WhatsApp Business Account Restricted? How to Fix

Quick answer: On the WhatsApp Business app, a restriction lifts by itself after a set period; bans need Request review. On the Cloud API, Meta escalates from a warning to a 1- or 3-day template block, 5-, 7- or 30-day blocks on all messages, an indefinite lock only an appeal lifts, then disabling, or immediate offboarding for severe harm such as scams. Misclassifying utility templates brings separate restrictions of 7 days or more; template pauses last 3 or 6 hours.

“WhatsApp Business account restricted” covers two different products with two different enforcement systems. The WhatsApp Business app on a phone is enforced like a consumer account: restrictions and bans on the number, appealed inside the app. The WhatsApp Business Platform (the Cloud API that AI agents and chatbots connect to, directly or through a Solution Provider) is enforced on the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA), its phone numbers and its message templates, with notices in WhatsApp Manager and Business Support Home inside Meta Business Suite, and machine-readable signals through the account_update webhook and error codes such as 368 and 131031. Everything below comes from Meta’s own developer documentation, Meta’s Business Help Centre and the WhatsApp Help Center, read on 2 October 2026.

Which WhatsApp restricted you: the app or the Cloud API?

If you open a phone app and see a pop-up, you are on the WhatsApp Business app. If your AI agent’s sends are failing with an error code, or an email from Meta mentions your “WhatsApp Business Account”, you are on the Platform. The two never share a fix.

	WhatsApp Business app	WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API)
What gets enforced	The phone number’s WhatsApp account	The WABA, the business portfolio, individual phone numbers and individual templates
Where you see it	In-app message on the phone	Business Support Home, WhatsApp Manager banner, email to admins, account_update webhook, API error codes
Is automation allowed?	Only the app’s own tools, such as greeting messages. WhatsApp’s guidance says “Don’t bulk message, auto-message, or auto-dial using WhatsApp”	Yes, within limits: the Business Messaging Policy says “You may use automation when responding during the 24-hour window, but must also have available prompt, clear, and direct escalation paths”
How you appeal	Tap Request review in the app (bans only; restrictions expire by themselves)	Request Review in Business Support Home; templates are appealed in WhatsApp Manager

One way an AI project ends up restricted is the left-hand column: an automation tool wired to the ordinary WhatsApp Business app on a phone. WhatsApp’s help article on unauthorised automated or bulk messaging names both the app and the Platform, then says “Our products are not intended for bulk or automated messaging, both of which have always been a violation of our Terms of Service.” The same article says WhatsApp takes legal action against companies engaged in or assisting automated or bulk messaging that violates its terms. The Platform’s policy does permit automated replies inside the 24-hour window with a human escalation path; our reading is that bulk sends, and automation outside the Platform’s rules, are the risk on both. If your agent drives the phone app, no appeal fixes that.

“WhatsApp Business account restricted”: the triage table

This is the WhatsApp restriction triage table: match the wording or code you actually see to the enforcement it represents, what still works, how to clear it and how long Meta says it lasts. Durations are quoted from Meta’s pages; where Meta does not publish one, the cell says so.

WhatsApp Business app (the phone app)

What you see	What it is	What still works	How to clear it	How long (Meta’s wording)
“Your account is restricted right now” or “Your account may be restricted soon”	App restriction: recent activity “might be showing signs of engaging in spam, automated, or bulk messaging”	Chats and calls with contacts and groups you have exchanged chats or calls with before; not new contacts, new groups, adding group members or linked devices	No action needed; it ends automatically. To see time remaining, tap New Chat and pick a contact you have never chatted with	“after a set period”; no fixed duration published as at 2 October 2026
“This phone number can’t use WhatsApp: [phone number]. You can request a review of this number.”	Account ban	Nothing; WhatsApp says banned accounts can’t access chat history or backups	Tap Request review in the app. If there is no Request review option, “the ban is final and can’t be appealed”	“Most reviews are completed within 24 hours.”
“Temporarily banned”	Using an unofficial version of WhatsApp, or scraping	Nothing until it lifts	Switch to the official app and stop scraping, or risk a permanent ban	No duration published
“Account locked due to inactivity”	Not an enforcement action	Nothing until re-registered	Re-register the number as soon as possible	Account and data may be deleted if you do not

WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API, where AI agents run)

