What the error means
Meta describes 131031 two ways: the WhatsApp Business account was restricted or disabled for violating a platform policy, or Meta could not verify data sent in the request against what is set on the account. Its example is an incorrect two-step verification PIN.
The usual cases
- A policy restriction. The account got a penalty, for example from customer complaints, low quality or content Meta judged prohibited.
- Data that does not match. This applies to people using the API directly, when the number's two-step PIN differs from the one sent.
- An account with no payment method. In our experience, a WhatsApp Business account without a payment method showed up as blocked, with error 131042 or 131031.
What to do, in this order
- Check payment firstIt is the simplest cause to rule out. See the 131042 guide.
- Look at the account statusIn WhatsApp Manager and in Meta's business support, look for policy violation notices and the account state.
- Check the two-step PINOnly relevant if you integrate the API yourself. With Notil, the connection happens in Meta's official window and you never handle this PIN.
- If it is a policy restriction, appealUse Meta's own review process. Creating new accounts or numbers to get around a restriction doesn't fix the cause and can make things worse.
How to avoid restrictions
- Message only people who have a relationship with your store: customers who left their phone number at your own checkout.
- Honor people who ask to stop receiving messages.
- Don't blast cold messages. New numbers that message many people at once tend to be penalized.
- Write messages specific to the customer's order or cart, not generic promotional text.
Notil only sends messages tied to your store's orders and carts, and anyone who replies STOP is removed automatically. If your account gets blocked, the dashboard tells you. See how it works.