META’S WHATSAPP RULES
Meta’s WhatsApp rules, in plain English.
What the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy and Meta’s platform rules require, how quality ratings and messaging limits work, and what gets accounts restricted.
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Illustrative example. Names and details are made up.
General information, not legal advice. This guide summarises rules we checked on 28 September 2026. Laws and Meta’s policies change, and how they apply depends on your business. Get advice from a lawyer for your situation.
POLICY
The Business Messaging Policy.
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Opt-in | You may message people who gave you their number and agreed to receive messages from your business. The opt-in method is your choice, but it must follow the law. |
| Opt-out | Respect every request to stop, on or off WhatsApp. |
| Templates | Messages you start, outside a customer’s 24-hour window, must use templates Meta has approved. |
| 24-hour window | When a customer messages you, you can reply freely for 24 hours. The window resets each time they message. |
| A human | Automated experiences need a clear way to reach a person: in chat, by phone, email, web or in store. |
| Sensitive data | Don’t ask people to share full card numbers, financial account numbers, national ID numbers or similar identifiers. |
| Restricted goods and services | Some industries are restricted or prohibited, such as weapons, drugs, adult content, and gambling except where allowed. Check the policy for your business. |
| AI assistants | Meta prohibits providers whose main product is a general-purpose AI assistant. Businesses using AI to serve their own customers can, as part of their own service. |
HEALTH
Quality and limits.
| Topic | How it works |
|---|---|
| Template quality | Meta rates templates Green, Yellow or Red based on blocks, reports and read rates. Low quality can slow delivery or pause a template. |
| Messaging limits | Start at 250 unique people a day for business-started messages, rising to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited as quality and volume allow. Limits are shared across your Meta business portfolio. |
| Per-person marketing limits | Meta limits how many marketing messages each person receives from all businesses, based on engagement. A held message returns error 131049; wait before retrying. These limits don’t apply in the EEA, UK, Japan or South Korea. |
| US numbers | Meta currently doesn’t deliver marketing templates to US phone numbers. |
RISK
What gets accounts restricted.
- Messaging people who didn’t opt in, or ignoring opt-outs.
- High block and report rates from irrelevant or too-frequent messages.
- Misleading content, impersonation or phishing.
- Restricted goods and services.
- Misclassified templates, such as promotions submitted as utility.
If Meta restricts your account, you can request a review in Meta Business Support. We’ll help you with the process, but Meta makes the decision.
CHECK THE ORIGINAL
Sources.
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