What you see (notice, code or webhook)	What it is	What still works	How to clear or appeal it	How long (Meta’s wording)
Violation notice in Business Support Home or a WhatsApp Manager banner; webhook event ACCOUNT_VIOLATION	Policy warning	Everything	Read the violation, then appeal or acknowledge it in Business Support Home	No restriction yet; repeat violations escalate
Template sends fail with error 368 (Meta’s code for any restricted or disabled WABA); violation notice in Business Support Home; webhook event ACCOUNT_RESTRICTION	First-level restriction	Whatever the listed restriction_type values do not cover; check health_status	Request Review in Business Support Home; “typically takes 24 to 48 hours”	“1 or 3 day block on sending marketing, utility, and authentication template messages and adding additional phone numbers to the account”
Every send fails, not just templates; ACCOUNT_RESTRICTION webhook with a later expiration	Escalated restriction	No outbound messaging; no new phone numbers	Appeal, but “Not all spam violations might be appealed”, so you may have to wait it out	“5, 7, or 30 day block on sending any messages and adding additional phone numbers to the account”
Error 131031 (which can also mean a wrong two-step PIN); health_status returns BLOCKED	Account lock	Nothing	Appeal only	“an indefinite block on sending any messages; can only be removed via an appeal”
Webhook DISABLED_UPDATE with waba_ban_state of SCHEDULE_FOR_DISABLE or DISABLE	WABA scheduled for disabling or disabled	Nothing once disabled	Appeal through Business Support Home; REINSTATE means reversed	Permanent; immediate offboarding for severe harm such as scams
Error 131064; webhook violation UTILITY_TEMPLATE_ABUSE_RATE_LIMIT	Utility messages rate-limited for misclassifying marketing as utility	Marketing and authentication messages	Recategorise templates correctly; lifted once categorisation quality improves	“Minimum 7 days”
Restriction type RESTRICTED_UTILITY_TEMPLATES; you cannot create a new utility template	Utility restriction (WABA level, or portfolio level if repeated across WABAs)	Your templates, now recategorised as marketing	Template-level appeal in Business Support Home under Template Category Updates	“7 days (30 days for repeat violations)”; portfolio level “30 days”
Error 132015; template status Paused	Template paused after reaching low quality (RED)	Your other templates on the same number	Wait, or edit it (an edit sends it back to review)	“1st Instance: Paused for 3 hours”, “2nd Instance: Paused for 6 hours”, “3rd Instance: Disabled” (error 132016)
Template status Rejected (including reason INCORRECT_CATEGORY)	Template review decision	All other approved templates	Edit and resubmit, or appeal with a sample	Approval “can take up to 24 hours”; appeal “decision made within 24 hours”
message_status of held_for_quality_assessment; dropped messages fail with code 135000	Business portfolio pacing	An initial batch is sent; the rest are released in batches unless feedback suggests suspicious activity	Portfolio admins are notified and can appeal any enforcement	No duration published; templates cannot be sent or created during the review
Error 131048	Spam rate limit on that phone number: “too many previous messages were blocked or flagged as spam”	Not stated	Check quality status in WhatsApp Manager and fix the templates	No duration published
Error 131049	Per-user marketing limit, not an account restriction	Messages to other users	Stop retrying that user	Wait “at least 24 hours”; excessive retries can block that user “for up to 24 hours”
Error 131050	The user turned off your marketing messages	Everyone else	“Do not retry”	Until the user resumes
Cannot create any template, with no violation notice	A template cap, not enforcement	Existing templates	Wait, delete unused templates, or verify the business	100 templates per hour; 250 per WABA if the portfolio is unverified, 6,000 if verified with an approved display name
Cannot reach more than 250 people in 24 hours outside customer service windows	The messaging limit, not a restriction	Replies inside customer service windows	Complete a scaling path, such as business verification	250, then 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and Unlimited; automatic increases above 2,000 come “within 6 hours”

Two of the most-searched variants need a closer look. “Restricted for 24 hours” most likely matches Meta’s shortest account-level Platform restriction, the 1-day block on template messages and adding phone numbers; Meta states it in days, not hours. Other 24-hour figures Meta publishes include the app’s ban review time, the per-user retry wait, and the template approval and appeal windows, while the app’s own restriction length is not published. And “restricted from creating a new template” is either a utility restriction, portfolio pacing or one of the two template caps in the last rows.

Is a WhatsApp restriction as urgent as it feels?

Often not. Several situations in the table are routine and are not account restrictions at all: a 131049 per-user limit, a 131050 opt-out, a first template pause of 3 hours, a rejected template, a template cap and the 250-recipient starting limit. Meta’s template pausing page says pausing “will initially not impact the business phone number” and that other high-quality templates can still be sent. Meta also changed how quality affects limits on 7 October 2025: the Flagged and Restricted phone number statuses were discontinued, and Meta’s notice of the change says “If your business phone number quality rating drops, its messaging limit will not be downgraded.”

That is not a licence to ignore a falling rating. The same pausing page warns that “if a business consistently sends message templates that reach a Low quality status, the phone number may eventually be impacted”, and Meta’s opt-in page says “Our systems will rate limit businesses if the business’s quality is low for a sustained period of time.” A yellow rating is a warning about next week, not a crisis tonight.

A 1- or 3-day template block sits in between: serious, but Meta’s description of it names only template messages and adding phone numbers. It is urgent when the notice is an ACCOUNT_RESTRICTION that blocks all messaging, an account lock, or a SCHEDULE_FOR_DISABLE ban state. Those stop every automated conversation your agent runs, and the next step up Meta’s ladder is permanent disabling.

The quotable version: on the Cloud API, a paused template is a content problem, a restricted WABA is usually a behaviour problem, and a locked WABA is an appeal problem.

What to do in the first 24 hours after a WhatsApp Business restriction

1. Stop the automated sends. Pause the agent’s outbound sequences on every number in the business portfolio. Meta’s pausing page says to “halt any automated messaging campaigns” that rely on a paused template, and its per-user limits page says that for 131049, resending earlier than 24 hours “will likely result in additional error responses”.
2. Identify the exact enforcement. In Meta Business Suite open All tools, then Business Support Home, then Account Overview. Meta says each violation shows the policy, examples, active restrictions, what happens if it recurs, how to avoid future violations, and how to appeal. If you run the Cloud API, read the latest account_update webhook: restriction_info lists each restriction_type and an expiration timestamp. You can also request health_status on the phone number; it returns AVAILABLE, LIMITED or BLOCKED for the app, business portfolio, WABA, number and template.
3. Check which direction is blocked. Meta’s restriction types separate RESTRICTED_BIZ_INITIATED_MESSAGING (you cannot start conversations) from RESTRICTED_CUSTOMER_INITIATED_MESSAGING (you cannot reply to customers). If only business-initiated messaging is blocked, keep the agent answering inbound customers and switch outbound follow-ups to another channel.
4. Decide: appeal or acknowledge. Appeal only if you can show the messages were compliant. Meta’s steps: in Business Support Home select the WABA, choose the violation, click Request Review, add supporting details and submit; the decision “typically takes 24 to 48 hours” and comes back Unchanged or Reversed. If you know the agent broke a rule, acknowledge it and fix the cause rather than appealing.
5. Do not try to route around it. Messaging limits are shared by every number in a business portfolio, restrictions block adding phone numbers, and Meta’s misclassification rules escalate to the portfolio when misuse spans several WABAs. A fresh number is not a fix in Meta’s documentation.
6. Tell customers how to reach you. Make sure the phone number, email or web form you list is staffed while WhatsApp is down.
7. Fix the admin list. Meta emails violation notices to all Business Manager admins, so keep that list accurate.

This small script prints what an account_update payload says in plain terms. We ran it against Meta’s three published example payloads (account restriction, account violation and disabled update), saved as local JSON fixtures; it printed both restriction types with their UTC expiry, the ADULT violation type and the REINSTATE ban state.

import json, sys
from datetime import datetime, timezone

def triage(payload):
    for entry in payload.get("entry", []):
        for change in entry.get("changes", []):
            if change.get("field") != "account_update":
                continue
            v = change["value"]
            print("WABA", entry["id"], "event", v.get("event"))
            if "violation_info" in v:
                print("  violation:", v["violation_info"].get("violation_type"))
            for r in v.get("restriction_info", []):
                ends = datetime.fromtimestamp(int(r["expiration"]), timezone.utc)
                print("  restricted:", r["restriction_type"], "until", ends.isoformat())
            if "ban_info" in v:
                print("  ban state:", v["ban_info"].get("waba_ban_state"))

triage(json.load(open(sys.argv[1])))

The next 7 days: fix what caused the restriction

Meta’s quality rating is “based on the recent messages that your customers have received over the past seven days”, and its developer docs add that it is “weighted by recency” and driven by “blocks, reports, mutes, archives, and reasons users provide when they block you.” In WhatsApp Manager, hover over a Yellow or Red rating to see block reasons where available. Meta lists five reasons a user can pick when blocking a business, and each points to a different fix:

