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WhatsApp FAQ

Use this page when messages from WhatsApp Inbox (/app/whatsapp) or automated bill, OTP and appointment messages are not delivered as expected.

Who can do this: staff with whatsapp.use; owners/admins may also change WhatsApp settings. Where: WhatsApp Inbox (/app/whatsapp) and the patient or bill screen that sent the message.

A patient says they did not receive a WhatsApp message​

  1. Open WhatsApp Inbox (/app/whatsapp).
  2. Select the patient conversation by name or +91 phone number.
  3. Check the last outgoing message tick: Sent, Delivered, Read or Failed.
  4. If it failed, read the red line starting Not delivered or Needs manual retry.
  5. Check the outbox fields if support asks for them: deliveryStatus, status, failReason, reason and messageId.
  6. Correct the phone number or template, then send again.

Meta delivery webhooks update sent, delivered, read and failed. A message can be Sent by the clinic but not yet Delivered to the patient phone.

Why does WhatsApp say the 24-hour service window is inactive?​

A free-form staff reply is allowed only for 24 hours after the patient last messaged the clinic. The inbox banner shows 24-hour service window inactive. First message will go as template. when the window is closed.

  1. Ask the patient to send any normal WhatsApp reply to the clinic number, or use an approved template.
  2. In WhatsApp Inbox, click Refresh.
  3. Reopen the conversation.
  4. Confirm the banner changes to 24-hour service window active or 24-hour service window active until ....
  5. Send the reply.

If Meta returns 131047, the sender retries with the configured template instead of free text.

What does ?Number not on WhatsApp? mean?​

Meta returned a failure code that indicates the number is not usable on WhatsApp, for example 131026 or ecosystem code 131049. The system blacklists that number for 30 days to save cost.

  1. Confirm the patient mobile is a 10-digit Indian mobile number.
  2. Store it without spaces; the app sends 10 digits as 91 plus the number.
  3. Ask the patient to confirm WhatsApp is active on that number.
  4. In WhatsApp Inbox, open the conversation.
  5. If the yellow warning appears, click Retry anyway only after confirming the number.

What does ?Patient opted out (STOP). Text START to re-subscribe.? mean?​

The patient replied STOP, BLOCK, UNSUBSCRIBE, band karo or similar. Promotional and billing-like categories can be skipped.

  1. Do not keep sending the same message repeatedly.
  2. Ask the patient to reply START, SUBSCRIBE, resume, shuru karo or yes from the same number.
  3. After the patient replies, click Refresh in WhatsApp Inbox.
  4. Send only relevant clinic messages.

Critical categories such as OTP, LOGIN and APPOINTMENT are not blocked by this opt-out rule, but Meta or the phone can still reject delivery.

Why do template messages fail?​

Common causes verified in the template sender are:

  1. Template does not exist in Meta: 132001 or Template "name" (language) does not exist in Meta.
  2. Template is not approved: REJECTED, PAUSED, DISABLED, DELETED or ARCHIVED.
  3. Parameter count mismatch: Template name expects N parameter(s), received M.
  4. Header/body parameters were changed in Meta and local sync is stale.

Ask the owner/admin to sync Meta templates, choose the approved language such as en or en_US, and retry.

Why did the system retry with a template?​

Business-initiated messages such as bills, payments, packages, sessions and appointments must use templates. Manual inbox replies use free text only inside the 24-hour customer-service window.

  1. If the first send fails with 131047, wait for the automatic template retry.
  2. If a billing, session, appointment or package template is invalid, the system may retry once with the general 2-parameter template.
  3. If the message still fails, copy the exact failReason for support.

Are OTP and appointment messages blocked by opt-out?​

No, not by the patient STOP list. The code treats OTP, LOGIN and APPOINTMENT as critical categories. Delivery can still fail if WhatsApp is disabled, the provider rejects the number, the template is missing, or the phone is not on WhatsApp.

  1. For OTP, ask the patient to request the latest code again after the wait time.
  2. For appointments, verify the patient phone on the appointment or patient record.
  3. If both SMS and WhatsApp are configured, check which channel succeeded in the response.

Why can I not attach a file or media?​

The inbox supports Photo, Video and Document attachments, but the browser checks the file before sending.

  1. Click the paperclip icon in WhatsApp Inbox.
  2. Choose Photo, Video or Document.
  3. Keep the file under 16 MB.
  4. If you see File too large. Maximum 16MB allowed., compress the file and try again.
  5. If old inbound media says Failed to load media. It may have expired (media available for ~30 days)., ask the patient to resend it.

What do the WhatsApp ticks mean?​

  • One grey check means Sent or queued.
  • Two grey checks mean Delivered.
  • Two blue checks mean Read.
  • A red exclamation mark means Failed ? message not delivered.
  1. Open the conversation.
  2. Hover over the tick if using desktop.
  3. For failed sends, read the red reason below the message.

What is fair-use or ?healthy ecosystem? failure?​

Meta code 131049 means the message was not delivered to maintain WhatsApp's healthy ecosystem. Do not repeatedly blast the same patient.

  1. Confirm consent.
  2. Use an approved utility template.
  3. Avoid sending duplicate reminders within a short time.
  4. If it repeats for one number, verify the patient really wants WhatsApp messages.

Still stuck?​

Open Help & Support (/app/support) and send the document number, bill number or appointment number, the patient phone in masked form, the time of the send, and a screenshot of the WhatsApp status or error. Do not share patient clinical details, prescriptions, diagnoses or full identifiers in chat.