WhatsApp Errors

YCloud failed to send messages

whatsappApiError in response body

You may get an error response body including the field error.whatsappApiError when you send WhatsApp messages by the YCloud API, typically the Send a WhatsApp message directly API.

Here is a sample error response with HTTP status 429 when you send too many messages to the same phone number:

{
  "error": {
    "status": 429,
    "code": "TOO_MANY_REQUESTS",
    "message": "(#131056) (Business Account, Consumer Account) pair rate limit hit",
    "target": "whatsappApiError",
    "docUrl": "https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/support/error-codes",
    "requestId": "req_1KjtKI80IKoaJNa6n6p",
    "whatsappApiError": {
      "message": "(#131056) (Business Account, Consumer Account) pair rate limit hit",
      "type": "OAuthException",
      "code": "131056",
      "fbtrace_id": "A4O5a8RAgePwbcGSu",
      "error_data": {
        "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
        "details": "Message failed to send because there were too many messages sent from this phone number to the same phone number in a short period of time."
      }
    }
  }
}

In this case, we tried to request the WhatsApp Business API and got an error response. error.whatsappApiError is included to help you identify the error reason.

whatsappApiError in webhook payload

If you are using the Enqueue a WhatsApp message API, you will never get an error response having error.whatsappApiError since we submit your messages to the WhatsApp Business API asynchronously. You can get it by configuring a webhook listening for whatsapp.message.updated events. Here is an example of the webhook payload:

{
  "id": "evt_eEVCy8eNqD9EvcFI",
  "type": "whatsapp.message.updated",
  "apiVersion": "v2",
  "createTime": "2023-02-22T12:00:00.000Z",
  "whatsappMessage": {
    "id": "63f5d602367ea403f8175a6c",
    "wamid": "wamid.BgNODYxN...",
    "status": "failed",
    "errorCode": "131056",
    "errorMessage": "(#131056) (Business Account, Consumer Account) pair rate limit hit",
    "whatsappApiError": {
      "message": "(#131056) (Business Account, Consumer Account) pair rate limit hit",
      "type": "OAuthException",
      "code": "131056",
      "fbtrace_id": "A4O5a8RAgePwbcGSu",
      "error_data": {
        "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
        "details": "Message failed to send because there were too many messages sent from this phone number to the same phone number in a short period of time."
      }
    },
    "totalPrice": 0.0,
    "currency": "USD",
    "bizType": "whatsapp"
  }

Error Codes returned by the WhatsApp Business API

The whatsappApiError is exactly the WhatsApp Business Cloud API Error. Listed below are some possible error codes that may be returned through the YCloud API.

CodeDescriptionPossible SolutionsHTTP Status
2
API Service
Temporary due to downtime or due to being overloaded.Check the WhatsApp Business Platform Status page to see API status information before trying again.503
Service Unavailable
100
Invalid parameter
The request included one or more unsupported or misspelled parameters. Or the recipient phone number is not a WhatsApp phone number.400
Bad Request
130429
Rate limit hit
Cloud API message throughput has been reached.The app has reached the API's throughput limit. See Throughput. Try again later or reduce the frequency with which the app sends messages.429
Too Many Requests
131000
Something went wrong
Message failed to send due to an unknown error.Try again. If the error persists, contact us to open a Direct Support ticket.500
Internal Server Error
131008
Required parameter is missing
The request is missing a required parameter.400
Bad Request
131026
Message Undeliverable
Unable to deliver message. Reasons can include:

• The recipient phone number is not a WhatsApp phone number.
• Recipient has not accepted our new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
• Recipient using an old WhatsApp version; must use the following WhatsApp version or greater:
• Android: 2.21.15.15
• SMBA: 2.21.15.15
• iOS: 2.21.170.4
• SMBI: 2.21.170.4
• KaiOS: 2.2130.10
• Web: 2.2132.6

• Sending an authentication template to a WhatsApp user who has a +91 country calling code (India). Authentication templates currently cannot be sent to WhatsApp users in India.
Using a non-WhatsApp communication method, ask the WhatsApp user to:
• Confirm that they can actually send a message to your WhatsApp business phone number.
• Confirm that they have accepted our latest Terms of Service (Settings > Help, or Settings > Application information will prompt them to accept the latest terms/policies if they haven't done so already)
• Update to the latest version of the WhatsApp client.
400
Bad Request
131031
Account has been 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).See the Policy Enforcement document to learn about policy violations and how to resolve them.403
Forbidden
131056
(Business Account, Consumer Account) pair rate limit hit
Too many messages sent from the sender phone number to the same recipient phone number in a short period of time.Wait and retry the operation, if you intend to send messages to the same phone number. You can still send messages to a different phone number without waiting.429
Too Many Requests
132000
Template Param Count Mismatch
The number of variable parameter values included in the request did not match the number of variable parameters defined in the template.Make sure the request includes all of the variable parameter values that have been defined in the template.400
Bad Request
132001
Template does not exist
The template does not exist in the specified language or the template has not been approved.Make sure your template has been approved and the template name and language locale are correct.400
Bad Request
132007
Template Format Character Policy Violated
Template content violates a WhatsApp policy.See Rejection Reasons to determine possible reasons for violation.400
Bad Request
132012
Template Parameter Format Mismatch
Variable parameter values formatted incorrectly.The variable parameter values included in the request are not using the format specified in the template.400
Bad Request
132015
Template is Paused
Template is paused due to low quality so it cannot be sent in a template message.Edit the template to improve its quality and try again once it is approved.400
Bad Request
132016
Template is Disabled
Template has been paused too many times due to low quality and is now permanently disabled.Create a new template with different content.400
Bad Request
133010
Phone number Not Registered
Business Phone number not registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform.Register the phone number before trying again.400
Bad Request
130472
User's number is part of an experiment
Message was not sent as part of an experiment.See Marketing Message Experiment.400
Bad Request

Error Codes returned by the YCloud API

Be aware that error.whatsappApiError is not included when errors were detected by YCloud and we didn't request the WhatsApp Business API. For example, you provide an invalid phone number and then get the error response:

{
  "error": {
    "status": 400,
    "code": "PARAM_INVALID",
    "message": "Invalid E.146 phone number: +001",
    "target": "to",
    "docUrl": "https://docs.ycloud.com/v2/reference/errors#param_invalid",
    "requestId": "req_69UpMOaMHFrBMGZexYvUDw"
  }
}

The error.code is one of the YCloud server-defined error codes.

