Fix-it guide · Delivery

WhatsApp message not delivered? Here's why.

A WhatsApp message usually fails for one of five reasons: the customer can't receive it, Meta chose not to deliver it, the 24-hour window had closed, you sent too much too fast, or your number's quality is low. Find your error code below.

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Quick checklist

Check these first

Is the window open?

If the customer hasn't messaged in 24 hours, a normal text will fail — send an approved template instead.

Is the number on WhatsApp?

The recipient needs an active, up-to-date WhatsApp account on a phone that's reachable.

Are you over a limit?

Check your messaging limit and quality rating on the Lead Pattern Home dashboard before big sends.

Error codes

Customer can't receive it, or Meta held it back

Code	What it means	Why it happens	How to fix it
131026 — Message undeliverable	The message could not be delivered to the recipient.	Recipient doesn't have WhatsApp. Recipient hasn't accepted the latest WhatsApp terms. Recipient is on an outdated app version. Recipient's phone has been off/unreachable for a long period.	Confirm the recipient has an active, up-to-date WhatsApp account; consider an alternative contact channel.
1026 — Message delivery failure	The message could not be delivered to the recipient for one of several possible reasons.	Recipient doesn't have WhatsApp. Recipient is using an outdated app version.	Confirm the recipient has WhatsApp installed and is on a current app version.
131049 — Message not delivered (Meta decision)	Meta chose not to deliver this message to help maintain a healthy messaging ecosystem.	Delivery throttled based on engagement/quality signals for this recipient pattern.	Avoid immediate retries; space out repeated attempts over increasing intervals.
130472 — User's number is part of an experiment	WhatsApp is running a delivery experiment affecting marketing messages to this user (a small percentage of users are enrolled).	The recipient's number was randomly selected into a marketing-message delivery experiment.	Contact the customer through an alternative channel, or ask them to message you on WhatsApp first.
472 — Marketing message experiment impact	WhatsApp is running a delivery experiment that is currently limiting marketing messages to this user.	The recipient is part of a small experiment group affecting marketing message delivery.	Reach the customer through an alternative channel, or encourage them to message you on WhatsApp first.
130 — User's number part of an experiment group	Meta is running an internal experiment that affects delivery for this recipient.	The recipient's number was randomly selected into a Meta delivery experiment.	Retry later, or ask the customer to initiate a WhatsApp conversation directly.

Source: Lead Pattern Help Center troubleshooting articles. Click a code for the full article. Error codes come from Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform.

Window errors

The 24-hour window had closed

Code	What it means	Why it happens	How to fix it
131047 — Re-engagement message required	The message wasn't sent because the customer hasn't replied within the last 24 hours.	No customer-initiated message within the current 24-hour session window.	Use an approved message template to restart the conversation.
470 — Re-engagement message required	The message wasn't sent because the customer hasn't replied within the last 24 hours.	No customer-initiated message in the current 24-hour session window.	Use an approved message template to restart the conversation, or wait for the customer to message first.

Source: Lead Pattern Help Center troubleshooting articles. Click a code for the full article. Error codes come from Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform.

Limit errors

Too much, too fast — rate and spam limits

Code	What it means	Why it happens	How to fix it
131056 — Pair rate limit hit	Too many messages were sent to the same recipient in a short period.	Repeated sends to one number in a short time window.	Wait before retrying the same recipient, or space out sends across different numbers.
471 — Messaging limit reached due to quality/spam issues	The phone number has messaging limits applied because of blocks or spam reports.	Too many recipients blocked or reported the number as spam.	Check the number's quality rating in WhatsApp Manager and improve messaging practices before retrying.
131048 — Spam rate limit hit	Message sending is restricted due to previous blocks or spam reports.	Too many recipients blocked or reported the number.	Check the number's quality status in WhatsApp Manager and review quality-based rate limits.
130429 — Cloud API message throughput reached	The Cloud API has reached its message throughput limit for this account.	Sending messages faster than the account's allowed throughput.	Reduce message sending frequency and retry with backoff.
80007 — WhatsApp Business Account rate limit reached	The WhatsApp Business Account has reached its messaging rate limit.	Sending volume exceeded the account's current rate limit tier.	Consult the rate limits documentation and retry after the limit window resets.

Source: Lead Pattern Help Center troubleshooting articles. Click a code for the full article. Error codes come from Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform.

How to stop messages failing

Reply inside the 24-hour window. Every customer message opens a fresh 24-hour window. Inside it, reply freely; outside it, send an approved template. In Lead Pattern the composer shows a "24-hour window expired" bar when it has closed. The 24-hour window explained →
Plan big sends around your messaging limit. New numbers usually start at 250 unique customers per 24 hours; the limit rises to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited as you verify your business and keep quality high. Messages beyond your limit can be delayed or fail. Limits and quality rating →
Protect your quality rating. Blocks and reports are the strongest negative signals. Message people who opted in, keep content relevant and don't message the same people too often.
Don't hammer one number. Sending many messages to the same person in a short time triggers a pair rate limit (131056).
Use another channel when Meta experiments. For 130472 / 472, ask the customer to message you on WhatsApp first, or reach them another way.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my WhatsApp message show only one tick?+

One tick means sent but not delivered — often because the recipient's phone is off or unreachable, or the number isn't on WhatsApp. If it fails, Lead Pattern shows the error code on the message.

Why did Meta not deliver my marketing message?+

Meta may limit marketing messages to some users (error 130472 / 472) or choose not to deliver based on engagement signals (131049). Space out retries and encourage customers to message you first.

Can I send a normal message after 24 hours?+

No. Outside the 24-hour window you must send an approved template. Once the customer replies, a new window opens.

Still stuck?

Lead Pattern customers can raise a support ticket from inside the app, or message our team on WhatsApp. The Help Center has a full article for every error code.

Open the Lead Pattern Help Center

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WhatsApp message not delivered? Here's why.

Check these first

Is the window open?

Is the number on WhatsApp?

Are you over a limit?

Customer can't receive it, or Meta held it back

The 24-hour window had closed

Too much, too fast — rate and spam limits

How to stop messages failing

Frequently asked questions

WhatsApp Business account blocked or limited

WhatsApp template errors

Number registration errors

Move a WhatsApp Business App number to the API

WhatsApp calls not working

All 65 WhatsApp API error codes

See the failure reason on every message — try Lead Pattern free for 14 days.