My WhatsApp number got banned or restricted

WhatsApp can ban or limit a number when people report it, or when the way the number is used looks like spam. This guide explains what each message from WhatsApp means, how to ask WhatsApp for a review, and how to keep your number safe from now on, including when you add people to groups or message many customers at once.

Who does what

Did connecting to Agentech get my number banned?

Start by checking whether the number is connected at all. Open the Connect page in the dashboard. If the number isn't listed there, Agentech has never sent anything from it, and the ban came from how the number was used in the WhatsApp app.

If the number is connected:

• Connecting doesn't send any message by itself.
• Your assistant only answers customers who message you first.
• Campaigns go out with templates Meta approved, and Meta sets how many new people you can message a day. See Will my number get banned for sending campaigns?

Meta still listens to your customers. If many of them block or report your number after a campaign, Meta can lower your limit or restrict the account. That comes from how people reacted to the message, not from the connection.

Fix: if you're not sure, email us the number (see When to email us). We'll tell you whether it was ever connected to Agentech and what was sent from it.

Why WhatsApp bans numbers

These are the usual causes, most common first:

• Adding people to groups who don't know you. Everyone you add sees who added them and a Report button. A few reports are enough for a ban.
• Messaging many people who never saved your number, especially the same text again and again.
• Using a modified WhatsApp app, such as GB WhatsApp, WhatsApp Plus or FM WhatsApp, or a tool that sends bulk messages through WhatsApp Web. WhatsApp bans these on sight.
• A brand-new number that messages lots of people right away. New numbers get watched more closely.
• Many people blocking you in a short time.
• Sharing content against WhatsApp's rules, or sending links people report as unsafe.

"This account is not allowed to use WhatsApp"

The exact words change from time to time. You may also see "Your phone number is banned from using WhatsApp" or "This account can no longer use WhatsApp". All of them mean a ban: the number can't send or receive messages until WhatsApp lifts it.

Fix: ask WhatsApp for a review (see How to ask WhatsApp for a review). Keep the app installed and keep the phone while you wait.

"Your account is temporarily banned"

A temporary ban usually shows a countdown. It often comes from using a modified WhatsApp app.

Fix: switch to the official WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app from the App Store or Google Play before the countdown ends, and back up your chats first if the app offers it. When the timer runs out you can use the number again. If you go back to the modified app, the next ban is usually permanent.

"Your account is restricted"

A restriction isn't a ban. For a set time you can't start new chats, but you can still reply to people who message you. WhatsApp shows when the restriction ends.

Fix: wait it out and only reply to people who message you. Don't message new people or add anyone to groups until the restriction has ended. If you think it's a mistake, tap the option in the app to ask for a review.

"Couldn't add" someone to a group

This isn't a ban. The person set their privacy so only their contacts can add them to groups.

Fix: send them the group's invite link instead, and let them join if they want to. See Using groups without getting banned.

My connected number's account is restricted in WhatsApp Manager

This is about your WhatsApp Business account on Meta's side, not the app on your phone. It usually follows complaints about messages sent from that account.

Fix: see Your WhatsApp Business account is restricted. If Meta has paused one of your templates, see WhatsApp templates.

How to ask WhatsApp for a review

1. Open WhatsApp on the banned number. If you see Request a review, tap it.

2. Write a short, polite message that says honestly how you use the number. For example:

   This is the number of my small business, [business name]. I use it to talk to my customers. I added customers to a group without asking them first. I didn't know this was against the rules, and I won't do it again. Please review my account.

3. Send it and wait. WhatsApp answers inside the app, usually within a few days.

If you don't see Request a review, go to Settings → Help → Contact us in the app, or use the form at whatsapp.com/contact. Use the same number and the same message.

One honest request is enough. Sending many requests doesn't make the answer come faster.

While you wait

• Don't delete the app, reinstall it, or move the number to another phone. That can lose your chats and doesn't lift the ban.
• Don't install a modified WhatsApp app to get around the ban.
• Don't pay anyone who promises to unban your number. No outside company can do it, and many of these offers are scams.
• Do tell your customers another way to reach you, such as your Facebook Page, Instagram, or a second number.

Can you unban my number?

No. Only WhatsApp can lift a ban, and no outside company can do it for you, including us.

Will I lose my chats?

If WhatsApp lifts the ban, your chats are usually still on the phone, as long as you didn't delete the app. If the ban stays, you can't open those chats in WhatsApp again. Keep a backup turned on in WhatsApp's settings so you don't depend on one phone.

Can I just use another number?

You can, but if you keep doing what caused the ban, the new number usually ends the same way. Change how you message people first (see the next sections), then start the new number slowly.

Using groups without getting banned

• Never add people who don't know you. Share the group's invite link instead (in the group: Group info → Invite via link) so people join because they want to.
• For one-way updates like offers and news, use a WhatsApp Channel or a Community with an announcements group. People follow it themselves, and nobody gets added by surprise.
• Keep groups for people who already know you, like regular customers who asked to join.
• If someone leaves your group, don't add them back.

Messaging many customers without getting banned

• From the phone app, use a broadcast list. It only reaches people who saved your number, so it mostly goes to people who know you.
• Don't send the same text to many people who never messaged you.
• To reach many customers, send a campaign from Agentech. It goes out with a template Meta approved and within Meta's daily limits. See Campaigns.
• Leave out anyone who asked you to stop.

Starting a new number

• Use the official WhatsApp Business app.
• Fill in your business profile: name, photo, description and working hours. A real-looking profile gets reported less.
• For the first weeks, mostly reply to people who message you, and start conversations with a few people a day, not hundreds.
• Ask customers to save your number.

When to email us

Email us if you think Agentech sent something from your number, or if you want to connect a number that's back, or a new one. You can also use Support → Contact us in the dashboard.

Email: admin@agentech.tech

Include:

1. The phone number.
2. A screenshot of WhatsApp's message.
3. Your workspace name on Agentech, if you have one.

We'll check our side and tell you what we find. We can't lift a WhatsApp ban, but we can help you write your review request and set your number up safely.