Message Delivery Errors

Message delivery errors mean Meta accepted your message but couldn’t deliver it – because of the customer, the 24-hour window, billing, media or your account. They are ordered below roughly by how often they occur.

Error 131042 - Payment Issue

What it stops: Whole account · Retry helps? After fixing · Where to fix: WhatsApp Manager > Payment settings

What you see: Template messages fail with error 131042, a business eligibility payment issue.
Simple diagnosis: Meta can’t charge the account: no valid card or credit line, a declined or expired card, or missing currency and time zone. It’s common right after moving from another provider whose credit line is still attached. Failed messages aren’t charged.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. WhatsApp Manager > Payment settings: add or update a valid card, or check the credit line is active.
2. Make sure the card allows international payments and isn’t expired.
3. Check the account has a currency and time zone set.
4. Moved from another provider? Ask them to remove their credit line, then reconnect.
5. Send one test message before restarting campaigns.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 131026 - Message Undeliverable

What it stops: This customer · Retry helps? No, unless the customer fixes it · Where to fix: Customer’s phone

What you see: Messages to one contact fail with error 131026, message undeliverable.
Simple diagnosis: The number isn’t on WhatsApp, the customer hasn’t accepted WhatsApp’s latest terms, their app is outdated, or they have blocked your business. Meta doesn’t say which.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Check the number is on WhatsApp (open wa.me/ followed by the number).
2. Reach the customer another way (SMS, call, email) and ask them to update WhatsApp, accept the latest terms, and check your number isn’t in Settings > Privacy > Blocked.
3. Ask them to send a message to your business number first.
4. After repeated failures, stop sending and mark the contact as unreachable.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 131049 - Not Delivered to Maintain Healthy Ecosystem

What it stops: Marketing to this customer · Retry helps? Yes, after 24h+ (never for +1 US numbers) · Where to fix: Campaign timing and audience

What you see: Marketing templates to some contacts fail with error 131049.
Simple diagnosis: Meta limits how many marketing messages each person receives from all businesses. This customer has hit that limit. It applies to every business, including verified ones. US (+1) numbers can’t receive marketing templates at all.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Don’t resend right away.
2. Retry after at least 24 hours, leaving longer gaps each time – or wait for the customer to reply, which opens a 24-hour window where any message delivers.
3. For +1 (US) numbers, use SMS or email instead.
4. Send marketing only to engaged, opted-in contacts; use a correctly classified utility template for transactional updates.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. Full guide: https://chakrahq.com/help/chat/faqs/whatsapp-api-error-code-troubleshooting/whatsapp-error-131049

Error 131047 - 24-Hour Window Expired

What it stops: Normal messages to this customer · Retry helps? Use a template instead · Where to fix: Inbox or bot flow

What you see: A normal (non-template) message fails with error 131047, re-engagement message.
Simple diagnosis: More than 24 hours have passed since the customer last messaged you, so only approved templates can be sent. Rarely, Meta returns this inside the window by mistake.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Send an approved template instead.
2. Once the customer replies, normal messages work again for 24 hours.
3. Check bot flows don’t send normal messages after long waits.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 131050 - User Opted Out of Marketing

What it stops: Marketing to this customer · Retry helps? No · Where to fix: Nothing – respect the choice

What you see: Marketing templates to a contact fail with error 131050.
Simple diagnosis: The customer chose to stop marketing messages from your business. Only they can turn it back on.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Stop marketing to this contact and exclude them from marketing broadcasts.
2. Utility and authentication templates, and normal replies, still work.

Don’t do this: Don’t send marketing content as a utility template to get around the opt-out – it breaks WhatsApp policy.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 131053 - Media Upload Error

What it stops: This message · Retry helps? After fixing · Where to fix: The media file

What you see: A message with an image, video or file fails with error 131053.
Simple diagnosis: The file type isn’t supported, it’s too large, or the link isn’t a direct public link (for example a Google Drive share link).

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Check the file: images JPEG or PNG up to 5 MB; videos MP4 up to 16 MB; audio up to 16 MB; documents up to 100 MB.
2. Upload the file directly, or use a direct public link that opens the file itself.
3. Resend.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 131052 - Can't Download Media Sent by Customer

What it stops: One incoming file · Retry helps? Ask the customer to resend · Where to fix: Customer

What you see: A file the customer sent doesn’t open in the inbox, with error 131052.
Simple diagnosis: WhatsApp couldn’t download the file – it may be corrupted, unsupported or temporarily unavailable.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Ask the customer to send the file again.
2. If it fails again, ask them to send it as a document instead of a photo.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 130403 - Business Has Blocked This User

What it stops: This customer · Retry helps? No, not until you unblock · Where to fix: Your business’s blocked list

What you see: Messages fail with error 130403, saying your business has blocked this user.
Simple diagnosis: Someone on your team blocked this customer’s number.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Check whether the block was intentional (spam, abuse). If so, leave it.
2. If not, unblock the user where they were blocked (for WhatsApp Business app numbers, the app’s blocked contacts list), then resend.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 131051 - Unsupported Message Type

What it stops: This message · Retry helps? After fixing · Where to fix: Message type, or the WhatsApp Business app

What you see: A sent message fails with error 131051, or an incoming message shows as unsupported.
Simple diagnosis: Outgoing: the message type isn’t supported. Incoming: the customer sent something the API can’t show, such as a poll or view-once media.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Outgoing: send a supported type (text, media, location, contact, interactive or template).
2. Incoming on a WhatsApp Business app number: view it in the app, or ask the customer to resend it as text.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 135000 - Generic User Error

What it stops: This message · Retry helps? After fixing · Where to fix: Template or message content

What you see: A message fails with error 135000, generic user error.
Simple diagnosis: Meta couldn’t name a specific cause. In practice it’s often a template format problem or a template restriction.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Check the template’s variables and format.
2. Try a different approved template; if that works, recreate the failing one.
3. Still failing? Raise a ticket with the time of the failure.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 131037 - 555 Number Needs Approved Display Name

What it stops: This number · Retry helps? After fixing · Where to fix: WhatsApp Manager

What you see: Messages from a 555 (Meta-provided) number fail with error 131037.
Simple diagnosis: Meta-provided 555 numbers can’t send any message until their display name is approved.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Set the display name in WhatsApp Manager and wait for approval.
2. Or send from your own verified business number.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 131021 - Sender and Recipient Are the Same

What it stops: This message · Retry helps? No · Where to fix: Recipient number

What you see: A message fails with error 131021.
Simple diagnosis: You tried to message your own business number. Usually happens while testing.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Send to a different number.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Error 131057 - Account in Maintenance Mode

What it stops: Whole account, briefly · Retry helps? Yes, after waiting · Where to fix: Nothing to fix – wait

What you see: Messages fail with error 131057, account in maintenance mode.
Simple diagnosis: Meta is doing maintenance on the account, often during a throughput upgrade.

Solution 1 – Suggested approach
1. Wait – usually minutes to a few hours – then resend.

Solution 2 – Verified by Chakra: Verification in progress. If Solution 1 doesn’t fix it, raise a ticket with Chakra support.

Still stuck?

Raise a Chakra support ticket with the customer’s number, the time of the failed message and the exact error code. Meta reference: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/support/error-codes