- customer support automation
- security alerts
- subscription lifecycle messages
For companies using Viber at scale, this is not just a messaging policy update. It may require changes in content governance, API logic, CRM triggers, localization, and fallback routing.
Why Viber is introducing Transactional Templates
Transactional messages are often the most important messages a customer receives from a brand. A delayed verification code, unclear delivery update, or suspicious account alert can affect conversion, trust, and revenue.
Viber update is designed to improve:
- message clarity
- customer trust
- platform safety
- sender consistency
- protection against spam and fraud
- overall business communication quality
This reflects a broader industry trend. Business messaging is becoming more regulated and structured, with stronger focus on consent, sender identity, relevance, and user experience.
Templates also make legitimate brand communication easier to recognize and reduce the risk of misleading or suspicious message formats.
What are Viber Transactional Message Templates
A Viber Transactional Message Template is a pre-approved text format used for recurring, non-promotional business messages. It includes fixed content and dynamic variables that allow personalization without changing the approved structure.
Example: Order update
Hi {{first_name}}, your order {{order_id}} has been shipped. Estimated delivery: {{delivery_date}}.
Example: Appointment reminder
Hi {{first_name}}, this is a reminder about your appointment with {{company_name}} on {{date}} at {{time}}.
Example: Account alert
Security alert: A login to your account was detected from {{device}} at {{time}}. If this was not you, please contact support.
A typical template includes:
- fixed text
- variables
- language version
- use case or category
- brand identity
- approval status
- template ID for API use
Transactional templates are mainly intended for clear, text-based service communication. Promotional content, rich offers, and marketing calls to action should be handled through promotional message formats.
Transactional vs Promotional messages
Transactional messages inform customers about something related to their account, order, payment, booking, security, or service.
Promotional messages encourage users to buy, register, deposit, subscribe, upgrade, return, or take another commercial action.
Examples:
Transactional:
Your withdrawal request {{request_id}} has been received and is being processed.
Promotional:
Your withdrawal is being processed. Meanwhile, claim your 50 free spins today.
The second message includes promotional intent and should not be sent as a transactional template.
Another example:
Not recommended:
Your order has been delivered. Use code SAVE20 for your next purchase!
Better:
Your order {{order_id}} has been delivered. Thank you for shopping with {{brand_name}}.
Mixing transactional and promotional content may lead to template rejection, compliance issues, or disrupted communication flows.
How new requirement will affect businesses
Content governance
Businesses will need approved, consistent, and localized templates. This includes naming conventions, version control, compliance review, and translation consistency.
Automation logic
Flows that currently send dynamic free-form text will need to be mapped to approved templates.
Affected systems may include:
- CRM
- CDP
- order management systems
- booking engines
- billing platforms
- fraud monitoring tools
- customer support platforms
- marketing automation tools
API integration
Businesses may need to:
- send template IDs instead of raw text
- map variables correctly
- validate missing fields
- manage errors for unavailable templates
- create fallback routes
- monitor performance by template
Localization
If a business operates in multiple markets, each language version may need to be prepared, checked, and approved separately.
Compliance risks
Late preparation can lead to:
- rejected templates
- delayed launches
- interrupted customer journeys
- lower delivery performance
- increased support workload
- restricted or blocked traffic
Viber messaging checklist before July 1, 2026
1. Audit current Viber traffic
List all recurring transactional messages, including:
- message text
- trigger
- source system
- country and language
- volume
- fallback channel
2. Classify messages
Separate messages into:
- transactional
- promotional
- support
- mixed
- unclear
Mixed messages should be rewritten.
3. Prioritize critical flows
Start with high-impact messages:
- login and verification
- payments
- order confirmations
- delivery updates
- security alerts
- booking reminders
- high-volume notifications
4. Rewrite messages as templates
For each message:
- define fixed text
- define variables
- remove marketing content
- improve clarity
- prepare localized versions
5. Submit templates for approval
Allow time for review, edits, rejection handling, and resubmission.
6. Update API and automation logic
Engineering tasks may include:
- implementing template IDs
- mapping dynamic fields
- validating variables
- configuring error handling
- testing fallback routing
- monitoring delivery
7. Set up monitoring
Track:
- delivery rate
- read rate
- failed sends
- template rejection reasons
- customer complaints
- fallback performance
8. Prepare fallback channels
If Viber delivery fails, critical messages can be routed through:
Why multichannel communication matters
Viber templates will improve structure and trust inside the Viber ecosystem, but businesses still need a broader delivery strategy.
Critical communication should not depend on one channel only. If a user is inactive on Viber, has no internet connection, or cannot receive a message, the flow should continue through another approved channel.
A strong multichannel setup helps businesses optimize by:
- urgency
- cost
- reach
- user preference
- delivery status
- compliance requirements
With ImLink Cascade messaging, businesses can design communication flows based on availability, cost, urgency, user preference, and delivery results.
Final thoughts
Viber’s move to mandatory Transactional Message Templates marks an important step toward safer, clearer, and more reliable business messaging.
For brands, the July 1, 2026 deadline is not just a technical date. It is a reason to review how customer communication works across the entire lifecycle – from account updates and order notifications to payments, support, and retention.
Businesses that prepare early will reduce compliance risks, improve message consistency, and build a stronger foundation for scalable customer engagement.