Block reason (Meta’s list)	What it usually points to	What to change
No longer needed	The thread outlived its purpose	Stop follow-ups once the task is done; cap the sequence length
Didn’t sign up	Opt-in gap: bought, scraped or inferred numbers	Message only numbers with a recorded opt-in naming your business
Spam	Frequency or relevance	Fewer, more personalised messages; no open-ended intros
Offensive messages	Content or tone, including AI-generated wording	Review the agent’s outputs and the template copy
No reason	Unclear	Look at which template and audience segment the blocks cluster on

The middle column is our reading, not Meta’s; Meta says only that the reasons “indicate what you can do to improve low-quality templates.” Re-check every utility template against Meta’s categorisation guidance, because utility templates that read as promotion are the cause of the 131064 and RESTRICTED_UTILITY_TEMPLATES rows above, and since 9 April 2025 Meta approves a utility submission it decides is marketing as MARKETING. Edit any template paused once before it reaches its third pause and is disabled. Remember that an approved template can be edited only “up to 10 times in a 30-day window, or 1 time in a 24-hour window”, so batch your edits.

Why AI agents trip WhatsApp’s quality signals

An AI agent on the Cloud API is allowed. The Business Messaging Policy says you “may use automation when responding during the 24-hour window, but must also have available prompt, clear, and direct escalation paths”, and lists six: in-chat human agent transfer, phone number, email, web support on the business website, in-store visits, or a support form. An agent with no route to any of those is out of policy before it sends a single bad message.

The other rules an agent most often breaks are mechanical:

• Starting conversations without a template. Outside the 24-hour customer service window, which “opens and resets with each user message”, you may only send approved templates. An agent that keeps chatting after the window closes gets error 131047, and a workaround that breaks the rule is a policy problem.
• Messaging without opt-in. The policy lets you contact people only if “(a) they have given you their mobile phone number or username; and (b) you have received opt-in permission from the recipient confirming that they wish to receive subsequent messages or calls from you.” Meta’s opt-in page adds three requirements: say clearly that the person is opting in, name the business, and comply with applicable law. Meta’s examples of supported opt-in methods are SMS, a website, an IVR flow, and in person or on paper. Local law still applies on top; our guide to AI outreach compliance under the Spam Act, TCPA and GDPR covers the consent layer.
• Ignoring opt-outs said in plain words. You “must respect all requests (either on or off WhatsApp) by a person to block, discontinue, or otherwise opt out”. An agent that reads “please stop” as an objection to handle will collect “Spam” blocks. The rules for what an AI agent must do when someone opts out mid-conversation apply on WhatsApp too.
• Open-ended introductions and volume. Meta’s guidance for high-quality messages says to “Avoid sending open-ended welcome or introductory messages” and “Avoid sending too many messages per day.” A generic “Hi, I’m your virtual assistant, how can I help?” template is exactly that.

There is also a newer rule specific to AI, which Meta says took effect on 15 January 2026. Section 4.7 of the current Meta Terms for WhatsApp Business Platform strictly prohibits “AI Providers” from using the Platform to offer AI technologies “when such technologies are the primary (rather than incidental or ancillary) functionality being made available for use, as determined by Meta in its sole discretion”, except in certain countries Meta lists. A business using an AI agent to talk to its own leads and customers is a different case from a company offering a general-purpose chatbot on WhatsApp, but the line is Meta’s to draw, not yours. The same section says you may hire an AI Provider as your Solution Provider, but may not let WhatsApp Business Platform data be used to create, develop, train or improve any AI model, except to fine-tune one for your exclusive use.

The 7-signal WhatsApp agent checklist

This prevention list is built from the signals Meta says it watches.

1. Opt-in on file. For every number, store when, how and on what wording the person opted in, and confirm the wording named your business. Prevents “Didn’t sign up” blocks.
2. Templates in the right category. Meta says retargeting messages are marketing “even if requested by users”, and templates that mix utility and marketing content count as marketing; check each utility template against Meta’s categorisation examples before submitting. Prevents 131064 and utility restrictions.
3. A per-contact frequency cap. Set a ceiling on business-initiated messages per person per week, and honour 131049 with a wait of at least 24 hours. Prevents “Spam” blocks and retry enforcement.
4. Stop on the first opt-out signal. Treat “stop”, “not interested” or a 131050 as final for that channel, and sync it to the CRM so other channels see it too.
5. A human escalation path in every automated thread. At least one of Meta’s six listed routes, named in the conversation.
6. Webhooks watched in real time. Subscribe to account_update, message_template_status_update, message_template_quality_update, template_category_update and user_preferences, and alert a person when any template turns YELLOW.
7. Ramp new templates slowly. New templates start at UNKNOWN quality and may be paced; send a new template to a small, recently engaged segment first and widen only once it rates GREEN.

