WhatsApp API Phone Number Status: Pending, Connected, Flagged, Restricted…

Only a phone number with the status Connected can send and receive messages through the WhatsApp Cloud API; if yours shows anything else, the usual causes are an unfinished verification or registration, a disconnection, or a display name, limit or policy issue. You see the status in WhatsApp Manager › Account tools › Phone numbers, next to the number’s quality rating and messaging limit.

Some statuses have changed: Meta retired the Flagged quality state on 7 October 2025, when messaging limits moved to the business portfolio. This guide explains each status and related state you can meet in 2026, what causes it and how to fix it, plus number limits and the “already registered” error.

Phone number statuses at a glance

Meta says a number’s status reflects its quality rating and current messaging limit, and that a number must be Connected to send and receive messages through the API.

Where to check status: WhatsApp Manager and the API

• WhatsApp Manager › Account tools › Phone numbers: the Status column, the Name column (display name), quality rating and messaging limits.
• API, number status: GET /<PHONE_NUMBER_ID>?fields=status returns, for example, CONNECTED.
• API, the full picture: GET /<PHONE_NUMBER_ID>?fields=health_status returns AVAILABLE, LIMITED or BLOCKED for the number, its WhatsApp Business Account, the business portfolio and the app. LIMITED comes with a reason; BLOCKED comes with an error code and a possible solution.
• Other fields: quality_rating (GREEN, YELLOW, RED or NA), name_status for the display name, and code_verification_status (VERIFIED or UNVERIFIED), which Meta says to check before requesting a verification code.

Pending or not connected: finish verification and registration

Meta’s API reference lists PENDING among the possible number statuses without defining it. If a newly added number can’t send, check the three setup steps below. Meta’s docs stress that adding a number through WhatsApp Manager, the App Dashboard or Embedded Signup doesn’t register it:

1. Add the number to your WhatsApp account (WhatsApp Manager, App Dashboard or your provider’s Embedded Signup).
2. Verify ownership with the 6-digit code sent by SMS or voice call. code_verification_status should read VERIFIED.
3. Register it with POST /<PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/register, messaging_product: "whatsapp" and a 6-digit pin. This can only be done through the API.

Flagged and Restricted in 2026

Flagged: retired

Before 7 October 2025, a number whose quality dropped to low was marked Flagged, and if it stayed Flagged for 7 days its messaging limit fell a level. Meta’s documentation now says the Flagged state is no longer possible and that a quality drop doesn’t downgrade the limit. Low quality still matters: you won’t move up a messaging limit without high-quality messages. See WhatsApp quality rating.

If sending stops or you see “Restricted”

Check two different things, because the fixes are different:

• Your messaging limit. Limits now belong to the business portfolio and count unique people you message outside a customer service window in a moving 24 hours, shared by all your numbers. Replies to customers who messaged you in the last 24 hours don’t count. See how to increase your messaging limit.
• A policy restriction. After repeated policy violations Meta can block templates for 1 or 3 days, block all messages for 5, 7 or 30 days, block adding numbers, or lock the account. Developers receive an account_update webhook with the restriction type, such as RESTRICTED_BIZ_INITIATED_MESSAGING (can’t start conversations) or RESTRICTED_ADD_PHONE_NUMBER_ACTION, and its expiry. Details and the Request review button are in Business Support Home; see WhatsApp account restricted or banned.

Error 131064 is a third case: Meta limited messaging because of template classification violations. It lifts automatically after the enforcement period; categorise templates honestly from then on.

Display name status: pending, approved or declined

You can message before the name is reviewed. Meta reviews it automatically when your business reaches a higher messaging limit, but until it is approved the number can show as LIMITED in health status, with Meta’s note that the message limit will increase after approval. If it’s declined, edit the name to follow the guidelines or appeal through Meta’s developer support. After a name change is approved you must re-register the number within 14 days. Rules and examples: WhatsApp display name.

Disconnected and blocked numbers

A number that was working can drop off the API for a few documented reasons. Meta’s account_update webhook reports ACCOUNT_OFFBOARDED when a WhatsApp account is offboarded because of a device change or phone number re-registration, and ACCOUNT_RECONNECTED when it comes back. For numbers using coexistence (the WhatsApp Business app and the API together), Meta lists these disconnection reasons:

Keep the phone with the WhatsApp Business app active, and if a disconnection happens, ask your provider how to reconnect. More fixes are in coexistence not working.

If you see “Phone Number has been blocked” when adding a number, WhatsApp has blocked it and it can’t be added to an account. Meta says to check the alert in WhatsApp Manager › Overview or follow the instructions in Business Support Home, and to contact support if you think it’s a mistake. A number banned on WhatsApp must be unbanned through WhatsApp’s appeal process before it can be registered.

How many numbers can you add?

When the cap rises, Meta sends a Meta Business Suite notification and a business_capability_update webhook. A business portfolio also starts with a limit of 20 WhatsApp account hierarchies. A policy restriction can block adding numbers altogether: in Embedded Signup this shows as “To add a phone number, you’ll need to address any restrictions on this account”. Remember that extra numbers don’t add messaging capacity, because all numbers share the portfolio’s limit.

“This number is already registered on WhatsApp”

A number in use on WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app can’t be registered on the API until it is deleted there. Embedded Signup says it can take up to 3 minutes for the number to become available after you disconnect it. You have two choices:

• Keep the app with coexistence: connect your existing WhatsApp Business app number to the API and keep using the app. See WhatsApp coexistence.
• Move fully to the API: delete the account in the app (its chat history isn’t moved), then add, verify and register the number. Compare both in coexistence vs migration.

If the number is already connected to another provider through the app, Meta’s error 3441049 asks you to disconnect it in the WhatsApp Business app (Settings › Account › Business Platform), then wait 15 minutes before retrying. Under Meta’s new account model, numbers can no longer be migrated between providers; the business shares its WhatsApp account with the new provider instead. More on setup in WhatsApp Cloud API phone numbers.

Connecting your number with Automate AI

In Automate AI, the Connect WhatsApp window opens Meta’s embedded sign-up, where you verify your own number by SMS or call and choose or create your business portfolio. Once it’s connected, your team handles chats in the shared inbox with assignment, internal notes, quick replies and business hours with an away message, and you can send approved templates from Campaigns. If a number won’t connect, call us on +91 836 977 8812 for remote support, or contact us.