Table of Contents
- Understanding Messaging Limits
- Increasing Messaging Limits
- Phone Number Quality Rating
- What Happens when your Quality Rating is Low or when your Phone Number Status Changes?
- Improve Your Quality Rating
- FAQ and Troubleshooting
- I assumed that if my business were verified and had an approved display name, it would automatically increase my messaging limit to 1,000, but my account is still at 250. What am I missing?
- The messaging limit was increased to 1K in Meta, but it's still showing 250 in the respond.io platform. What should I do?
- I’ve sent 1,000 messages within 30 days, but my limit is still 250. What should I do?
- My message quality is high, but my limit hasn’t increased. Why?
WhatsApp Messaging Limits
- Understanding Messaging Limits
- Increasing Messaging Limits
- Phone Number Quality Rating
- What Happens when your Quality Rating is Low or when your Phone Number Status Changes?
- Improve Your Quality Rating
- FAQ and Troubleshooting
- I assumed that if my business were verified and had an approved display name, it would automatically increase my messaging limit to 1,000, but my account is still at 250. What am I missing?
- The messaging limit was increased to 1K in Meta, but it's still showing 250 in the respond.io platform. What should I do?
- I’ve sent 1,000 messages within 30 days, but my limit is still 250. What should I do?
- My message quality is high, but my limit hasn’t increased. Why?
This article provides an overview of WhatsApp Messaging Limits, explaining the factors considered in determining messaging limits, such as phone number status, quality rating, verification and conversation count.
Understanding Messaging Limits
Messaging limits determine the maximum number of business-initiated conversations you can initiate using each of your phone numbers in a rolling 24-hour period.
Messaging limits for business phone numbers without a connected status, a verified business, an approved display name are limited to 250 business-initiated conversations in a rolling 24-hour period.
Messaging limits are not automatically increased. Meta will analyze the messaging quality and activity to determine whether an increase is warranted. If approved, these businesses can initiate conversations with the following number of unique customers in a rolling 24-hour period:
- 1K unique customers
- 10K unique customers
- 100K unique customers
- An unlimited number of unique customers
Increasing Messaging Limits
Each time you initiate a new conversation with a unique customer on WhatsApp, Meta assesses whether your messaging limit should be increased. This determination is based on the following criteria:
- Phone Number Status: Your phone number status must be in a "Connected" status.
- Phone Number Quality Rating: Your phone number must have a quality rating of "Medium" or "High".
- Conversation Count: In the last 7 days, you have initiated X or more conversations with unique customers, where X is your current messaging limit divided by 2.
Here is an example of how you can increase your messaging limit from 1K to 10K in 2 days:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | |
Business-initiated conversations (new) | 500 | 500 | |||
Business-initiated conversations in last 7 days | 500* | 1,000 | |||
Messaging limit | 1K | 10K |
*If the 500th conversation is initiated at 3pm (for example), the messaging limit is increased at 3pm the following day (i.e. 24 hours later).
Here is another example of how you can increase your messaging limit from 1K to 10K in 4 days:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | |
Business-initiated conversations (new) | 100 | 200 | 200 | 300 | |
Business-initiated conversations in last 7 days | 100 | 300 | 500* | 800 | |
Messaging limit | 1K | 1K | 1K | 10K |
*If the 500th conversation is initiated at 7pm (for example), the messaging limit is increased at 7pm the following day (i.e. 24 hours later).
Alternate Path Program
The Alternate Path Program provides you (businesses) with an alternative way to increase your WhatsApp messaging limits without relying solely on traditional business verification. Instead, you can qualify for higher messaging limits based on your messaging activity and quality.
How It Works:
- Open 1K Conversations in 30 Days: To be eligible for the Alternate Path Program, your business must initiate 1,000 or more business-initiated conversations within a 30-day rolling period. These conversations must be conducted using templates that maintain a high-quality rating.
- Quality Review: Once your business reaches the 1,000-conversation threshold, Meta will analyze your messaging quality to determine if your messaging activity warrants an increase in your messaging limit. This analysis focuses on how well your messages are received by users and the overall engagement quality.
- Decision: Based on this review, Meta will approve or deny an increase in your messaging limit. If approved, your business’s messaging limit will be increased from 250 to 1,000. If denied, you may need to focus on improving your messaging quality and try again, or you may need to request an increase through support.
