Key takeaways
- Read the exact message first: a ban, a temporary ban, a restriction and an API violation each have a different fix.
- In the app, tap Request review on the ban screen. Meta says that if the button is missing, the ban is final.
- On the API, appeal in Business Support Home within 90 days of the notice. Decisions typically take 24 to 48 hours.
- Don't pay for an unban or switch to new SIMs. Meta says only WhatsApp can lift a ban.
- Fix the cause before the first new message. Meta can reinstate a ban if the same activity continues.
Which kind of WhatsApp ban is on your number?
The message on screen tells you which ban you have. App bans appear in the WhatsApp Business app, and API violations appear in Business Support Home and WhatsApp Manager.
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| In the app: "This phone number can't use WhatsApp" and a review option | The number is banned | Request a review in the app |
| In the app: "Temporarily banned" | Meta says it can mean an unofficial WhatsApp version or data scraping | Switch to the official app, or the ban may become permanent |
| In the app: "Your account is restricted right now" | Recent activity looks like spam, automated or bulk messaging, so you can't start chats with new contacts | Wait. It ends by itself |
| On the API: a warning or violation in Business Support Home | Your WhatsApp Business account broke a policy, sometimes with a block for set days | Read it, and appeal if you believe you comply |
| On the API: error 368 or 131031 | Usually a restricted or disabled account. 131031 can also mean a wrong two-step PIN | Check Business Support Home |
How do you appeal a ban in the WhatsApp Business app?
The app has one official route: the Request review button on the ban screen. If the button isn't there, Meta says the ban is final and can't be appealed.
- Open the WhatsApp Business app on the phone with the banned number and read the full message.
- Tap Request review and send it. Meta reviews one phone number per appeal, so file one for each banned number.
- Check the status in the app. WhatsApp notifies you of the decision.
- If the ban is lifted, enter your number again in the official app to verify it.
Chats and backups stay locked until the number is unbanned, and a banned account loses its Meta Verified subscription automatically.
How do you appeal a restriction on the WhatsApp Business API?
On the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta enforces on the WhatsApp Business account, and you appeal each violation in Business Support Home, not through WhatsApp Support. Meta's Help Center gives you 90 days from the notice.
How Meta escalates
| Stage | What it stops |
|---|---|
| Warning | Nothing yet. It names the policy you broke |
| 1 or 3 day block | Marketing, utility and authentication templates, and adding phone numbers |
| 5, 7 or 30 day block | All messages, and adding phone numbers |
| Account lock | All messages, with no end date. Only an appeal removes it |
| Permanent disable | The account leaves the platform if nothing changes after several warnings and blocks |
For severe harm, such as scams or the sale of illegal drugs, Meta removes the account at once.
Steps to request a review
- In Meta Business Suite, open All tools, then Business Support Home, and click View my accounts.
- Open the business portfolio linked to the number, then the WhatsApp account marked Account issues or Account disabled.
- Under Activity issues, open the violation in Available for review and click See details.
- Click Request review, choose an appeal reason and add details that show you comply.
- Submit. The decision arrives in Business Manager as Unchanged or Reversed, and a reversed violation returns the account to its previous status.
Meta notes that not every spam violation can be appealed. In that case, you wait for the block to end.
Eid offers sent as order updates
An online store in Jeddah on the WhatsApp API keeps putting Eid discounts in templates submitted as order updates. Under Meta's template categorisation rules, a written warning comes first, then a cap on its utility messages for at least 7 days. The offers were marketing, so the store doesn't request a review. It moves them to marketing templates for opted-in customers, and Meta lifts the cap once its categorisation improves.
What should you prepare before requesting a review?
On the API, WhatsApp's team checks your appeal against the policy Meta says you broke, and the form has room for details. In the app, use the same list to fix the cause.
- A screenshot of the ban message or violation, with its date.
- Proof of opt-in: the form, checkbox or message where each customer agreed, with your business named.
- The messages or templates sent before the ban, and who received them.
- Any unofficial app, WhatsApp Web extension or bulk sender used on the number, and proof you removed it.
- What you changed, such as dropping contacts who never opted in, or a product the policy prohibits.
The Leak Audit is free, with no obligation. Within 72 hours of the discovery meeting and receipt of the agreed information, we map your current journey, show the gaps the evidence supports, prioritise next steps and demonstrate one agreed workflow in a test environment. You keep the report. If you don't need HumAI, the audit says so.
