The official API
Automation and a whole team on one number are allowed there, so you're not breaking the Terms just by automating.
Account banned
WhatsApp Business account banned: what to do next
A ban, a restriction and a low quality rating look alike. Each has its own fix, and only WhatsApp can lift a ban.
Review request
How to request a review in the app
This is the only way back for a banned number. Third-party services can't ban or unban an account; only WhatsApp can.
1
Open WhatsApp on the banned number
The ban notice shows as soon as the app opens, in WhatsApp and in the WhatsApp Business app.
2
Tap Request review
It sits in the notice itself. If you get asked for details, say what the business uses the number for and how customers reached you.
3
Wait for the notification
WhatsApp says most reviews are done within 24 hours. Open the app to check the status. One request covers one number.
4
Verify the number again
If the ban is lifted, the app tells you the account can use WhatsApp again. Re-enter your number to get back in and restore your backup.
Source: WhatsApp Help Center, "About account bans", read November 6, 2026
Which one is it
Ban, restriction or quality rating
The notice in the app or in Meta Business Suite tells you which one you're dealing with.
| What happens | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted (app) | You can keep chatting with people you've talked to before, but you can't start new chats, create groups or use linked devices. | Nothing to file. It lifts on its own when the time is up, and WhatsApp tells you. |
| Temporarily banned (app) | Shown when the number runs on an unofficial or modified WhatsApp app, or scrapes other users' details. | Go back to the official app and stop scraping. If you carry on, the ban can become permanent. |
| Banned (app) | WhatsApp says the number can't use WhatsApp. Your chats and backups are locked until it's unbanned. | Request a review in the app. If there's no review option, the ban is final. |
| Restricted or disabled (API) | Meta warns you first. Repeat violations bring sending blocks of a few days, then a locked account, then removal from the platform. | Open the violation in Business Support Home and request a review there. |
| Low quality rating (API) | Customers are blocking or reporting your messages. Templates can get paused, and your messaging limit stops growing. | Send less, only to people who asked, and fix or retire the template that draws the complaints. |
On the API
Bans and restrictions on the WhatsApp Business Platform
If your number runs on the API through a provider, enforcement and appeals live in Meta Business Suite, not in the app.
A warning first
Meta tells you which policy you broke. Repeat violations, such as spam or a template in the wrong category, bring sending blocks that get longer each time.
Account lock
A block on sending any message with no end date. Only a successful appeal removes it.
Disabled
If nothing changes after several warnings and blocks, the account is removed from the platform. Severe harm, such as scams, means removal straight away.
Appeal
In Business Support Home, pick the account and the violation, click Request Review and add your details. Meta says a decision typically takes 24 to 48 hours.
The outcome
The violation stays Unchanged or is Reversed. Reversed puts the account back where it was. Not every spam violation can be appealed; some you wait out.
Source: Meta for Developers, "Policy and spam enforcement", read November 6, 2026
What Meta looks at
Why business numbers get banned
- Unofficial connections: tools that link your number through a QR code, like WhatsApp Web, and send from it. WhatsApp's Terms forbid bulk messaging, auto-messaging and unauthorized access to its systems.
- Messaging people who never opted in, such as bought lists or old contacts. The Business Messaging Policy asks for permission before you message someone, and you have to honor every request to stop.
- Blocks and reports. Customers can block or report a business, and WhatsApp limits how much a business can send when that feedback piles up.
- Unofficial or modified WhatsApp apps, and scraping other users' details, which lead to temporary bans in the app.
How to avoid it
Lower the risk on the official API
The API lowers the risk. It does not remove it: Meta still rates every number by how customers react.
Opt-in and opt-out
Send campaigns only to contacts who said yes. When someone asks to stop, they come off every list.
Quality alerts
You get a notice when Meta lowers your number's quality rating or suspends the account, so you can pause a campaign before it gets worse.
Pricing
What it costs
Every plan has every feature, the free plan included. You pay by conversations, not per user. Meta bills each message on top, at its own rate per country.
Common questions
About banned and restricted accounts
More guides
Other questions about WhatsApp
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