Doing this yourself is realistic for one WABA and a few templates. The costs are engineering time to consume five webhook types and map about ten error codes, someone to read alerts within hours, and the discipline to keep marketing out of utility templates. Volume makes it harder: messaging limits and portfolio pacing apply across the whole business portfolio, so one aggressive campaign can affect every number you own.

If your AI agent also calls leads on WhatsApp, the same opt-in and quality ideas apply to calls; see our guide to the WhatsApp Calling API for AI voice agents.

Does Meta publish the block rate that triggers a restriction?

No. As at 2 October 2026, Meta does not publish a block rate, report rate or quality score at which a WABA, number or template is restricted. We checked Meta’s messaging limits, message quality, template quality, pausing, pacing, portfolio pacing, policy enforcement, violations, opt-in and error code pages, the Business Help Centre quality rating article and the Business Messaging Policy, in rendered HTML, and confirmed each page loaded by finding a phrase we knew it contained. The template pacing page says outright that messages are sent “until an unspecified threshold is reached”. The published durations in the triage table are the hard numbers available; the triggers are not public.

So nobody outside Meta can tell you a “safe” block rate; treat quality changes as the only reliable signal. Meta also notes that “Numbers with high traffic commonly experience quality changes within short intervals (even within minutes).”

The same symptom-first method works on SMS; see our guide to AI SMS that is not delivered because of carrier filtering.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my WhatsApp Business account restricted?

On the WhatsApp Business app, WhatsApp says a restriction means recent activity might show signs of spam, automated or bulk messaging. On the Cloud API, restrictions follow repeated policy violations such as spam, template misclassification or high-risk categories, or excessive negative feedback from users. The exact violation is listed in Business Support Home.

How long does a WhatsApp Business restriction last?

On the app, it ends automatically after a set period that WhatsApp does not publish. On the Cloud API, Meta lists a 1- or 3-day block on template messages, a 5-, 7- or 30-day block on all messages, an indefinite account lock that only an appeal removes, and, after repeated violations, permanent disabling, per Meta’s policy enforcement documentation.

Is my WhatsApp Business account restricted for 24 hours?

Possibly. Meta’s shortest account-level Cloud API restriction is a 1-day block on template messages and adding phone numbers, and the next is 3 days. On the WhatsApp Business app, WhatsApp does not publish how long a restriction lasts. Other 24-hour figures include the app’s ban review time and the wait before resending after error 131049.

How do I recover a restricted WhatsApp Business account?

On the app, wait for the restriction to end, or tap Request review if you are banned. On the Cloud API, open Business Support Home, select the WABA and the violation, click Request Review and add supporting details. Meta says decisions typically take 24 to 48 hours and come back Unchanged or Reversed.

Why is my WhatsApp Business account under review?

On the Cloud API, a WABA whose approval is pending or deferred cannot be used with the APIs until Meta decides. Separately, business portfolio pacing can hold messages and stop template sending and creation while Meta reviews suspicious activity. An appeal you submit also shows as In Review.

What is the difference between a suspended and a restricted WhatsApp Business account?

A restriction is time-limited and lets some activity continue. A ban on the app, or a disabled WABA on the Cloud API, stops all messaging and is reversed only if an appeal succeeds; some app bans cannot be appealed. An account lock is indefinite until appealed, and Meta’s Platform terms also let it suspend access for breaches.

Can I use an AI chatbot on the WhatsApp Business Platform?

Yes, for your own customers. The Business Messaging Policy allows automation inside the 24-hour window if you offer a human escalation path. Since 15 January 2026, Meta’s terms prohibit AI Providers from offering AI technology, such as a general-purpose assistant, as the primary functionality, except in countries Meta lists.

