Troubleshooting
WhatsApp Business API error codes, explained
When a WhatsApp message fails, Meta returns a numbered error code. These are the ones businesses in India 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, read on 4 October 2026.
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
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.
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.
No. Meta charges only for messages it delivers, so a message that fails with any of these codes is not billed by Meta.
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
- How template approval worksCategories, review, and the mistakes that make approved templates fail.Read more
- Marketing message pricing and 131049What marketing messages cost in India, and why some never arrive.Read more
- WhatsApp analyticsDelivery, reads and failures grouped by Meta’s reason, with spend in rupees.Read more
Fewer failed sends, clearer reasons
Fliok checks templates, windows and Meta’s limits before it sends, and tells you why when something still fails.
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