WhatsApp restricted your account: what to do next
If WhatsApp restricts or bans your number, stop all outgoing messages, read exactly what the app says, and use only the steps WhatsApp itself offers. A restriction is WhatsApp's decision, and no outside tool can lift it. This guide explains the difference between a sign-out, a temporary limit and a ban, what Spaces does when an account is restricted, how to work out what led to it, and how to rebuild carefully if the number comes back.
First, work out what actually happened
Not every problem is a ban. Before you worry, look at what WhatsApp is showing you on the phone with the number.
| What you see | Probably | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| The linked device has gone, or you are asked to scan a QR code again | A routine sign-out | Nothing is wrong with the number. Reconnect it and carry on. |
| The app says some features are limited for a time | A temporary restriction | WhatsApp is limiting what the number can do. Follow what the app says and wait. |
| The app says the number is temporarily banned | A temporary ban | The number cannot be used until the time shown has passed. |
| The app says the number is banned from using WhatsApp | A ban | Only WhatsApp can change this, through the steps it offers in the app. |
Read the wording carefully and take a screenshot. It will help you later, both to understand the reason and to explain the situation to anyone who asks.
What Spaces does when an account is restricted
Spaces stops sending from the account straight away. Anything from an account the platform has restricted, until it is reconnected. Your agent is told the account needs attention instead of retrying, and the account shows that status in your dashboard.
| What your agent is told | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| ACCOUNT_NOT_CONNECTED | The platform signed the account out, or asked for a security check. | Open your dashboard and reconnect the account. Sending stays paused until you do. |
If you use webhooks, Spaces also sends an event when an account is disconnected, with the reason the platform gave, and another when the account works again. That way your team hears about it even if nobody is looking at the dashboard.
Spaces cannot lift a restriction, appeal on your behalf or speak to WhatsApp for you. The caveat box at the top of this page explains why: the account is yours, and so is the relationship with WhatsApp.
What to do in the first hour
- Stop everything outgoing on that number: your agent, any scheduled messages and any routines. Pausing all sending in your Spaces dashboard does this in one step, and reading keeps working.
- Stop any other tool that sends from the number too. Spaces only controls what goes through Spaces.
- Read the message in the WhatsApp app and screenshot it.
- If WhatsApp offers a way to ask for a review, or to tell it the decision was a mistake, use that option in the app. Explain honestly how you use the number.
- Tell your team, so nobody tries to fix it by reconnecting again and again or by moving to another number.
- Point customers to another way to reach you for now, such as your phone line, email or Instagram.
Use WhatsApp's own process, and only that
WhatsApp decides what happens to a restricted number. If the app shows a review or appeal option, that is the route. WhatsApp's help pages explain what each message means and what you can do, and they are the place to check, because the process can change.
Be wary of anyone who offers to unban a number for a fee, or asks for your verification code. A six-digit WhatsApp code should only ever be typed into WhatsApp on your own phone. Sharing it is one of the most common ways business numbers are stolen.
When you explain your situation to WhatsApp, keep it factual. Say what the business is, who you message and why they expect to hear from you. Promising to change anything you did wrong is more useful than arguing that you did nothing.
What usually leads to a restriction
WhatsApp does not publish exact rules, but published guidance is clear about the patterns it watches for:
This is published provider guidance, written in our own words and last updated on 28 Aug 2026. It is advice, not a promise from the platform, and the platform can change what it watches for at any time.
- Connect a number with a real history of conversations, not a brand-new one. Fresh numbers can be blocked after only two or three new chats.
- Wait up to 24 hours after connecting or reconnecting before starting any new chats.
- Leave at least 10 to 20 seconds between messages.
- Keep new chats few, start with people likely to reply, and write first messages that invite an answer. Many new chats without replies is what WhatsApp watches for.
Put simply, the risk comes from starting many new chats that nobody answers, from people blocking or reporting the number, from brand-new numbers that start messaging straight away, and from bulk or copy-paste messages. WhatsApp's Terms also prohibit bulk messaging, auto-messaging and non-personal use unless WhatsApp has authorised it, as the box at the top explains. Using a modified or unofficial version of the WhatsApp app is another well-known cause of bans.
Working out what went wrong
Once the first hour is over, look back honestly at the last few weeks. These questions usually find the cause.
| Ask yourself | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Did we start many new chats in a short time? | Many new chats without replies is what WhatsApp watches for most. |
| Did people know us before we messaged them? | Messages to strangers are more likely to be blocked or reported. |
| Did we send the same text to lots of people? | Copy-paste messages look like bulk messaging, whoever sends them. |
| Was the number new, or recently reconnected? | Fresh numbers and new sessions are watched more closely. |
| Was any other tool sending from the number? | Two tools on one number can add up to far more than either shows. |
| Did anyone ask us to stop, and did we carry on? | Ignoring a stop request is a quick route to reports. |
Your Spaces usage export can help here. It shows, for each account and each day, how many messages and new conversations went out through Spaces, without any message text.
