WhatsApp Improvement: Image Click Redirects to URL in Image Templates

WhatsApp has introduced an important usability improvement for image-based message templates that include a URL. This update changes how customers interact with image messages and makes link navigation simpler and more intuitive.

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🔍 What Is This Improvement About?

Earlier, when a business sent an image template with:

• A URL in the message body, or

• A URL added as a CTA button

the customer had to specifically tap the URL text or CTA button to open the link.

With this improvement: 👉 Clicking on the image itself now opens the URL automatically in a new tab.

This behavior is handled directly by WhatsApp and requires no additional configuration from the business.

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🧠 How This Works (Simple Explanation)

If your WhatsApp template contains:

• 🖼️ An image in the header, and

• 🔗 A URL anywhere in the template (body text or CTA button)

Then: ➡️ Clicking on the image header will redirect the customer to that same URL.

This applies regardless of where the URL is placed inside the template.

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🔄 Scenarios Covered by This Update

✅ Scenario 1: URL Added in the Template Body

Example:

“Explore our latest offers here: https://example.com”

What happens now:

• Customer taps the image

• The URL opens automatically in a new tab

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✅ Scenario 2: URL Added as a CTA Button

Example: CTA Button: Shop Now

What happens now:

• Customer taps the CTA button, OR

• Customer taps the image header

➡️ In both cases, the same URL opens

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🔁 Before vs After — What Has Changed?

❌ Before

• Image was not clickable

• Only the URL text or CTA button worked

• Smaller tap area for users

✅ After

• Image header acts as a clickable entry point

• Larger tap area improves usability

• Clearer indication that the message leads to a webpage

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🎯 Why This Improvement Matters

This update improves the overall customer experience on WhatsApp, especially for image-led messages such as:

• Product promotions

• Offer announcements

• Website or landing page redirections

• Campaign creatives

Key benefits:

• Easier navigation for customers

• Reduced chances of missed clicks

• Better engagement on image templates

• Smoother mobile experience

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🚀 What This Means for DoubleTick Customers

If you are using DoubleTick to send:

• Image templates with URLs in the body, or

• Image templates with URL CTA buttons

Then:

• ✅ This behavior is automatically enabled

• ✅ No template changes are required

• ✅ Existing approved templates will continue to work

• ✅ Customers can click the image to open the link directly

This is a WhatsApp-level improvement, and DoubleTick fully supports it.

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⚠️ Important Points to Keep in Mind

• This applies only to image-based templates that include a URL

• Text-only templates are not affected

• The URL opens in a new browser tab

• The same URL is used for both image clicks and CTA clicks

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🎉 Final Takeaway

WhatsApp has made image templates more interactive and easier to use.

👉 If a URL exists anywhere in an image template—body or CTA—clicking on the image will now open that URL automatically.

This improvement helps businesses drive better engagement without changing their existing setup.

If you’re using DoubleTick, you’re already ready to benefit from this update.