Why does my WhatsApp template message show "Read more"?

If your outbound WhatsApp template message shows only the first few lines followed by a "Read more" link, the problem is on WhatsApp's rendering side, not in ChatMaxima. Two specific things cause it, and both are easy to fix when you edit the template.

Why this happens

WhatsApp collapses a template body behind "Read more" in two situations:

1. A URL is detected in the body, header, or footer. When WhatsApp sees a URL like example.com in any text component, it auto-generates a link preview card and places it at the top of the message. Once that preview card appears, WhatsApp almost always collapses the body text behind "Read more" so the preview becomes the primary visual.
2. The body is too tall. WhatsApp on mobile shows roughly the first 4 to 5 visible lines of body text inline. Anything beyond that gets hidden behind "Read more", regardless of character count. Blank lines between paragraphs count toward this limit.

How to fix it

1. Move every URL out of the body, header, and footer. Put the link only in a CTA URL button. Buttons never trigger preview cards and you get click tracking too.
2. Shorten the body to about 3 short paragraphs, around 5 visible lines or fewer. Combine paragraphs where possible. Aim for under 500 characters in the body, even though WhatsApp's hard maximum is 1024.
3. If you must reference a URL in the body copy (for example "visit our site"), write the domain without http://, https://, or www. so WhatsApp does not auto-link it. Better still, rely on the CTA button.
4. Edit and resubmit the template for Meta approval. Approved templates are immutable, so any change to the body, footer, header, or buttons requires a fresh approval. Approvals usually complete in a few minutes to a few hours.

Example

Before. Long body with a footer URL like example.com:

Hey there!

So glad you've registered for the event this summer.

Quick favour, could you share with 5 friends who'd love to be there too? Early bird tickets are still available at $20.

Any questions, let us know. Look forward to seeing you in August.

Team Example
[Footer: example.com]

This renders with a link preview card on top, collapses behind "Read more", and shows around 9 visible lines.

After. Tightened body, footer URL removed, CTA URL button added:

Hey there! So glad you've registered for the event this summer.

Quick favour, could you share with 5 friends? Early bird tickets are still $20.

Look forward to seeing you in August. Team Example
[Button: Visit Website → https://example.com/]

This version renders fully inline with no "Read more" and no preview card.

Notes

• This is standard WhatsApp behaviour and applies to every WhatsApp Business Platform sender, not just ChatMaxima.
• The body character limit for a WhatsApp template is 1024 characters. The visible truncation threshold on mobile is much lower, typically 4 to 5 lines.
• If you genuinely need to send more information than fits in 5 lines, split it into two messages or move the detail to a landing page linked from the CTA button.
• Image headers and document headers do not trigger the same "Read more" collapse, so a template with a media header and a tight body usually renders well.