Gymly

Set up WhatsApp for your gym

Gymly sends WhatsApp messages from your gym's own WhatsApp Business number: membership reminders, payment receipts, member app invitations and training reminders. You connect the number once through Meta (the company behind WhatsApp). It takes about an hour, plus a short wait while Meta approves your messages.

Before you start

  • The Premium plan in Gymly (WhatsApp is part of it).
  • A Facebook account for the person who sets this up.
  • A phone number for the gym that can receive an SMS or a call and is not already used in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. To use a number that is, delete its WhatsApp account in the app first.
  • A payment card: Meta charges a small amount per message, billed by Meta directly. Gymly adds nothing.
  1. 1

    Create a Meta business portfolio

    Go to business.facebook.com and choose Create an account. Enter your gym's name, your name and a business email.

    Later, verify your business in Business settings → Security Center. Until then Meta limits how many people you can message per day.

  2. 2

    Create a Meta app with WhatsApp

    Go to developers.facebook.com, open My Apps and choose Create app.

    • As the use case, pick Connect with customers through WhatsApp. If it isn't listed, pick Other → Business and add the WhatsApp product afterwards.
    • Link the app to the business portfolio from step 1.
  3. 3

    Add your gym's phone number

    In the app, open WhatsApp → API Setup and choose Add phone number.

    • Display name: your gym's name, as members know it. Meta checks it.
    • Category: Health and fitness (or the closest one).
    • Confirm the number with the code Meta sends by SMS or call.

    Meta also gives every app a test number. It can only message 5 numbers you add by hand, so use your own number for members.

  4. 4

    Copy two IDs

    Still on WhatsApp → API Setup, choose your number in the From field and copy:

    • Phone number ID (only digits; not the phone number itself).
    • WhatsApp Business Account ID.
  5. 5

    Create a permanent access token

    The token shown on the API Setup page stops working within a day. Make one that doesn't expire:

    • Go to business.facebook.com → Settings → Users → System users and add a system user, for example "Gymly", with the Admin role.
    • Choose Assign assets: give it full control of your app (under Apps) and of your WhatsApp account (under WhatsApp accounts).
    • Choose Generate token, pick your app, set the expiration to Never, and tick the permissions whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management.
    • Copy the token right away. Meta shows it only once.
  6. 6

    Add a payment method in Meta

    Open WhatsApp Manager (business.facebook.com/wa/manage), go to Payment methods and add your card. Without it, Meta doesn't deliver messages. Prices depend on the country; Meta lists them on its WhatsApp pricing page.

  7. 7

    Create the message templates

    WhatsApp only lets a business start a conversation with messages Meta approved in advance, called templates. Create one for each message you want to send:

    • In WhatsApp Manager, open Message templates and choose Create template.
    • Category: Utility. Name: exactly as below (lowercase, with underscores).
    • Language: the one your members read. Use the same language for every template.
    • Paste the body text, then enter the sample values Meta asks for, and submit. Approval takes from a few minutes to a day.
    • You only need the templates for messages you'll turn on.

    Membership ending soon

    Name

    gymly_expiry

    Body

    Hi {{1}}, your {{2}} membership ends on {{3}}. Renew at the front desk of {{4}} to keep training without a break.

    Sample values for Meta: Ana · Monthly · 30/11/2026 · Iron Peak Fitness

    Payment receipt

    Name

    gymly_payment

    Body

    Hi {{1}}, we received your payment of {{2}}. Your receipt number is {{3}}. Thank you for training with {{4}}, and keep this message for your records.

    Sample values for Meta: Ana · €35.00 · 1042 · Iron Peak Fitness

    Portal invitation

    Name

    gymly_welcome

    Body

    Hi {{1}}, welcome to {{2}}! Your username for the member app is {{3}}. Choose your password here: {{4}} The link works for a limited time.

    Sample values for Meta: Ana · Iron Peak Fitness · ana.berisha · https://gymly.shop/reset-password?token=abc

    Training session reminder

    Name

    gymly_session

    Body

    Hi {{1}}, this is a reminder of your training session on {{2}} with {{3}} at {{4}}. If you can't make it, please let us know in advance.

    Sample values for Meta: Ana · Friday 24/10 at 18:00 · Leon · Iron Peak Fitness

    Message from staff

    Name

    gymly_message

    Body

    Hi {{1}}, a message from your gym: {{2}} Reply here if you have any questions.

    Sample values for Meta: Ana · The gym closes at 18:00 this Saturday.

  8. 8

    Connect the number in Gymly

    Open Settings → WhatsApp in Gymly and fill in:

    • Phone number ID, WhatsApp Business account ID and access token, from steps 4 and 5.
    • Default country code, for members whose number was saved without one: 355 for Albania, 383 for Kosovo, 389 for North Macedonia.
    • Template language: the language code exactly as in Meta, for example en, en_US, sq or mk.
    • The name of each approved template, and which messages to send automatically.
    • Turn on Send WhatsApp messages and save.
    • Under Send a test, enter your own phone number and leave the template empty: Meta's sample message "hello_world" arrives if everything is connected.

    The Sent messages list in the same section shows every message, and Meta's reason when one fails.

If something doesn't work

The template doesn't exist (error 132001)
The template name or the language code in Gymly doesn't match Meta exactly, or the template isn't approved yet.
The access token is invalid or expired (error 190)
You used the temporary token from the API Setup page. Create a permanent one (step 5) and enter it again.
The recipient isn't in the allowed list (error 131030)
Messages still go out from Meta's test number. Add your own number (step 3) and use its Phone number ID.
Wrong number of parameters (error 132000)
The template body has a different number of {{ }} variables than listed above. Edit it in Meta to match.
A payment problem (error 131042)
Add or fix the payment method in WhatsApp Manager (step 6).
One member doesn't get messages
Check the member's phone number and country code, and that WhatsApp messages aren't switched off on their profile.

Stuck? Write to us at support@gymly.shop and include the error from the Sent messages list.

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