---
title: "Opt-in consent"
description: "Opt-in consent is a recipient's clear, recorded permission to receive messages from a business on a given channel, captured before the first message is sent and stored with evidence such as the source, timestamp and wording shown."
canonical: "https://omnichannels.ai/glossary/opt-in/"
language: "en"
updated: "2026-10-10"
publisher: "BroadNet Technologies"
brand: "OmniChannels.ai"
---

# Opt-in consent

Canonical: https://omnichannels.ai/glossary/opt-in/
Language: en
Publisher: OmniChannels.ai by BroadNet Technologies

**Definition:** Opt-in consent is a recipient's clear, recorded permission to receive messages from a business on a given channel, captured before the first message is sent and stored with evidence such as the source, timestamp and wording shown.

Valid opt-in is specific (which business, which channel, which kind of message), informed and freely given. A pre-ticked box or consent buried in general terms is weak evidence. Keep separate consents for marketing and for service messages where the law or channel rules distinguish them.

Record proof: where consent was captured (web form, checkout, keyword reply, in-store tablet), when, the exact text the person agreed to, and the phone number or account it applies to. In GCC markets such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, operators and regulators expect verifiable opt-in records and can request them; data-protection laws such as Saudi Arabia's PDPL and Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law add requirements on lawful basis and retention.

WhatsApp has its own rule: Meta requires businesses to obtain opt-in before messaging people on WhatsApp and to state clearly that the person is opting in to receive messages from the business on WhatsApp.

Common mistakes are importing purchased lists, reusing consent given for one brand or channel on another, and losing the evidence when data moves between systems.

## Example

```
☐ Yes, send me offers from Acme by SMS and WhatsApp. I can reply STOP at any time. (unticked by default; stored with date, time, page URL and IP)
```

## Sources

- [Get opt-in for WhatsApp — Meta for Developers](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/overview/getting-opt-in)