WhatsApp sending limits
What the published guidance for WhatsApp recommends, the limits Spaces enforces on every account to stay inside it, how a newly connected account warms up, and what each held-back message means.
How the account is connected
You scan a QR code with the phone that has the number, the same way you would link WhatsApp on a computer. Spaces uses the account you already have, so customers keep talking to the same number or profile.
What the guidance recommends for WhatsApp
- 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.
From the provider limits our messaging provider publishes for each platform, last updated 28 Aug 2026. Spaces sets its limits at or below these.
What Spaces enforces on every account
| Time between messages | At least 15 seconds |
|---|---|
| Messages a day | 200 |
| New chats (people who have not written to you) | 5 an hour, 10 a day |
Replies to people who message you are not held back by the warm-up, so customers get answers from the first day.
Warm-up for new accounts
| Since connecting | New chats an hour | New chats a day |
|---|---|---|
| First 24 hours | 0 | 0 |
| Rest of week 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Week 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Weeks 3 and 4 | 3 | 8 |
| After that | 5 | 10 |
When a message is held back or refused
RATE_LIMITED HTTP 429
What it means: The account reached its hourly limit, or a message came too soon after the last one.
What to do: Nothing. Your agent waits the time Spaces gives it and tries again with the same message.
DAILY_CAP HTTP 429
What it means: The account reached its daily limit, or the lower limit you set yourself.
What to do: Sending starts again the next day. Raise your own limit if you set one, but never above the channel limit.
ACCOUNT_NOT_CONNECTED HTTP 409
What it means: The platform signed the account out, or asked for a security check.
What to do: Open your dashboard and reconnect the account. Sending stays paused until you do.
AGENT_PAUSED HTTP 409
What it means: You paused the agent or this conversation.
What to do: Turn it back on where you paused it when you are ready.
HANDED_OVER HTTP 409
What it means: A person on your team took over this chat, so the agent stays out of it.
What to do: Nothing. The agent stays out of this chat until it is handed back.
OUTSIDE_WORKING_HOURS HTTP 409
What it means: You set working hours for this account, and it is outside them.
What to do: The message waits until your hours start again.
CHANNEL_DISABLED HTTP 403
What it means: This channel is switched off for your workspace.
What to do: Contact us at hello@spacesos.com to switch it on.
BILLING_REQUIRED HTTP 402
What it means: The workspace has no active plan or the trial has ended.
What to do: Choose a plan or update your card in billing.
PLAN_LIMIT_REACHED HTTP 402
What it means: Your plan’s actions for this period are used up. On Starter, sending stops until the next period.
What to do: Wait for the next period or move to a plan that keeps working past its allowance.
Always refused
- The same cold message sent to many people. Spaces refuses copy-paste blasts.
- Any message to someone who said stop, unsubscribe or similar in that chat.
- Anything from an account the platform has restricted, until it is reconnected.
Developers: every refusal comes back with the code above, a message, and for limits a retry_after_seconds. See the docs.
FAQ
How many WhatsApp messages can Spaces send a day?
Up to 200 messages a day per account, at least 15 seconds apart. New chats with people who have not written to you are limited to 5 an hour and 10 a day.
Why is my new WhatsApp account slower?
New accounts warm up over four weeks, starting at 0 new chats a day. Replies to customers who message you are not held back.
How does Spaces connect to WhatsApp?
You scan a QR code with the phone that has the number, the same way you would link WhatsApp on a computer.
Other channels: Instagram, LinkedIn, Messenger, X. How Spaces keeps accounts safe: account safety.