Benefits of the Program:
- This program allows businesses to scale their messaging capabilities based on performance rather than just verification status.
- It allows businesses facing challenges with traditional verification to still increase their messaging limits by demonstrating strong engagement and high-quality messaging.
Phone Number Quality Rating
The quality rating assigned to your phone number is based on the feedback received from your customers regarding the messages they have received over the past seven days. The ratings are as follows:
- High (Green): A "High" quality rating indicates that your messages have been positively received, and your phone number is performing well in terms of customer engagement.
- Medium (Yellow): A "Medium" quality rating suggests that there have been some issues or concerns raised by your customers regarding the messages they have received from your phone number. While not indicating a severe problem, it is important to address any feedback or potential areas for improvement to ensure a satisfactory messaging experience for your customers.
- Low (Red): A "Low" quality rating signifies that there have been significant issues or complaints reported by your customers regarding the messages they have received. This rating indicates a need for improvement in the quality to avoid potential negative consequences for your messaging capabilities.
What Happens when your Quality Rating is Low or when your Phone Number Status Changes?
If your quality rating falls to a low state or there is a change in your phone number status, you will receive email and Business Manager notifications as a warning. Your status will be flagged or restricted accordingly.
- Flagged status: This occurs when the quality rating is low. Upgrading messaging limit tiers is not possible during this phase. If the message quality improves to a high or medium state within seven days from the Flagged status, your status will return to Connected. If the quality rating does not improve, your status will still return to Connected with a lower messaging limit.
- Restricted status: This occurs when you reach your messaging limit. During the restricted phase, you are unable to send any notification messages until the 24-hour window is reset. However, you can still respond to messages initiated by customers.
Improve Your Quality Rating
To improve your quality rating, consider the following steps:
- Check Templates: Review whether any templates added within the last seven days may be causing issues. Identifying and addressing problematic templates can help improve the quality and effectiveness of your messages.
- Policy Compliance: Ensure that your notifications adhere to WhatsApp's policies. Verify that your messages align with the guidelines and regulations set by WhatsApp to avoid any potential violations.
- User Opt-In: Evaluate if you have obtained proper user opt-ins for the topics covered in your templates. If customers have not explicitly consented to receive certain types of messages, they may respond negatively, affecting your quality rating. Ensure that you only send messages they have explicitly agreed to receive.
- Best Practices: Review your notifications against WhatsApp's Best Practice Guide. Consider implementing recommended strategies and techniques to optimize your messaging approach and deliver a positive user experience.
By implementing these measures, you can actively work towards improving your quality rating, ensuring better customer satisfaction, and maintaining a healthy messaging reputation on WhatsApp.
FAQ and Troubleshooting
I assumed that if my business were verified and had an approved display name, it would automatically increase my messaging limit to 1,000, but my account is still at 250. What am I missing?
The initial belief that business verification and having an approved display name alone would increase your messaging limit to 1,000 is a common misunderstanding. New numbers start with a 250-message limit. To escalate to a higher tier, you are required to send at least half of this limit, meaning 125 business-initiated conversations, over a seven-day period. This action prompts an automatic review and upgrade of your account to a messaging limit of 1,000 messages per day, typically processed within 24 hours after reaching the activity threshold.
It’s important to note that your messaging limit must be increased to the 1,000-message tier before your display name can be approved. Therefore, ensure you meet the required activity level to trigger the increase.
Learn more about increasing your messaging limits here.
The messaging limit was increased to 1K in Meta, but it's still showing 250 in the respond.io platform. What should I do?
Refresh the respond.io platform to get the updated messaging limit.
I’ve sent 1,000 messages within 30 days, but my limit is still 250. What should I do?
If you’ve sent 1,000 messages within 30 days and your limit hasn’t increased from 250, your account might not have been reviewed yet. You can request an upgrade by submitting a support ticket through WhatsApp Manager. Meta will review your activity and decide if your limit can be increased.
My message quality is high, but my limit hasn’t increased. Why?
Even with a high-quality rating and best practices, Meta decides when to upgrade your limit. If your limit hasn’t increased, it may be due to Meta’s discretion. Keep sending high-quality messages, and you can contact Meta support to ask for a review.
