Meta's display name guidelines, in plain words
Meta reviews the display name of every number on the WhatsApp Business Platform against its Help Center article “Display name guidelines for the WhatsApp Business Platform”. We last checked it on 10 October 2026. The principle is simple: the name should say which business is talking to the customer, and nothing else.
A name like “Fresh Produce Boston” or “Fresh Produce Customer Service” passes, because it names the brand and, optionally, a location or department. “Fashion” or “New York” on their own fail, because they could be anyone.
- Represent a real business, product, service or department, and follow the Business Messaging and Commerce policies
- No generic term or generic place on its own
- No words that suggest an endorsed status, such as Official or Verified
- No reference to Meta or its apps: Meta, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger
- The business name only: no offers, discounts or claims like “best rated”
- Not written as a website address or an email address
- A clear relationship with your legal name, consistent with your website and marketing
Brand names, parent companies and “by [company]”
Meta compares the display name with your verified legal name and with what customers see elsewhere: your website, social pages and marketing. An abbreviation of the company name is fine, and so is adding a city, a department or an agent's first name, as long as the brand is recognisable.
When the brand isn't obviously linked to the company that owns the number, Meta asks you to show the link in the name: “Fruit Snacks by Fresh Produce”. Your website should also state the relationship. Agencies, distributors and partners need a page that shows they work with the business named in the display name. A personal name is accepted only when it's clear what the business is, for example “Tom Ford Chiropractor”.
Arabic and bilingual display names
Meta's guidelines apply to names in any language, but they give their examples in English. In practice, Arabic names fail for the same reasons: “مطعم الرياض” is a generic word plus a place, and “متجر نور الرسمي” claims official status. The checker reads Arabic with or without the article ال, so it catches these.
We also flag details that often differ from your trade licence: tatweel (ـ) used to stretch words, diacritics (tashkeel), Arabic-Indic digits and names that mix Arabic and Latin letters. None of these is banned by Meta, but the name should match how the business is written on its documents and website. For the “by [company]” pattern in Arabic we suggest “العلامة من الشركة”, for example “عطور نور من مؤسسة النور للتجارة”. This Arabic form is our suggestion; Meta's article only shows the English wording.
When the name is reviewed, and how to change it
You don't need an approved name to start sending messages. According to Meta's developer documentation (updated 16 June 2026), the display name is reviewed automatically when your number becomes eligible for higher messaging limits. Meta then sends a phone_number_name_update webhook and a Business Suite notification with the decision.
If the name is rejected, edit it to follow the guidelines or appeal through Meta support. You can change a display name up to 10 times in 30 days. After a change is approved, you must re-register the phone number within 14 days, or the name has to be reviewed again. A number with Official Business Account status (the verified badge) needs Meta's direct support for a name change.
What our extra checks add
Some checks are not in Meta's article but catch names that look careless or confuse customers. They're marked Best practice in the results: emoji, decorative symbols, phone numbers, ALL CAPS (short acronyms like DHL are fine), stray punctuation, double spaces and invisible characters pasted from other apps.
Meta publishes no character limit for display names. Long names are cut off in the chat header on many phones, so the tool notes when a name is longer than about 25 characters and suggests putting the distinctive part first.