---
title: Why is my WhatsApp number Restricted or Flagged?
description: "These are two different states, with two different causes and fixes. Both are visible under **WhatsApp > Connections**. ## Restricted: you hit your messaging limit Your number has already started conversations with as many unique customers as your tier allows…"
url: "https://www.smsgatewaycenter.com/blog/kb/why-is-my-whatsapp-number-restricted-or-flagged/"
updated: "2026-10-15"
category: WhatsApp Business API / Troubleshoot
---

# Why is my WhatsApp number Restricted or Flagged?

These are two different states, with two different causes and fixes. Both are visible under **WhatsApp > Connections**.

## Restricted: you hit your messaging limit

Your number has already started conversations with as many unique customers as your tier allows in the current rolling 24-hour window.

- **What still works:** you can keep replying to customers who messaged you.
- **What stops:** new business-initiated messages, including campaigns and notifications.
- **How it clears:** on its own, as the 24-hour window rolls forward.
- **How to avoid it:** check your Messaging Limit before each campaign and split large lists across days.

## Flagged: your quality rating dropped to Low

- **What it means:** enough recipients blocked or reported your messages for Meta to warn you.
- **What happens next:** if your rating returns to Medium or High within 7 days, the number goes back to **Connected**. If it doesn't, it returns to Connected anyway, but on a lower messaging limit.
- **What to do now:** pause marketing campaigns, keep sending only messages customers expect, remove unresponsive and opted-out numbers, then watch the rating daily.
- **What not to do:** keep pushing volume. More sending while Flagged risks a further drop.

## Tell them apart quickly

If your campaign stopped partway through the day but replies still work, it is a limit problem. If your Quality Rating shows **Red**, it is a quality problem. Both at once means fix the quality first.

**Source:** [Meta: Capacity, Quality Rating and Messaging Limits](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/api/rate-limits/). Meta changes these rules from time to time, so check the source if something looks different in your account.

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