Follow the troubleshooting steps in this guide to help ensure your WhatsApp messaging works smoothly.
New to troubleshooting WhatsApp issues?
Start with our Basic troubleshooting steps to check your connection and setup before diving into specific error messages.
Messages failed - incorrect variable type
The most common reason for messages not being delivered is an incorrect variable type in your template.
Meta supports two types of variables:
Number: This looks like {{1}}
Name: This looks like {{name}}
In Dotdigital, we only support the number type. If your message template uses name variables, the message fails to send.
To ensure deliverability, use number variables in your templates.
Learn more in Create a message template for WhatsApp Business.
Messages can fail with the following error codes in this case:
#100: Invalid parameter
#131008: Required parameter is missing
#132012: Template Parameter Format Mismatch
Messages failed - messaging limit exceeded
Every WhatsApp account has a daily messaging limit. If you exceed this limit, your messages fail to send.
Wait until your daily limit resets and plan how to increase your limits.
Learn more in Understand WhatsApp messaging limits.
Messages can fail with the following error codes in this case:
#131049: Meta chose not to deliver
#80007: Rate limit issues
#130429: Rate limit hit
Messages failed - template name conflict
Messages can fail with the #132000 error code if your templates don't have unique names. For example, if you have two templates called "template_name" and "template_name1," and "template_name1" is the one most recently updated, Meta may return "template_name1" when you try to send a campaign with "template_name." This causes the message to fail.
To avoid this issue, make sure each template has a unique name and doesn't share similar components at the beginning of the name. For example, naming them "1_template_name" and "2_template_name" helps keep them distinct and prevent conflicts.
Messages can fail with the following error codes in this case:
#100: Invalid parameter
#132000: Template Param Count Mismatch
Common failure reasons
Some common failures when using WhatsApp are:
Daily send limit reached for the WhatsApp account.
Empty variables in the message. Meta does not deliver messages with empty variables.
Contact's phone number is not linked to a WhatsApp account.
Contact has blocked the sender.
Approximately 1% of WhatsApp users do not receive marketing template messages from any business.
Messages failed - data field without value
If your template uses variables that are replaced with data fields like @FIRSTNAME@, but a contact doesn't have that information in their record, the message won't be delivered. The system incorrectly marks these messages as "Pending" instead of "Failed," but these messages aren't sent to Meta because they would be rejected.
To ensure high deliverability when using dynamic data fields in your WhatsApp campaigns:
Set up default values for data fields. For example, use "Friend" as the default for "FIRSTNAME."
or
Segment your recipients before sending, so you only include contacts who have those data fields populated.
Unsupported template components
Dotdigital won't load or display templates that include unsupported components.
If your template has any of the following, it won't be visible:
Header: Video
Header: Document
Header: Location
Button: Copy offer code
Button: Complete flow
However, templates with newer unsupported components recently added by Meta, such as name variables or the "Call on WhatsApp" feature, are still visible in Dotdigital. These templates can potentially cause issues with WhatsApp functionality.
If you have templates that use these components, remove them before sending any messages.
Click tracking setup
The default static and dynamic URL button on Meta doesn't allow for click tracking.
The only way to track "visit website" button clicks is to add a shortened link that redirects people to your end destination via a dedicated domain.
If you don't use our shortened links, dd1.io, dd2.io, or dd3.io (depending on your account region), you won't be able to track link clicks.
Learn how to Track link clicks in WhatsApp messages.
Basic troubleshooting steps
Follow these actions to resolve issues:
Verify WhatsApp connection
Check if WhatsApp is connected in Dotdigital.
Learn more in Check your WhatsApp connection status.
Check phone number connection and messaging limit
Ensure the phone number is connected to a WhatsApp account and has the correct messaging limit.
Go to Meta > Business Portfolio > WhatsApp Manager > Phone Numbers.
If the status is "Connected," everything is fine.
Verify the current messaging limit.
Ensure templates are active
Only active templates can be used for sending messages.
Check the status of templates in Meta > Business Portfolio > WhatsApp Manager > Manage Templates.
Verify variable replacement
Meta doesn't deliver messages with unreplaced variables.
Ensure that all variables, such as images, text, and links, are entered and that dynamic content exists for the contact. For example, if the @FIRSTNAME@ field is empty for a contact, the message is not delivered.
