What are WhatsApp messaging limits and quality ratings?

Having your WhatsApp outreach blocked or limited right in the middle of a major campaign can be frustrating. However, Meta enforces these rules to prevent spam complaints that sink your delivery and reputation.

Here’s what you need to know about WhatsApp Messaging Limits and Quality Ratings to maximize your outreach through ZEPIC's WhatsApp Business API (WABA). 

1. WhatsApp Messaging Limits (Tiers)

Messaging Limits define the maximum number of unique customers your business can send a message to in a 24-hour rolling period. 

These limits are based on your business's verified status and quality rating.

How Limits Work

Limits are categorized into four tiers. Achieving Meta Business Verification (Step 1) is mandatory to move beyond the initial 1,000 limit.

• Tier 1 (Initial): 1,000 unique customers per 24 hours. This is for unverified WABA accounts  - all new accounts start here.
• Tier 2: 10,000 unique customers per 24 hours. Achieved after Meta Business Verification is complete.
• Tier 3: 100,000 unique customers per 24 hours. Automatically upgraded by Meta if your Quality Rating remains Medium or High and you reach 50% of your current sending limit within a 7-day period.
• Tier 4 (Unlimited): Unlimited unique customers per 24 hours. The highest tier, achieved by consistently sending high-quality messages at Tier 3 for a sustained period.
  
  

Key Requirement for Upgrades

To move to a higher tier, you must ensure your messages have a High or Medium Quality Rating. Meta reviews your usage daily and typically upgrades your limit automatically within 24-48 hours once you meet the threshold.

2. WhatsApp Quality Rating

Your Quality Rating is a dynamic score (Green, Yellow, or Red) based on customer feedback and interaction over the last 7 days. It directly impacts your ability to upgrade your messaging tier and avoid penalties.

Quality Tiers Explained

You can monitor your Quality Rating in the Phone Number section of your WhatsApp Business Account settings within the Meta Business Manager.

• High (Green): Excellent quality rating. Your messages are valued by customers, resulting in very low block and report rates. This is the optimal status.
• Medium (Yellow): Fair quality rating. Meta is flagging some concerning signals (e.g., increased blocks/reports). You should immediately reduce outreach and review your message content.
• Low (Red): Poor quality rating. Your messaging limits will be immediately enforced or potentially reduced, putting your WABA at risk.
  
  

What Lowers Your Quality Rating?

Your quality rating decreases when customers take negative actions in the chat thread. To maintain a High rating, avoid:

• High Block Rate: Customers choosing to block your number.
• High Report Rate: Customers explicitly report your message as spam.
• High Rejection Rate: Sending Message Templates that are frequently rejected by Meta.
• Irrelevant Content: Sending messages that customers find irrelevant or overly promotional.

3. What Happens If the Quality Rating Drops?

If your quality rating drops to Low (Red), Meta may impose penalties.

The Penalty When Your Quality Rating Drops

• Limit Reduction: Your messaging tier will be immediately dropped to the next lower tier (e.g., from 100K to 10K).
• Immediate Enforcement: If your rating remains Low for 7 consecutive days, your limits will be immediately reduced further (e.g., from 10K to 1K).
  
  

How to Recover Your Quality Rating

To raise a poor rating, you must stop sending low-quality messages and focus on high-value, customer-initiated conversations.

• Pause Outbound: Immediately pause all non-essential marketing campaigns.
• Improve Content: Review and improve your Message Templates to be more personalized and relevant.
• Target Better: Focus your messaging efforts on highly engaged, recently active users (e.g., those who have opted in or messaged you in the last 24 hours).

By monitoring your Quality Rating and consistently sending high-value content, you will automatically grow your Messaging Limit and ensure successful campaigns in ZEPIC.