Most WhatsApp API problems come from five places: the 24-hour window, Meta's marketing limits, template rules, number quality, and payment. Find your symptom below: each of the 46 problems has the cause and the fix in two lines, plus a full guide.
Usually one of four things: the recipient number is not on WhatsApp, the 24-hour window is closed and you sent free-form text, Meta held a marketing message (error 131049), or your wallet or payment method blocked sends. Open the message status and read the error code first, it names the cause.
Full fix guideA single grey tick means Meta accepted the message but the phone has not received it: the user is offline, has blocked you, or changed number. If it stays on sent for more than 24 hours, treat it as undeliverable and do not resend it.
Full fix guideMeta limits how many marketing messages one person receives from all businesses in a period, so it skipped yours to protect engagement. Do not retry for at least 24 hours, send to engaged users first, and make the message more relevant.
Full fix guideFree-form text is only allowed within 24 hours of the customer's last message. After that you must send an approved template (error 131047 tells you this happened).
Full fix guideMost often the wallet balance ran out mid-campaign, the template got paused, or the number hit its messaging limit tier. Check those three, then resume the campaign instead of creating a duplicate.
Full fix guideA retry after a timeout sent the request again, or two automations matched the same trigger. Use one trigger per event and never retry a send that already returned a message id.
Full fix guideGeneric copy, wrong send time and stale contact lists. Personalise the first line, send when your customers are active, and remove numbers that never read.
Full fix guideHigh block and report rates from people who did not opt in, bulk sends from an unofficial tool, or a policy-violating product. Request a review from WhatsApp Manager, then fix the opt-in before sending again.
Full fix guideOpen WhatsApp Manager, go to Account quality, and request a review with a short explanation of your opt-in process. Restrictions usually last 24 hours to 30 days depending on the violation.
Full fix guideWhatsApp Manager me review request daalo, opt-in proof ready rakho, aur sirf un logon ko message bhejo jinhone permission di hai. Unofficial bulk tool band karo.
Full fix guidePause marketing sends, remove cold contacts, and add a clear opt-out in every message. A falling block rate restores quality rating within about 7 days.
Full fix guideYes, the risk is high. Unofficial tools automate WhatsApp Web, which breaks WhatsApp's terms, and the number can be banned permanently. The official Cloud API is the only safe route for bulk sends.
Full fix guideStart with people who already know you, send utility messages before marketing, and grow volume over 1-2 weeks. A new number that blasts thousands of cold contacts on day 1 gets flagged.
Full fix guideStop marketing sends for a few days, send only to engaged opted-in users, and remove the template that got blocked most. Quality is calculated over the last 7 days, so it recovers once blocks fall.
Full fix guideA new number can message 250 unique users per 24 hours. After business verification and good-quality sending it moves up to 2K, 10K, 100K and then unlimited.
Full fix guideYou sent faster than the number's throughput, about 80 messages per second by default. Queue sends and retry with backoff instead of firing all at once.
Full fix guideYour messaging tier sets the cap on unique users per 24 hours, not the list size. Split large lists across days until the tier increases.
Full fix guideCommon reasons: variables at the start or end of the text, a wrong category (marketing filed as utility), a vague message, or a blocked link shortener. Fix the reason Meta shows and resubmit as a new template.
Full fix guideMeta pauses a template when recipients block or report it. A first pause lasts 3 hours and a second 6 hours; a third disables it. Rewrite the copy and target engaged users before re-enabling.
Full fix guideThe number of variables you send does not match the template ({{1}}, {{2}}...), or one is blank. Every variable must have a non-empty value (errors 132000 and 131008).
Full fix guideMeta reviews the content, not the category you pick. Any offer, discount or promotional line inside a utility template gets it recategorized as marketing, which costs more. Keep utility templates purely transactional and send promotions as separate marketing templates.
Full fix guideCoexistence only shows for numbers already active on the WhatsApp Business app (not the personal app), on an app version that supports it, in a supported country. Update the app and use the same number in Embedded Signup.
Full fix guideYes, with coexistence. Chats sync between the app and the API, so your team can keep replying from the phone while automations run on the API.
Full fix guideThe number is too new on the Business app, already linked to another WABA, or was recently banned. Use the number on the app for a while, or disconnect it from the old provider first.
Full fix guideEither use coexistence (keep the app) or delete the app account and register the number on the API. Back up chats first, deleting the app account removes them.
Full fix guideDisable two-step verification, then migrate the number to the new provider's WABA. Templates and quality rating move with the number; contacts and chat history must be exported separately.
Full fix guideThe name does not match your business name on documents or website, uses generic words only, or has extra capitals or emojis. Use the brand name customers see on your website.
Full fix guideThrough Meta Verified for Business, a paid subscription that checks your identity. The old Official Business Account approval depended on press coverage and is hard for small brands.
Full fix guideUpload a document with the exact legal name and address (GST certificate, MSME/Udyam or incorporation certificate) and make sure your website shows the same name.
Full fix guideReset the PIN from WhatsApp Manager under the phone number settings. You need it to migrate the number or re-register it.
Full fix guideMeta could not charge the payment method on your WhatsApp account (error 131042). Settle the outstanding amount or add a valid card in Business Settings, then send a test message.
Full fix guidePrepaid platforms stop sending when the balance cannot cover the next message. Top up, then resume the paused campaign.
Full fix guideAccount-level blocks come from payment issues, policy restrictions or a locked account (error 131031). Account quality in WhatsApp Manager shows which one.
Full fix guideNo. Meta charges per delivered marketing, utility and authentication template; service replies inside the 24-hour window are free.
Full fix guideThe app is not subscribed to the WABA, the callback URL fails verification or returns non-200, or the messages field is not subscribed. Check all three in the Meta app dashboard.
Full fix guideThe file type is not allowed or the file is too big (images 5 MB, video 16 MB, documents 100 MB). Convert to a supported format and retry.
Full fix guideThe phone number was added but never registered on the Cloud API, or registration expired (error 133010). Register it again with the two-step PIN.
Full fix guideEach failed message returns a numeric code that names the cause. Our reference lists every common code with the fix.
Full fix guideThe flow is not published, the trigger keyword does not match exactly, or a live agent has paused the bot for that chat. Check the trigger and test from a different number.
Full fix guideA Flow cannot be published until the WABA passes Meta's integrity review and the Flow JSON validates without errors.
Full fix guideNumbers without a country code, duplicates, or extra spaces and symbols get skipped. Use full numbers like 919876543210, one per row.
Full fix guideThe catalog is not linked to the WABA, or products are missing price, image or a valid link. Fix the errors shown in Commerce Manager.
Full fix guideA clear, active yes from the customer to receive WhatsApp messages from your business, with a record of when and where it was given.
Full fix guideOnly the contacts who agreed to WhatsApp messages. Blasting an old list gets blocks and reports, and those drop your quality rating fast. Re-permission it first with an SMS, email or a single opt-in template, then message only the people who said yes.
Full fix guideMeta caps how many marketing messages a person gets from all businesses, so frequent sends get dropped. One or two relevant messages a week is a safe range for most brands.
Full fix guideYes. You need specific, informed consent for the purpose you message about, and an easy way to withdraw it.
Full fix guideSend us the error code and what you were trying to send. We look at your setup and tell you the fix, free.