Product documentationWhatsApp message not delivered
Why a WhatsApp reminder doesn't reach a registrant, what each WhatsApp error means, and what you can do about it.
- Applies to
- WhatsApp messages sent from a webinar's Notifications tab
- Status
- Live
- Verified
- Page type
- Troubleshooting
Symptom
A registrant says they didn't get your WhatsApp Welcome Message, Reminder Message or Follow-Up Message, or some registrants got it and others didn't.
Why it happens
Most WhatsApp messages arrive within seconds. When one doesn't, the reason is usually on the registrant's side or a limit WhatsApp applies, not a problem with your webinar:
- They aren't on WhatsApp, haven't accepted WhatsApp's latest terms, or use a very old version of the app.
- The number is wrong: a missing digit or the wrong country.
- They blocked the sender or opted out of marketing messages.
- It was a marketing message, and WhatsApp limits how many of those each person receives. Marketing messages also aren't currently delivered to US numbers at all.
- Their number is part of a WhatsApp test group that doesn't receive some marketing messages.
Fix it
- Send a test to yourself. Use Send Test Message on the message, picking your country from the flag dropdown. If it arrives, the message itself is fine and the cause is on the registrant's side.
- Check the number. Keep the Phone field on your registration form with its country selector, so people pick their country rather than typing a dialling code.
- Keep reminders free of promotion. A reminder with an offer in it becomes a marketing message, which faces WhatsApp's limits. Move the offer to email or its own follow-up.
- Don't resend straight away. If the person blocked the sender, opted out or isn't on WhatsApp, resending won't work and can count against the sender.
Verify the fix
Send Test Message arrives on your phone with the merge fields filled in. For registrants, email reminders keep going out as normal, so they still hear from you.
Marketing message limits
WhatsApp limits how many marketing messages one person receives from businesses, based on how much they read them. When the limit is reached, the message isn't delivered even though nothing is wrong with it.
- The limit applies to marketing messages only. Confirmations and reminders that stick to the facts are utility messages and aren't affected.
- Wait at least 24 hours before trying a marketing message to that person again. Trying sooner can extend the block for up to another 24 hours.
- US numbers (+1): WhatsApp doesn't currently deliver marketing messages to people with US phone numbers. Utility reminders still arrive, so use email for replay promotions and offers to US registrants.
See WhatsApp rates by country and category for what makes a message marketing.
WhatsApp error codes
These are WhatsApp's own codes. If you contact support about a message that wasn't delivered, we may refer to one of them.
| Code | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 131026 | Couldn't be delivered: not on WhatsApp, terms not accepted, or an old app | Nothing on WhatsApp; email still reaches them |
| 131049 | Not delivered to keep the person's inbox healthy: they've reached the marketing limit | Wait at least 24 hours before another marketing message |
| 131050 | The person has stopped marketing messages from this sender | Don't resend |
| 130403 | The person has blocked the sender | Don't resend |
| 130472 | The person's number is in a WhatsApp test group for marketing messages | Nothing to do; email still reaches them |
| 131056 | Too many messages to the same person in a short time | Space your messages out |
| 131008, 131009, 132000, 132012 | A value in the message is missing or in the wrong format | Check your merge fields are always filled in |
| 132007 | The wording breaks a WhatsApp policy | Edit the message; see the guidelines |
| 130429, 80007, 131000, 131016 | A temporary WhatsApp limit or error | Usually clears on its own |
| 131047, 132001, 132015, 132016, 131048, 131064, 368, 131031, 131042, 131045, 133010 | A problem with the sending account or its approved templates | Ours to fix; contact support |
Related problems
Replies don't reach me
Messages come from an EasyWebinar number, not your own, so replies don't reach your phone. Give people an email address or link in the message for questions.
A text reminder didn't arrive either
Text reminders have their own causes, such as landlines and replies of STOP. See SMS reminder not delivered.
Prevent it next time
Ask for permission to message people on WhatsApp on your registration page, keep reminders short and factual, keep offers for email, and test every message with Send Test Message before your webinar. The WhatsApp messaging guidelines cover what WhatsApp allows.
Common questions
Why did one person get the reminder and another didn't?
Usually the second person isn't on WhatsApp, gave a wrong number, or blocked or opted out.
Why did my reminders arrive but not my follow-up?
Follow-ups that promote a replay or an offer are marketing messages, and WhatsApp limits those. To US numbers they aren't delivered at all right now.
Can I resend a message that wasn't delivered?
Only if the cause was temporary. If the person isn't on WhatsApp, blocked the sender or opted out, resending won't work.
Do registrants still get my emails?
Yes. Email reminders are separate and go out as normal.
Do I need to do anything about errors on your side?
No. Contact support and we'll handle it.
Still stuck?
Contact EasyWebinar support with the webinar name, the registrant's country, the time the message should have gone out, and a screenshot of the message settings. Don't send registrants' full phone numbers in screenshots you share publicly.
Next steps
- WhatsApp rates by country and category: what each category costs and what makes a message marketing.
- WhatsApp messaging guidelines: permission, what you can send and how to stay delivered.
- Webinar reminder emails: where WhatsApp reminders are set up.