Get your free Leak AuditWhat should you avoid while the number is banned?
Don't try to get around the ban. Meta can bar a business whose account it terminates from all future use of WhatsApp.
Meta says third-party services can't remove a WhatsApp Business ban. Don't pay anyone who sells an unban, and never give them your verification codes or Meta login.
- New SIMs to keep sending the same way. The cause moves with you.
- Unofficial versions such as GB WhatsApp, FM WhatsApp or anti-ban apps, which Meta says can bring a temporary or permanent ban.
- Contacting WhatsApp from other accounts or outside the review, which Meta says won't speed it up or change the decision.
- Bulk sending the day the number returns.
How long does a WhatsApp ban review take?
Meta gives only typical times, not promises. A block with a set period ends on its own.
| Case | What Meta says |
|---|---|
| App ban review | Most reviews are completed within 24 hours |
| App account restriction | Ends automatically. To see the time left, start a new chat with someone you've never messaged |
| Temporary ban for an unofficial app | No period given. Switch to the official app |
| Appeal on the API | Typically 24 to 48 hours |
| Time limit to appeal on the API | 90 days from the violation notice |
How do you stop the ban from happening again?
Meta can reinstate a ban if the same activity continues, so fix the cause first.
- Message only people who gave you their number and agreed to hear from your business, and stop when anyone asks.
- Use only the official WhatsApp Business app or the WhatsApp Business Platform. Remove unofficial versions and WhatsApp Web automation.
- Keep your WhatsApp business profile accurate, with contact details, and don't sell products Meta's policies prohibit.
- On the API, send business-initiated messages only as approved templates, and watch the quality rating in WhatsApp Manager. It reflects the last 7 days of customer feedback, blocks included.
- Keep admin emails in Business Manager current, since Meta emails violation notices to every admin.
Where HumAI fits, and when you don't need us
We can't lift a ban or speed up Meta's review. That decision is WhatsApp's alone.
If bulk sending or an unofficial tool caused the ban, move that sending to the official platform before you message customers again. HumAI is a Meta Tech Provider: we set up your WhatsApp Business Platform account, verify the business and prepare templates for Meta's approval. Campaigns go only to opted-in customers, with your approval.
We build only on the official WhatsApp Business Platform, not unofficial apps or WhatsApp Web automation, so your number isn’t exposed to the bans those tools cause.
Meta's policies still apply to every business number, and no provider can promise that a number won't be banned.
You may not need us. If you only reply to customers who message you first, from one or two phones, the free WhatsApp Business app is enough.
Related
Questions owners ask
Can I unban WhatsApp if there's no Request review button?
No. Meta says a missing review option means the ban is final, and no outside service can reverse it. Its policy also lets Meta bar a business whose account it terminates from future use, so a new number isn't a safe workaround.
Why is a number I just got already banned on WhatsApp?
Numbers get reassigned, and Meta notes that a new number can carry its previous owner's ban. Request a review in the app. With no review option, the ban is final, so ask your carrier for another number.
Can a WhatsApp API provider unban my number?
No. Only WhatsApp can lift a ban or reverse a violation. A provider can see violation details, help you read them in Business Support Home and fix the setup behind them, but WhatsApp's team decides.
Can we still reply to customers during an API block?
During a short block, usually yes. Meta lists a 1 or 3 day block as stopping templates your business starts and adding phone numbers. A 5, 7 or 30 day block or an account lock stops all messages. Business Support Home shows which one you have.
Sources
- WhatsApp Help Center: About account bans
- WhatsApp Help Center: About account bans on the WhatsApp Business app
- WhatsApp Help Center: About temporarily banned accounts
- WhatsApp Help Center: About restricted accounts
- WhatsApp Help Center: After your account is unbanned
- WhatsApp Help Center: About unofficial WhatsApp apps
- WhatsApp Help Center: About account bans for unofficial apps
- WhatsApp Help Center: About ban appeals on the WhatsApp Business Platform
- Meta for Developers: WhatsApp Business Platform policy and spam enforcement
- Meta Business Help Center: View policy violation details for your WhatsApp Business account
- Meta Business Help Center: About policy enforcement on the WhatsApp Business Platform account
- Meta for Developers: WhatsApp error codes
- Meta: Template categorization guidelines
- Meta Business Help Center: About your WhatsApp Business phone number's quality rating
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy: enforcement and suspended accounts