Listed below are some possible error codes returned by the YCloud API:

CodeDescriptionHTTP Status
PARAM_INVALIDOne or more of the parameters is invalid.400
Bad Request
PARAM_MISSINGOne or more of the parameters is missing.400
Bad Request
BALANCE_INSUFFICIENTThe account balance is insufficient.403
Forbidden
WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_UNAVAILABLEThe WhatsApp business account is unavailable.403
Forbidden
WHATSAPP_PHONE_NUMBER_UNAVAILABLEThe WhatsApp business phone number is unavailable.403
Forbidden
WHATSAPP_TEMPLATE_UNAVAILABLEThe WhatsApp template is unavailable.403Forbidden
UNAUTHORIZEDUnauthorized. Make sure you are using the correct API Key in the 'X-API-Key' header.403
Forbidden

YCloud Error Codes conveyed by webhooks

If you are using the Enqueue a WhatsApp message endpoint, the message may fail due to a YCloud error. That is, the whatsappMessage.errorCode in webhook payload can also convey one of the YCloud Error Codes, such as BALANCE_INSUFFICIENT.

Here are some possible errors:

Error CodeDescriptionPossible Solutions
INTERNAL_SERVER_ERRORTemporary due to downtime or due to being overloaded.Wait and retry the operation.
This error may be caused by a timeout in our call to the WhatsApp Business API.
BALANCE_INSUFFICIENTYour account balance is insufficient.Top-up.
RECIPIENT_UNSUBSCRIBEDThe recipient has unsubscribed.If you must deliver the message to the recipient, set the request parameter filterUnsubscribed to false, or go to Dashboard → Contact → Unsubscribe and remove them from the unsubscribe list.

Meta failed to send messages

Not all of the error codes listed in the WhatsApp Business Cloud API Error page are returned through the YCloud API. Even if a message is successfully submitted to the WhatsApp Business API, it may also fail to send. Meta notifies YCloud about these errors via webhooks. You should Configure Webhooks listening for whatsapp.message.updated events to receive these notifications from YCloud. Here is an example of the webhook payload for submitted but finally failed messages:

{
  "id": "evt_eEVCy8eNqD9EvcFI",
  "type": "whatsapp.message.updated",
  "apiVersion": "v2",
  "createTime": "2023-02-22T12:00:00.000Z",
  "whatsappMessage": {
    "id": "63f5d602367ea403f8175a6c",
    "wamid": "wamid.BgNODYxN...",
    "status": "failed",
    "errorCode": "131048",
    "errorMessage": "Message failed to send because there are restrictions on how many messages can be sent from this phone number.This may be because too many previous messages were blocked or flagged as spam.",
    "totalPrice": 0.0,
    "currency": "USD",
    "bizType": "whatsapp"
  }
}

The whatsappMessage.errorCode conveys the WhatsApp Business API Error code.

Meta Error Codes conveyed by webhooks

Listed below are some possible error codes conveyed by YCloud webhooks, that originated from Meta webhooks:

CodeDescriptionPossible Solutions
131000
Something went wrong
Message failed to send due to an unknown error.Try again. If the error persists, contact us to open a Direct Support ticket.
131026
Message Undeliverable
Unable to deliver message. Reasons can include:

• The recipient phone number is not a WhatsApp phone number.
• Recipient has not accepted our new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
• Recipient using an old WhatsApp version; must use the following WhatsApp version or greater:
• Android: 2.21.15.15
• SMBA: 2.21.15.15
• iOS: 2.21.170.4
• SMBI: 2.21.170.4
• KaiOS: 2.2130.10
• Web: 2.2132.6

• Sending an authentication template to a WhatsApp user who has a +91 country calling code (India). Authentication templates currently cannot be sent to WhatsApp users in India.
Using a non-WhatsApp communication method, ask the WhatsApp user to:
• Confirm that they can actually send a message to your WhatsApp business phone number.
• Confirm that they have accepted our latest Terms of Service (Settings > Help, or Settings > Application information will prompt them to accept the latest terms/policies if they haven't done so already)
• Update to the latest version of the WhatsApp client.
131031
Account has been 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).See the Policy Enforcement document to learn about policy violations and how to resolve them.
131047
Re-engagement message
More than 24 hours have passed since the recipient last replied to the sender number.Send the recipient a business-initiated message using a message template instead.
131048
Spam rate limit hit
Message failed to send because there are restrictions on how many messages can be sent from this phone number. This may be because too many previous messages were blocked or flagged as spam.Check your quality status in the WhatsApp Manager and see the Quality-Based Rate Limits documentation for more information.
131049
This message was not delivered to maintain healthy ecosystem engagement.Do not retry immediately if you do receive this error code and suspect it is due to the limit. Instead, retry in increasing larger time increments until the message is delivered, since the limit may be in effect for differing periods of time.
See Per-User Marketing Template Message Limits for additional information.
131053
Media upload error
Unable to upload the media used in the message.We were unable to upload the media for one or more reasons, such as an unsupported media type.