WhatsApp guides / Error 131047
WhatsApp error 131047: more than 24 hours since the customer replied
Error 131047 means more than 24 hours have passed since the recipient last replied to your number, so the customer service window is closed and a free-form message cannot be sent. Meta's fix is to send an approved template message instead.
Based on Meta's official documentation, checked 18 October 2026. Sources are linked at the end; where Meta gives no fix, we do not invent one.
What Meta says it means
Meta describes 131047 as more than 24 hours having passed since the recipient last replied to the sender number.
This follows from the customer service window: a business can send free-form (non-template) messages only while a window opened by the customer's last message is open. Once it closes, only template messages can be sent.
What Meta says to do
- Send the recipient a business-initiated message using a pre-approved message template.
- When the customer replies, a new 24-hour window opens and free-form replies work again.