> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.linkupapi.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Send Message

> Send a message to a WhatsApp user

Send a direct message to any WhatsApp user. You can send a simple message or reply to an existing message.

<Note>
  This endpoint costs **1 credit** per message sent. Ignore this if you're on per-seat pricing: usage is unlimited.
</Note>

<Info>
  To get your `account_id`, you need to first authenticate your WhatsApp account. See [WhatsApp Authentication](/api-reference/webhook-realtime/whatsapp-authentication) for details on how to log your WhatsApp account and obtain the account ID.
</Info>

### Header Parameters

<ParamField header="x-api-key" type="string" required>
  Your API key
</ParamField>

### Body Parameters

<ParamField body="account_id" type="string" required>
  The ID of your WhatsApp account
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="to" type="string" required>
  The recipient's phone number (international format without +)
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="message" type="string" required>
  The text message to send
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="quoted_message_id" type="string">
  The ID of the message you're replying to
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="quoted_text" type="string">
  The text of the quoted message
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="quoted_timestamp" type="number">
  Unix timestamp in milliseconds of the quoted message
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="quoted_from_me" type="boolean">
  true if the quoted message is from you, false if from the recipient
</ParamField>

### Response

<ResponseField name="status" type="string">
  Request status (success/error)
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="message" type="string">
  Detailed message about the sending status
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="data" type="object">
  Additional data returned when message is sent successfully
</ResponseField>

<ResponseExample>
  ```json Simple Message theme={null}
  {
    "account_id": "68e63a4fe364c1ce41688865",
    "to": "33673748743",
    "message": "Hello from API!"
  }
  ```

  ```json Reply to Received Message theme={null}
  {
    "account_id": "68e63a4fe364c1ce41688865",
    "to": "33673748743",
    "message": "This is a reply!",
    "quoted_message_id": "3A08D06E227129496664",
    "quoted_text": "Bonjour!",
    "quoted_timestamp": 1672567200000,
    "quoted_from_me": false
  }
  ```

  ```json Reply to Your Own Message theme={null}
  {
    "account_id": "68e63a4fe364c1ce41688865",
    "to": "33673748743",
    "message": "Correction!",
    "quoted_message_id": "3B828C18BCB5EE8A174F",
    "quoted_text": "Mon message précédent",
    "quoted_timestamp": 1672567100000,
    "quoted_from_me": true
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>

### Notes

* Phone numbers must be in international format without the + prefix
* All quoted parameters must be provided together when replying to a message
* The `quoted_from_me` parameter helps distinguish between replies to your messages vs received messages