> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.dapta.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.dapta.ai/ai-voice-agents/how-to-create-your-first-campaign-in-dapta/whatsapp-fallback.md).

# WhatsApp fallback

Reach the contacts your sequence could never get on the phone. When a contact exhausts every call attempt without connecting, Dapta sends an approved WhatsApp template as a last-resort touch.

Some contacts simply never pick up. **WhatsApp fallback** gives those numbers one more chance to convert: once a contact has burned through the call attempts you configured without ever connecting, Dapta sends them an approved WhatsApp template instead.

It is the mirror image of the call fallback available on text sequences — same idea, opposite direction. Here the call comes first and the message is the safety net.

{% hint style="info" %}
The fallback only fires for contacts who **never connected**. A contact who answered the call is not messaged.
{% endhint %}

***

## How it works

1. The sequence dials the contact according to your **Max Attempts Per Contact** and **Attempts Per Day** settings.
2. The contact never connects.
3. On the attempt you designated — by default the **last** one — Dapta sends the WhatsApp template from the sender you selected.

For a full explanation of how attempts are counted and rescheduled, see [Call Logic & Limits](/ai-voice-agents/how-to-create-your-first-campaign-in-dapta/call-logic-and-limits.md).

***

## Enabling WhatsApp fallback

WhatsApp fallback is configured on the sequence's **Settings** tab, in the **WhatsApp fallback** block below the main sequence form.

**Step 1:** Open the sequence and go to the **Settings** tab.

***

**Step 2:** Find the **WhatsApp fallback** block and turn on **Enable**.

***

**Step 3:** Fill in the configuration below, then save.

### Configuration

| Field                  | Required | Description                                                                                                     |
| ---------------------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **WhatsApp sender**    | Yes      | The WhatsApp number the fallback message is sent from.                                                          |
| **Template**           | Yes      | The approved WhatsApp template to send. Only templates approved by Meta appear in the list.                     |
| **Send after attempt** | No       | The attempt number after which the template is sent. Leave it empty to send on the **last** attempt.            |
| **Template variables** | No       | Map each variable in your template to a contact field (for example `first_name`). Leave a row blank to skip it. |

{% hint style="warning" %}
The sequence will not save with the fallback enabled until you have selected **both** a WhatsApp sender and a template. If the senders or templates fail to load, save the sequence without the fallback and try again.
{% endhint %}

### Choosing when it fires

**Send after attempt** controls how patient the fallback is:

* **Leave it empty** — the message goes out only after every call attempt is exhausted. Most conservative, and the default.
* **Set it to a lower number** — the message goes out earlier, after the attempt you specify. Useful when you would rather reach someone on WhatsApp than keep dialing a number that clearly is not answering.

{% hint style="info" %}
The number you enter must be within your sequence's **Max Attempts Per Contact** range, otherwise the fallback never has a chance to fire.
{% endhint %}

***

## Requirements

Before enabling the fallback, make sure you have:

* A **connected WhatsApp channel** in your workspace to send from.
* At least one **Meta-approved template** — templates pending review or rejected cannot be used.

Template approval, quality ratings, and messaging limits are governed by Meta, not by Dapta. If you are new to WhatsApp templates, the text agent sequence docs cover those rules in depth.

***

## Related pages

{% content-ref url="/pages/5MPXltpjbRmsnZdLbpCA" %}
[Create a sequence](/ai-voice-agents/how-to-create-your-first-campaign-in-dapta/create-a-campaign.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/8yIUCoPD1oNPbiGLgIRU" %}
[Call Logic & Limits](/ai-voice-agents/how-to-create-your-first-campaign-in-dapta/call-logic-and-limits.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/3IUmiIqvNy2PCTCUH36g" %}
[Call fallback](/ai-text-agents/campaigns/call-fallback.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}


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