Where every figure on this page comes from

Figure	Who published it	Link	Date read
Warning first; 1 or 3 day template block; 5, 7 or 30 day block on any messages; indefinite account lock; permanent disabling; immediate offboarding for severe harm; appeals “typically” 24 to 48 hours; “Not all spam violations might be appealed”	Meta (WhatsApp Business Platform policy and spam enforcement, updated 21 May 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/policy-enforcement	2 October 2026
Restriction types, expiration timestamp, waba_ban_state values; example payloads used as test fixtures	Meta (account_update webhook reference, updated 21 May 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/account_update	2 October 2026
Error codes 368, 131031, 131047, 131048, 131049, 131050, 131064, 132015, 132016	Meta (error codes, updated 18 June 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/error-codes	2 October 2026
Template paused 3 hours, then 6 hours, then disabled; template appeal decision within 24 hours	Meta (template pausing, updated 17 June 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/template-pausing	2 October 2026
Template approval up to 24 hours; appeal within 24 hours	Meta (template review, updated 17 June 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/template-review	2 October 2026
Misclassification levels: rate limiting minimum 7 days; utility restriction 7 days (30 for repeats); portfolio level 30 days; utility approved as marketing from 9 April 2025	Meta (template categorisation, updated 15 September 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/template-categorization	2 October 2026
Messaging limits 250, 2,000, 10,000, 100,000, Unlimited; increase within 6 hours; 2,000 messages in 30 days scaling path	Meta (messaging limits, updated 21 May 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/messaging-limits	2 October 2026
Portfolio limits from 7 October 2025; limit not downgraded when quality drops	Meta (changes to messaging limits, updated 17 June 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/upcoming-messaging-limits-changes	2 October 2026
Flagged and Restricted statuses discontinued 7 October 2025; seven-day quality window; five block reasons	Meta Business Help Centre (phone number quality rating)	facebook.com/business/help/896873687365001	2 October 2026
131049 wait at least 24 hours; retry block up to 24 hours	Meta (per-user marketing template limits, updated 17 June 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/per-user-limits	2 October 2026
100 templates per hour; 250 or 6,000 templates per WABA	Meta (templates overview, updated 21 May 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/templates/overview	2 October 2026
Template edits up to 10 times in 30 days or once in 24 hours	Meta (template management, updated 2 July 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/template-management	2 October 2026
Pacing “until an unspecified threshold is reached”	Meta (template pacing, updated 21 May 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/template-pacing	2 October 2026
Held messages, code 135000, no template sending or creation during review	Meta (business portfolio pacing, updated 21 May 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/portfolio-pacing	2 October 2026
Quality over the past seven days, weighted by recency; avoid open-ended intros and too many messages per day	Meta (send messages, updated 21 May 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/send-messages	2 October 2026
Opt-in requirements; rate limiting for sustained low quality	Meta (obtaining user opt-in, updated 16 June 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/getting-opt-in	2 October 2026
AVAILABLE, LIMITED, BLOCKED health statuses	Meta (health status, updated 17 June 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/health-status	2 October 2026
WABA review PENDING and DEFERRED cannot be used with the APIs	Meta (account_review_update webhook reference, updated 17 June 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/account_review_update	2 October 2026
24-hour customer service window; six escalation paths; opt-in limbs (a) and (b)	WhatsApp (Business Messaging Policy, last updated 23 September 2026)	business.whatsapp.com/policy	2 October 2026
Section 4.7 AI Providers; 5.3 suspension	Meta (Meta Terms for WhatsApp Business Platform, last modified 23 September 2026)	facebook.com/legal/Meta-Terms-for-WhatsApp-Business-Platform	2 October 2026
AI Providers rule effective 15 January 2026	Meta (AI Providers pricing, updated 1 September 2026)	developers.facebook.com/…/pricing/ai-providers	2 October 2026
App restriction wording and what still works	WhatsApp Help Center (About restricted accounts)	faq.whatsapp.com/717472490411581	2 October 2026
Ban message; “Most reviews are completed within 24 hours”	WhatsApp Help Center (account bans on the WhatsApp Business app)	faq.whatsapp.com/723378546580115	2 October 2026
Banned accounts cannot access chat history or backups	WhatsApp Help Center (About account bans)	faq.whatsapp.com/465883178708358	2 October 2026
“Temporarily banned” causes	WhatsApp Help Center (temporarily banned accounts)	faq.whatsapp.com/1848531392146538	2 October 2026
Greeting messages are sent automatically by the WhatsApp Business app	WhatsApp Help Center (How to use greeting messages)	faq.whatsapp.com/501866148528310	2 October 2026
“Don’t bulk message, auto-message, or auto-dial”	WhatsApp Help Center (How to use WhatsApp responsibly)	faq.whatsapp.com/361005896189245	2 October 2026
“Our products are not intended for bulk or automated messaging”	WhatsApp Help Center (unauthorised automated or bulk messaging)	faq.whatsapp.com/5957850900902049	2 October 2026

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