One WABA, many phone numbers
A single WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) can hold multiple phone numbers. That lets you use different numbers for different brands, regions, or teams while keeping them under a single business identity at Meta. Each phone number has its own settings — adding a second number doesn’t change anything about the first.
Key attributes of a phone number
Display phone number — the number in international format (for example,
+1 415 555 0100) that customers message.Verified name — the business name Meta has approved to appear next to your messages in WhatsApp.
Quality rating — a signal Meta tracks based on how recipients respond to your messages.
Messaging limit tier — the cap Meta places on how many unique users you can message in a 24-hour window.
Throughput level — how fast the number can send messages.
Health status — whether the number can currently send, and if not, why.
Quality ratings
Meta assigns a quality rating to every active number based on how recipients respond:
Green — recipients are engaging positively. No action needed.
Yellow — some recipients have blocked the number or marked messages as unwanted. Review your content and targeting.
Red — a significant share of recipients have blocked or reported the number. Messaging limits may be reduced, and in severe cases Meta can pause sending entirely.
NA — Meta does not yet have enough data to assign a rating. New numbers typically start here.
Unknown — Meta has not returned a rating. Try syncing the number to refresh.
Tip: Quality drops most often when a business starts sending unsolicited or poorly targeted templates. Sticking to opted-in recipients and relevant content keeps your rating healthy.
Throughput levels
Standard — the default throughput level, suitable for most businesses.
High — higher sending capacity, assigned by Meta to accounts that demonstrate high-volume, high-quality messaging.
Messaging limit tiers
Meta assigns a messaging limit tier to every number to control how many unique users can be initiated with in a 24-hour window. The tier increases as your number builds a healthy sending history. You’ll see one of the following tiers on each phone number:
Tier 50 — up to 50 unique users per day.
Tier 250 — up to 250 unique users per day.
Tier 1K — up to 1,000 unique users per day.
Tier 10K — up to 10,000 unique users per day.
Tier 100K — up to 100,000 unique users per day.
Unlimited — no daily cap.
The tier applies only to messages that start a new conversation (for example, sending a template to a contact who hasn’t written in the last 24 hours). Replying inside an open conversation window does not count toward the limit.
Phone number operational status
Meta tracks an operational status for every phone number. Octopods stores this status when it syncs from Meta, though the value is not currently surfaced as a badge on the WhatsApp Setup page. The set of values Meta can return:
Connected — the number is active and able to send and receive messages.
Flagged — Meta has flagged the number, usually for quality concerns. Review recent activity and improve targeting or content.
Restricted — the number has hit a messaging limit or is under a temporary restriction. Wait for the restriction to lift, or reduce sending.
Pending — the number is being set up and not yet fully active.
Offline — Meta cannot reach the number. Check the number in Meta Business Portfolio.
Disconnected — the number is not currently connected to WhatsApp. Reconnect it in Meta Business Portfolio.
Unknown — Meta hasn’t returned a status.
Unverified — the number has not completed code verification yet.
Banned — Meta has banned the number. Review Meta’s notification and contact Meta support to appeal.
Rate limited — too many requests were made against this number. Wait and retry.
Migrated — the number has been migrated to a different WABA or platform.
To see the current value for a number, check Meta Business Portfolio directly.
Code verification status
Before a number can be used on the Cloud API it has to pass Meta’s code verification — Meta sends a code to the number via SMS or voice and confirms that the business controls it. You’ll see one of:
Verified — code verification is complete. The number is ready to register on Cloud API.
Not verified — code verification has not been done yet.
Expired — a previous verification has expired. Verify again.
Display name approval
Every number has a verified name — the business name shown next to your messages on WhatsApp. Meta reviews name changes, and each name moves through one of these states:
Approved — the name is active and shown to customers.
Available without review — Meta granted the name without a separate review step (common for trusted businesses).
Pending review — Meta is reviewing the requested name. The previous approved name keeps showing until a decision is made.
Declined — Meta rejected the name. Review the guidance in WhatsApp Business Account Requirements and submit a new one.
Expired — a previously approved name has expired and needs to be re-submitted.
None — no name has been requested for the number yet.
When you request a new name, the previous name stays active until Meta approves the change.
Health status
Alongside the operational status, Meta tracks whether a number can actually send messages right now:
Available — the number is able to send messages normally.
Limited — sending is restricted. You may still receive messages, but outbound delivery is reduced or blocked in specific cases.
Blocked — the number is blocked from sending. Review Meta’s notification for the reason and take the recommended action.
Keeping the data fresh
Meta pushes some changes to Octopods automatically, but others only appear after a manual refresh. Use the Sync button on a phone number to pull the latest status, quality rating, tier, and name from Meta.
What’s next