WABA Restricted Handling

Meta has WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) strict usage rules; violations may lead to account feature restrictions or deactivation, which can affect business continuity. To ensure your account runs stably long-term, we recommend you learn and follow platform rules in advance, establish preventive operational strategies, and master the effective official appeal process to minimize operational risks and ensure uninterrupted customer communication channels.

Reasons WABA is restricted

WABA accounts are typically restricted or deactivated for two core reasons: insufficient basic account credibility and violations in messaging operations.

On one hand, basic account information and credentials are crucial. For example, if the Facebook account used to register is newly created or has very low activity, it will directly affect the account's credibility; likewise, if the company's listed official website is inaccessible, or the industry itself does not comply with WhatsApp Business platform policies (see the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy), the account will be at high risk.

On the other hand, actual operational behavior determines the account status. Common violations include: sending commercial messages without the user's explicit consent leading to complaints, message content involving categories prohibited by the platform (such as misleading content, fraud, or sale of prohibited goods), and high negative feedback rates caused by poor message quality--these behaviors directly trigger Meta's review mechanisms. For more, see WhatsApp Business Platform Policy Violations.

How it works

Initially, WhatsApp Business Accounts will get a warning with information on the policy they violated. If Business Accounts repeatedly violate the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service, such as sending spam, template misclassifications, or high-risk policy categories such as adult content, sale of alcohol and tobacco, drugs, gambling and unsafe supplements, they might start seeing messaging restrictions that gradually increase in duration.

These restrictions can look like:

• 1 or 3 day block on sending marketing, utility, and authentication template messages and adding additional phone numbers to the account

• 5, 7, or 30 day block on sending any messages and adding additional phone numbers to the account

• An account lock, which is an indefinite block on sending any messages; can only be removed via an appeal

• Eventually be permanently disabled from the WhatsApp Business Platform, if the business does not make changes after multiple warnings and feature limits or blocks

In some cases, where there is evidence of a policy violation that causes severe harm to our users, such as child exploitation, scams, terrorism, or the sale of illegal drugs, WhatsApp will immediately offboard these Business accounts.

Meta might also limit or offboard your business from WhatsApp if your account receives excessive negative feedback from users. Violations might be appealed or acknowledged, based on violation type and eligibility.

How to appeal a restricted WABA account?

Log in to the BM platform, find the corresponding restricted WABA, and click "WhatsApp Manager".

Then click "View details in Business Support Home" at the top of the page.

Appeal according to the different official requirements. Possible situation 1:

Possible situation 2:

Please note you only have 1 appeal opportunity; it is recommended to explain the situation to the Meta team clearly and sincerely when appealing.

Appeal content suggestions

1. Company/brand description

• Full company name, brand introduction, website address, main business

2. Use case description

• Truthfully describe which business needs the registered WABA is intended to address. For example: used for order notifications, OTP verification, customer service, etc.

• Describe message sending scenarios specifically, such as:

  • "Embed a WhatsApp chat button on the official website for customer inquiries"

  • "Two-factor verification for user login, registration, and payments"

  • "Send time-limited discounts and member-exclusive offers to subscribed users"

3. Business impact of the restriction

• Explain the actual impact of the account restriction on current operations. For example: many users unable to log in, after-sales processing halted, order confirmations interrupted, member services suspended, etc.

4. Compliance commitment

• State that you have read and understand the WhatsApp Business policies

• and commit to strictly following the policies and using the account properly thereafter

• Request the Meta team to review the account and lift the restriction

How to avoid WABA restrictions?

1. Facebook account selection and management

• Register using a trusted account

  • Prefer Facebook personal accounts that have been used for more than 6 months and exhibit normal social behavior

  • Avoid using newly registered accounts or accounts purchased from unknown sources

• New account nurturing strategy

  • Keep a stable device and IP environment for login

  • Gradually build social connections: add 3–5 trusted friends

  • Perform moderate daily browsing, likes, and other normal user behaviors

2. Business information preparation

• Ensure the company website is accessible and the content is genuine

• Fill in complete business contact information

• Confirm in advance that the business type falls within WhatsApp's allowed scope

3. Message sending strategy

Initial stage (first 30 days)

• Prioritize sending low-risk message types: verification codes, order confirmations, and logistics notifications

Mid stage (30–60 days)

• Gradually introduce medium-risk messages: loyalty points notifications, exclusive offers for existing customers, cart reminders

• Establish a time-segmented sending mechanism

Stable stage (after 60 days)

• Cautiously introduce marketing messages

4. Complaint rate risk level reference

Based on industry experience, the complaint rate ranking for various message types:

• Low risk: verification codes, transaction notifications, service sessions

• Medium risk: loyalty customer promotions, cart reminders

• High risk: new customer outreach, win-back of churned customers

5. Real-time monitoring metrics

Number quality score: regularly check the quality ratings provided by the platform

Template review status: monitor template approval rates and rejection reasons

6. Warning signals and countermeasures

• Phone number quality drops to “Low” (RED)

  • Immediately suspend sending all messages

  • After the rating recovers, send verification code messages first

• Templates are frequently rejected

  • Optimize message content and structure, avoid using misleading statements

  • Ensure language and content comply with local culture

• Receive a platform warning

  • Adjust sending strategy according to the warning level

  • Check template content and status