Coming back after a restriction lifts
If WhatsApp lifts the restriction, resist the urge to catch up. The number is likely to be watched closely for a while.
- Reconnect the number from your Spaces dashboard by scanning the QR code.
- Wait up to 24 hours before starting any new chats, as guidance recommends after reconnecting.
- Use the first week for replies only. Customers who write to you are the safest conversations there are.
- When you start new chats again, keep them to people who asked to hear from you, and write each first message for that person.
- Change whatever caused the problem: the list, the message, the volume or the second tool.
- Watch replies closely. If first messages are going unanswered, slow down further.
Spaces' own limits stay the same: new chats follow the warm-up for a newly connected number, and messages are at least 10 seconds apart. The limits are a ceiling. After a restriction, tell your agent to stay well below them.
If the ban is permanent
If WhatsApp bans the number for good, it cannot be used on WhatsApp again. Spaces cannot change that. What you can do is make sure the next number does not go the same way.
Starting again on a new number to carry on the same activity is working around the platform, and it usually ends the same way, faster. Spaces' Terms also rule out using a new account to get round a limit or a restriction. If you set up a new number, it should be because the way you use WhatsApp has changed: replies first, new chats only with people who expect them, and no bulk sending.
If your business needs to send messages to many people who opted in, such as order updates, WhatsApp's Business Platform is the route WhatsApp built for that. Our comparison of the Business Platform and a QR-code connection explains the difference.
Keeping customers looked after in the meantime
A restriction is stressful, but customers mostly notice slow replies. While WhatsApp is out of action:
- Put a short note on your website and Instagram saying the best way to reach you this week.
- Answer email and other channels promptly. If those accounts are connected to Spaces, your agent can keep working there, because each account is separate.
- Phone customers with bookings or orders in progress, rather than waiting for WhatsApp to come back.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Reconnecting over and over to make the problem go away. Repeated sign-ins are a pattern platforms notice.
- Moving the same campaign to another number in your workspace. That is working around a limit, and Spaces' Terms rule it out.
- Paying someone who promises to unban the number.
- Sharing your WhatsApp verification code with anyone.
- Going straight back to full volume when the restriction lifts.
Notes to give your AI agent
After a WhatsApp restriction:
- Do not send anything from the WhatsApp number until I say so.
- If a customer reaches us on another channel, answer there.
- When WhatsApp is back, only reply to people who message us for the first week.
- Never send the same first message to more than one person.
- If anyone says stop, apologise once and do not message them again.
- If Spaces says the account needs attention, tell me. Do not try another number.Who you message
Summing up
When WhatsApp restricts a number, stop sending, read what the app says and use only the steps WhatsApp offers. Spaces pauses the account for you and tells your agent, but it cannot lift a restriction. Work out what led to it, change that, and if the number comes back, rebuild slowly with replies first and new chats only for people who expect them.
Pricing
FAQ
Can Spaces get my WhatsApp number unbanned?
No. Only WhatsApp can lift a restriction or ban, through the steps it offers in the app. Spaces pauses sending on the account and tells your agent, and any restriction is yours to manage.
Is being signed out the same as being restricted?
No. A sign-out is usually routine, and you simply reconnect. A restriction or ban is shown by WhatsApp itself in the app, with its own wording.
Does Spaces keep sending while the account is restricted?
No. Anything from an account the platform has restricted, until it is reconnected.
Should I just switch to another number?
Not to carry on the same activity. That is working around the platform, and Spaces' Terms rule it out. Change how you use WhatsApp first, so the next number does not go the same way.
How do I ask WhatsApp to review a ban?
Use the option WhatsApp shows in the app, if there is one, and check WhatsApp's help pages for the current process. Explain honestly how the business uses the number.
What should my agent do while WhatsApp is down?
Answer customers on your other connected channels, and send nothing from the WhatsApp number. You can pause all sending in your dashboard while you sort things out, and reading keeps working.
How do I avoid this happening again?
Keep new chats few and only with people who expect them, write each first message for that person, stop as soon as anyone asks, and use only one sending tool on the number. Spaces adds limits, pacing and a warm-up, but it lowers the risk rather than removing it.
Will my customers see that the number is banned?
They will mostly notice that messages are not being answered. Point them to another way to reach you on your website and other profiles until WhatsApp is working again.