📊 What the channel tier and the messaging limit are
The messaging limit is the maximum number of unique recipients your business can start a conversation with in a rolling 24-hour window. The higher the tier, the more people you can message first each day.
When you connect WhatsApp through the official Meta API (WABA), Meta assigns your business a limit on the number of conversations. In the channel settings it shows up as a label like TIER_250: that is the “250 unique recipients per day” limit.
Where to find it: Channel → the “Profile” tab. Next to the number you will see the current tier and the quality rating.
What exactly the limit covers
| Limited | NOT limited |
|---|---|
| Messages where you write to the customer first (broadcasts, templates outside a conversation) | Incoming messages from customers |
| The number of unique recipients per 24 hours | Replies sent within 24 hours of the customer's message (the service window) |
⚠️ Important: the limit applies to the whole Meta business account (portfolio), not to a single channel. If you have several numbers, they share one limit.
Tiers and their limits
| Tier | Unique recipients per 24 hours |
|---|---|
| TIER_250 (starting tier) | 250 |
| Next | 2 000 |
| Next | 10 000 |
| Next | 100 000 |
| Top tier | Unlimited |
📈 How to move up a tier
Step 1. From 250 to 2,000
To move from the starting limit to 2,000 you need to meet one of these conditions:
- Complete Business Verification: confirm your company details in Meta Business Manager (documents, registration data). This is the fastest route.
- Or build up volume: deliver 2,000 messages to unique recipients (outside the 24-hour service window) over a rolling 30 days, using templates with a high quality rating.
Step 2. Above 2,000 (10,000 → 100,000 → unlimited)
From there Meta raises the tier automatically, as long as two conditions are met at the same time:
- You send quality messages across all templates and numbers (the quality rating stays green).
- Over the last 7 days you used up at least half of your current limit.
When both are true, the limit goes up one tier within about 6 hours.
💡 The main rule for growth: high quality templates and number + real activity. You cannot “buy” a tier: it grows on its own when you talk to customers steadily and without complaints.
🟢 Number quality
The quality rating shows how recipients react to your messages. You can check it in Channel → Profile.
| Rating | What it means |
|---|---|
| 🟢 High (GREEN) | Everything is fine, the tier can grow |
| 🟡 Medium (YELLOW) | There are warning signs: be careful |
| 🔴 Low (RED) | Lots of complaints and blocks. Tier growth is frozen and the limit may be lowered |
What drags quality down
- Recipients tap “Block” or “Report”.
- Mass messages to people who are not expecting them (a cold list).
- The same promotional text sent to everyone.
- Templates with a low quality rating.
How to keep it green
- Write first only to people who left a request or are waiting for your reply.
- Use relevant, genuinely useful message templates.
- Do not send the same promo to a large cold list.
- Reply to incoming messages quickly: it improves your number's reputation.
🔒 The “Business account has been locked” error (code 131031)
❗ This is NOT about the limit or the tier. Most often the error means your company profile in Meta is incomplete or the details do not match: no website, address, company name or logo, or the information in the Meta business account, in the WhatsApp Business account and on the phone number differs.
The telltale sign: incoming messages from customers arrive, but your outgoing ones are not delivered and are marked “Not delivered. Delivery error: Business account has been locked”.
The most common causes
- The company profile is incomplete: no website (one of the top causes!), address, description, company name or logo.
- The details do not match across the Meta business account, the WhatsApp Business account and the phone number.
- Business verification in Meta is not finished.
How to fix it
- Go to Meta Business Manager → Business Info and fill in every field: company name, website, address, description, logo.
- Make sure the company details are identical in the Meta business account, in WhatsApp Business and on the phone number.
- If needed, complete business verification (Security Center): upload your official company documents.
- Open Account Quality and check for warnings; if a restriction is in place, submit an appeal (Request Review).
- If the profile is fully filled in but the account is still locked, write to WazzaBee support and mention error code 131031.
❓ Frequently asked questions
I hit the limit, what happens now?
New business-initiated conversations beyond the limit will not be sent until the 24-hour window closes. Replies inside open conversations keep working.
Can I raise the tier manually from WazzaBee?
No. The tier is set by Meta. The only way to speed it up is business verification and quality activity.
I am on TIER_250 with a “High” quality rating, but messages are not going out. Why?
Most likely it is not the limit but an incomplete company profile in Meta (error 131031). See the section above.
More on connecting: Connecting WhatsApp WABA (Official API).