WhatsApp guides / WhatsApp number banned or restricted
WhatsApp business number banned or restricted: what Meta says to do
WhatsApp restricts or bans numbers for breaking its terms and policies. There are two different situations: a WhatsApp account banned in the app, which is appealed from the app itself, and a WhatsApp Business Account on the Business Platform (API) restricted under Meta's policy enforcement, which is appealed in Business Support Home.
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.
Banned in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app
WhatsApp's help centre says accounts are banned for violating its Terms of Service, for example spam, scams or putting users at risk. A recycled phone number can be banned because of what a previous owner did with it.
- The banned screen says the number can't use WhatsApp and offers a review. WhatsApp says most reviews are completed within 24 hours.
- To appeal, tap Request review in the app. The decision arrives as a WhatsApp notification.
- If there is no review option, the ban is final and cannot be appealed.
- Contacting WhatsApp outside the review process does not speed it up, only one number is reviewed per appeal, and third parties cannot ban or unban an account.
Restricted on the WhatsApp Business Platform (API)
Meta's policy enforcement shows violations in Business Support Home, as a banner in WhatsApp Manager, by email to admins and through the account_update webhook. To request a review:
- In Business Support Home, select the WhatsApp Business Account.
- Select the violation and click Request Review.
- Add supporting details and click Submit.
- Meta's decision arrives in Business Manager, typically within 24 to 48 hours. If a violation is reversed, the account returns to its previous status.
Keeping a Business Platform number healthy
- Meta escalates gradually: a warning first, then template blocks of 1 or 3 days, then sending blocks of 5, 7 or 30 days, then an account lock, then permanent disabling. Severe harms such as scams or child exploitation lead to immediate offboarding.
- Each number has a quality rating (green, yellow or red) based on the past 7 days of messages, driven by feedback such as blocks and reports.
- Meta discontinued the "Flagged" and "Restricted" phone number statuses on 7 October 2025, so older guides that describe them are out of date.
- Messaging limits cap how many unique people a business portfolio can reach outside a customer service window in 24 hours. New portfolios start at 250 and can reach 2,000 by verifying the business or sending enough high-quality messages, then scale automatically to 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited.