Troubleshooting
WhatsApp Business API error codes, explained
When a WhatsApp message fails, Meta returns a numbered error code. These are the ones businesses hit most often: what each one means in plain words, what usually causes it, how to fix it, and what Fliok already does about it so you see fewer of them.
Meanings from Meta’s error code reference (opens in a new tab), read on 5 October 2026. Last updated .
By code
Pick the code you got
Each page starts with the short answer, then the causes, the fixes and what Fliok does automatically.
- Error 131049Marketing message not delivered (frequency limit)“This message was not delivered to maintain healthy ecosystem engagement.”What to do
- Error 131026Message undeliverable“Unable to deliver message.”What to do
- Error 131047Re-engagement message: the 24-hour window has closed“More than 24 hours have passed since the recipient last replied to the sender number.”What to do
- Error 131008Required parameter is missing“The request is missing a required parameter.”What to do
- Error 132001Template does not exist“The template does not exist in the specified language or the template has not been approved.”What to do
- Error 132012Template parameter format mismatch“Variable parameter values formatted incorrectly.”What to do
- Error 131051Unsupported message type“Unsupported message type.”What to do
- Error 130472Not sent: part of Meta’s marketing experiment“Message was not sent as part of an experiment.”What to do
- Error 131000Message failed: unknown error“Message failed to send due to an unknown error.”What to do
- Error 131005Permission not granted“Permission is either not granted or has been removed.”What to do
- Error 131009Parameter value is not valid“One or more parameter values are invalid.”What to do
- Error 131016Service temporarily unavailable“A service is temporarily unavailable.”What to do
- Error 131021Sender and recipient are the same number“Sender and recipient phone number is the same.”What to do
- Error 131031Account restricted or locked“The WhatsApp Business Account associated with the app has been restricted or disabled for violating a platform policy, or we were unable to verify data included in the request against data set on the WhatsApp Business Account (e.g, the two-step pin included in the request is incorrect).”What to do
- Error 131042Payment method problem“There was an error related to your payment method.”What to do
- Error 131045Number registration error“Message failed to send due to a phone number registration error.”What to do
- Error 131048Number limited after spam reports“Message failed to send because there are restrictions on how many messages can be sent from this phone number.”What to do
- Error 131050Recipient stopped your marketing messages“Unable to deliver the message. This recipient has chosen to stop receiving marketing messages on WhatsApp from your business.”What to do
- Error 131052Customer’s file could not be downloaded“Unable to download the media sent by the user.”What to do
- Error 131053Media upload failed“The media could not be uploaded for one or more reasons, such as an unsupported media type.”What to do
- Error 131056Too many messages to one person“Too many messages sent from the sender phone number to the same recipient phone number in a short period of time.”What to do
- Error 131057Account in maintenance mode“Business Account is in maintenance mode.”What to do
- Error 132000Template variable count mismatch“The number of variable parameter values included in the request did not match the number of variable parameters defined in the template.”What to do
- Error 132005Template text too long“Translated text is too long.”What to do
- Error 132007Template breaks a WhatsApp policy“Template content violates a WhatsApp policy.”What to do
- Error 132015Template paused for low quality“Template is paused due to low quality so it cannot be sent in a template message.”What to do
- Error 132016Template permanently disabled“Template has been paused too many times due to low quality and is now permanently disabled.”What to do
- Error 133010Phone number not registered“Phone number not registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform.”What to do
- Error 130429Throughput limit reached“Cloud API message throughput has been reached.”What to do
- Error 130497Country not allowed for this account“The WhatsApp Business Account is restricted from messaging to users in certain countries.”What to do
- Error 135000Unknown error in the request“Message failed to send because of an unknown error with your request parameters.”What to do
- Error 368Account restricted for a policy violation“The WhatsApp Business Account associated with the app has been restricted or disabled for violating a platform policy.”What to do
How Fliok retries failed sends
- Temporary errors are retried. Rate limits and Meta’s temporary errors (such as 130429, 131000, 131016 and 131056) are retried automatically, up to five attempts with growing gaps.
- Definite rejections are not. When Meta answers with a code that will not change on a second try (like 131026, 131047 or 132001), the message is marked failed at once, with Meta’s reason.
- A send is never repeated blindly. If a send went out but Meta’s answer was lost, Fliok marks it failed rather than sending it again, so a customer never gets the same message twice. The Retry button refuses those too.
- Failures are grouped by Meta’s reason in analytics (Pro), so a frequency-cap problem looks different from a bad number or a template mistake.
Where do I find the error code for a failed WhatsApp message?
Meta returns it in two places: in the API response when it refuses a send outright, and in the delivery status webhook when a message it accepted later fails. In Fliok, a broadcast report shows the reason for each failure, and analytics (Pro) groups failures by it.
Am I charged for messages that fail?
No. Meta charges only for messages it delivers, so a message that fails with any of these codes is not billed by Meta.
Which errors should I retry?
Only temporary ones, such as rate limits (130429, 131056) and Meta’s temporary errors (131000, 131016). Errors about the number, the 24-hour window, the template or Meta’s marketing limits will fail again until you change something.
Keep reading
Related guides
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Fliok checks templates, windows and Meta’s limits before it sends, and tells you why when something still fails.
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