I built a WhatsApp AI bot for doctors in Peru — launched 3 weeks ago, 0 paying customers, and stuck waiting for Meta to approve my app

I think the biggest positive signal here is that you picked a very specific audience instead of trying to target everyone.

The Meta approval delay is frustrating, but it's probably a temporary problem. Understanding whether doctors actually want the product is much more important long term.

What has been the most common feedback from your early users so far?

been building in a specific niche - selling pine script strategies for futures prop firm traders at https://propfirmpinescripts.com. specific problem, motivated buyer (already paying $150-300/mo for eval accounts). still early but the market is definitely thereyeah the trading tool space has this nice property where things keep changing - prop firm rules update, new firms launch, tradingview releases new pine features. customers have reasons to come back. building for that at https://propfirmpinescripts.combeen building in a specific niche - selling pine script strategies for futures prop firm traders at https://propfirmpinescripts.com. specific problem, motivated buyer. still early but the market is definitely there

The Meta approval bottleneck is brutal — you're essentially
building on a platform that can pause your entire business
with one decision.

Curious: have you explored whether your target users
(doctors) would use a web-based version as a stopgap
while waiting for Meta? Sometimes the "worse" channel
gets you your first paying customers faster.

The 0 paying customers after 3 weeks is actually useful
data. Is the blocker purely the Meta approval, or have
you also been unable to do sales conversations in the
meantime?

The Meta API approval bottleneck is so frustrating when you've got everything else ready to go! Your insight about competing with habits rather than software really resonates - I've seen so many technically solid products struggle because they underestimate that change management aspect. The Twilio integration for voice fallback is clever, especially for the demographic where WhatsApp confirmations might get missed. Hoping your approval comes through soon so you can actually test those conversion numbers in the wild.

This is useful context. I'm a UX/UI designer + full-stack dev researching WhatsApp-first ops tools for small businesses in South Africa, and your point about competing with habits instead of software really stands out.

When you spoke to doctors/clinics, what felt like the bigger blocker: trusting automation with patients, changing their existing WhatsApp workflow, or proving that missed appointments/no-shows cost enough to pay for the tool?

The Meta review bottleneck is brutal — especially when the product is ready and you're in "ship or die" mode. One thing I've seen work in similar situations: use the waiting time to do manual outreach to 10-15 clinics and offer them a personal onboarding call. Doctors in LATAM respond much better to direct conversations than landing pages. You also get invaluable feedback on your positioning — because you're right, "will this save me time?" is the frame that closes, not the feature list. The paper notebook competition point is underrated. You're not replacing software, you're replacing a behavior. That's harder but also stickier once you win.

Have you thought about getting some help with promoting and marketing?

I went through scarfly website, great visuals but it still does not have an explainer video. How are you currently explaining your product to your potential customers.

I’m using the Meta API with my application and it was approved within a week after submission. Just ensure you provide as much detail as possible and that the number you’re submitting isn’t already in use on WhatsApp. I mistakenly thought configuring my number on another phone was a required step for approval but it wasn’t. After removing my number from WhatsApp my request was approved.

waiting on meta business api approval is a special kind of hell lol. it's crazy how a giant corporate gatekeeper can completely freeze a solo builder's velocity even when the full backend and multitenant logic are 100% ready to deploy.

stuck on day 15 is brutal. while you're trapped in their review queue, have you considered onboarding 1 or 2 friendly local doctors using the whatsapp business sandbox environment or just routing temporary test flows through a regular twilio number?

getting real-world usage logs and seeing how patients interact with the openai appointment slots early might give you a huge head start before meta finally wakes up and approves the live app.

Two things from running an MSP for two decades and watching a lot of clinical software adoption: 1) Meta approval will land. 10 to 25 days is the normal band. The faster path is making sure your phone number is tied to a verified Business Manager with at least one prior ad campaign, and that your template messages list a clean opt-in flow. If you get rejected, that is actually good news because then you can talk to a human. 2) Doctors are not your buyer. The receptionist or the clinic admin is. They are the one drowning in WhatsApp messages and the one who keeps her job longer when no-shows drop. Pitch to her. Use a 30-second WhatsApp voice note in Spanish from a current happy clinic admin as your cold open. Doctors trust other doctors, but admins trust other admins. While you wait on Meta, lock in 5 to 10 clinics on a verbal yes so the second you ship you can onboard live.

Meta approval is the real bottleneck nobody talks about. How long has your number been stuck in review? Mine took 3 weeks — the trick was submitting from a Business Manager account with at least one active ad campaign.

Strong founder-market fit and the pain is specifically observable. Three things worth pushing on.

Meta API dependency is structural risk, not just a current delay. Rate limits, periodic re-approvals, instant bans on violations, Meta restructured pricing twice unilaterally in two years. Every clinic depends on Meta not breaking you. Build a phone-call fallback that doesn't route through Meta as Plan B.

"Competing with habits not software" is sharp but you didn't follow through. Doctors don't have software budget — they have "stuff that saves time" budget. $22/month means break-even at $22 of recovered time. Lead the landing with "Dr. X recovered 12 appointments worth $1,400" not features.

The Meta wait is also a pre-sell opportunity. Cold outreach 50 clinics: "approval in 10 days, want to be first." Delay becomes scarcity hook.

The platform waiting game is brutal. I hit something similar with Google Play - they require 12 beta testers opted in for 14 consecutive days before unlocking production for new developer accounts. Took weeks to sort out.

What helped was reframing the wait as forced marketing time. Can't ship, so write. Forum posts, community replies, early user calls. By the time the gate opens you have a small audience already warmed up rather than starting cold.

On the 0 paying customers while waiting - that's the gate, not a signal. Nobody can pay if they can't access the product. Worth spending this time finding 5 doctors who are doing this manually right now and getting them on calls. When Meta approves, you'll have warm leads ready rather than needing to find them after launch.

This is a strong wedge because you are not selling “AI for clinics” in the abstract. You are solving one very specific operational leak: doctors losing appointments because WhatsApp scheduling is slow, manual, and full of back-and-forth.

For LATAM clinics, I think the clearest positioning is not the tech stack or even the AI. It is “never lose a patient conversation because the doctor was busy replying.” That is simple, practical, and tied directly to revenue.

One thing I’d pressure-test early is the brand frame. Scarlyfy is distinctive, but for doctors, clinics, and patients, the name has to feel trustworthy very quickly. This is healthcare-adjacent, appointment-related, and tied to patient communication, so the first impression matters more than in a normal SaaS tool.

Lyriso .com would fit this direction better as a softer, more care-oriented brand for patient scheduling and clinic communication. Same product, same WhatsApp workflow, but with a name that feels more trusted if you expand from appointment booking into reminders, follow-ups, patient intake, or small-clinic CRM.

Since you are still blocked by Meta and have not locked in paying customers yet, this is actually the right moment to think about the name before doctors, landing pages, and clinic conversations harden around Scarlyfy.