WhatsApp API error codes
The error codes teams hit most often on the WhatsApp Business API, what they mean, and how to fix them.
| Code | What it means | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| 0Auth | Could not authenticate the app user. | Refresh or regenerate your access token and retry. |
| 3Auth | API method or capability is not permitted. | Check the app has the WhatsApp permissions and the method is allowed. |
| 10Auth | Permission denied for this request. | Confirm the number and app have access to the action you're calling. |
| 190Auth | Access token has expired. | Generate a new access token. Use a long-lived or system-user token in production. |
| 368Auth | Temporarily blocked for policy violations. | Review Meta's messaging policy, fix the cause, and wait for the block to lift. |
| 4Rate limit | Too many API calls (app-level rate limit). | Slow your request rate and add retries with backoff. |
| 130429Rate limit | Message throughput limit reached. | Reduce your send rate. Request higher throughput if you need it. |
| 131048Rate limit | Spam rate limit hit for this number. | Improve message quality and lower volume. Sending too much too fast triggers this. |
| 131049Rate limit | Not delivered to keep engagement healthy (marketing frequency cap). | Space out marketing messages to the same user, or send a different category. |
| 100Request | Invalid parameter in the request. | Check the request body against the API reference for the field named in the error. |
| 131008Request | A required parameter is missing. | Add the missing field the error names and resend. |
| 131009Request | A parameter value is not valid. | Correct the value's format or range and resend. |
| 131016Messaging | Service temporarily unavailable. | Retry after a short wait with exponential backoff. |
| 131021Messaging | Recipient cannot be the sender. | You're sending to your own number. Use a different recipient. |
| 131026Messaging | Message undeliverable. | The recipient may not have WhatsApp or can't receive messages. Verify the number. |
| 131047Messaging | Re-engagement needed. The 24-hour window has closed. | Send an approved template to reopen the conversation. |
| 131051Messaging | Unsupported message type. | Use a message type WhatsApp supports for this recipient. |
| 131053Messaging | Media upload error. | Check the file size, format, and that the media URL is reachable. |
| 132000Template | Parameter count does not match the template. | Send exactly as many variables as the template defines. |
| 132001Template | Template does not exist for this name and language. | Check the template name and language code, and that it's approved. |
| 132007Template | Template content violates policy. | Edit the copy to meet Meta's guidelines and resubmit. |
| 132012Template | Template parameter format mismatch. | Match the variable format the template expects (text, currency, date). |
| 132015Template | Template is paused for low quality. | Improve engagement and quality. The template resumes when quality recovers. |
| 132016Template | Template is disabled. | The template was disabled for repeated low quality. Create a new one. |
| 133005Registration | Two-step verification PIN is incorrect. | Enter the correct 6-digit PIN set for the number. |
| 133006Registration | Number needs to be re-verified before registering. | Complete phone-number verification again, then register. |
This is a curated list of common codes, not the full catalogue. Codes and behaviour are set by Meta and can change. For the complete, current reference, see Meta’s official WhatsApp Cloud API error documentation.
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