One morning you open WhatsApp and the screen says “This phone number can’t use WhatsApp”. Or you try to message new customers and get the warning “Your account is restricted right now”. For a business that talks to its customers on WhatsApp, this is like having the phone line cut.
In this guide we explain the difference between a restriction and a ban on WhatsApp, why numbers get banned, how to request a review and what you can do so your business does not end up in this situation again. We also share examples from our own clients.
Short answer: If WhatsApp says “Your account is restricted right now”, it is a temporary restriction, not a ban. It usually happens after sending messages to many new people in a short time, and it ends on its own when the time is up. To see how long is left, tap New chat and choose someone you have never chatted with. A “temporarily banned” warning is usually caused by unofficial apps such as WhatsApp Plus or GB WhatsApp. If it says “This phone number is banned from using WhatsApp”, the number has been banned; request a review if the option appears on screen.
Restriction, temporary ban, permanent ban: which one do you have?
| Status | What the screen says | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted account | “Your account is restricted right now” (preceded by the warning “Your account may be restricted soon”) | You can keep chatting with people and groups you have messaged before, but you cannot message or call new people or create groups. The restriction lifts on its own when the time is up. |
| Temporary ban | A warning that the account has been temporarily banned | Usually caused by unofficial WhatsApp versions (such as GB WhatsApp or WhatsApp Plus) or data collection tools. You switch to the official app and wait out the period. |
| Permanent ban | “This phone number can’t use WhatsApp” | If the screen offers a review option, you request a review. If there is no option, the ban is final and cannot be appealed. |
To see how much time is left on a restriction, tap New chat and choose someone you have never messaged before; WhatsApp shows when you will be able to message again. While the restriction lasts, linked devices (WhatsApp Web, the desktop app) may not work either.
Why do WhatsApp numbers get banned?
According to WhatsApp’s own “responsible use” rules, the main behaviors that lead to accounts being restricted or banned are:
- Messaging people who have not contacted you or asked you to message them. Messaging purchased number lists or numbers collected online is the fastest way to get banned.
- Bulk or automated messages and calls. WhatsApp detects these with machine learning and user reports.
- Many people blocking or reporting you. However harmless your message is, if recipients mark it as spam, the account is at risk.
- Adding people to groups without permission.
- Modified WhatsApp versions (GB, Plus and similar) and automation tools.
- Overusing broadcast lists. A broadcast message only reaches people who have saved your number in their contacts; accounts that receive many reports get banned.
- Automatically collecting information such as numbers and profile photos (scraping).
- Illegal, threatening, hateful or false content.
One more note: if a line you have just bought is banned, the cause may be the number’s previous owner. WhatsApp recommends requesting a review in this case too.
Why are WhatsApp Plus and GB WhatsApp banned?
WhatsApp Plus, GB WhatsApp, FM WhatsApp, TM WhatsApp and TeleMessage are not official WhatsApp apps; they are copies made by third parties. WhatsApp treats them as a breach of its Terms of Service because it cannot verify their security, and they can carry malware.
- An account using one of these apps may first be temporarily banned, or see the message “You’ve been logged out because you’re using an unofficial app”.
- If you don’t switch to the official app after a temporary ban, the account can be permanently banned.
- The fix: delete the unofficial app, download WhatsApp from the App Store, Google Play or whatsapp.com and register your number again.
- Note: backups made with an unofficial app are not guaranteed to transfer to the official app; some chats may not come back.
How to request a review
- Open WhatsApp (or WhatsApp Business). On the ban screen, tap “Request a review”.
- Fill in the requested information. If there is a description field, keep it short and clear: say that the number belongs to a business, why you message your customers, and that you do not send bulk or unsolicited messages (or, if you did, that you have stopped).
- Submit. According to WhatsApp, most reviews are resolved within 24 hours. The decision arrives as a notification, and you will also see it when you open WhatsApp.
- If the ban is lifted, the screen says “This account can now use WhatsApp”, and you need to verify your number again.
WhatsApp states two things clearly: writing through other channels or from other accounts besides the review does not speed up the decision, and no third party can get your account banned or lift a ban. Services claiming “we can lift your WhatsApp ban for a fee” are scams.
You can also report the situation through the contact form at whatsapp.com/contact, but the actual decision is made through the in-app review.
What we have seen with our own clients
The ads were rejected, but the real cause was the number
One of our clients, a clinic working with patients from abroad, had its ads with a “Send WhatsApp message” objective rejected one day for “Non-functional landing page”. There was nothing wrong with the ad; the WhatsApp Business number linked to the ad had been restricted. Because the number could not receive messages, Meta treated the place the ad led to as “not working”. When you see an ad rejection, check your WhatsApp number’s status first.
One more detail worth knowing: the WhatsApp number cannot be changed in an ad set that is already running. If you need to switch to another number, you have to create a new ad set.
Announcing the new number to customers
Another client’s old number was permanently banned, and the new number had to be announced to a customer list of several thousand people. Sending thousands of messages from the new number on the same day would have meant getting the new line shut down too. Instead:
- We first kept the new line in normal use for a few days.
- We started the announcement with a few dozen messages a day; as long as the reply rate stayed good, we gradually increased the daily number.
- We left a few minutes between messages and rotated the text in a few different versions.
- We removed people who said “don’t message me again” from the list immediately, and did not send anything to people who had already messaged the new line.
This method is not an official guarantee, but slow, permission-based sending carries much less risk than fast bulk sending.
Rules for businesses to avoid bans
- Let the customer send the first message. Put your number on your website, Instagram and Google Business Profile; let customers write to you and you reply.
- Do not send marketing messages without permission. In Turkey, Law No. 6563 requires the recipient’s prior consent for commercial electronic messages, and consents must be registered in İYS, Turkey’s Message Management System. Although there is debate about how WhatsApp messages are treated under this law, the safe route is to get consent, record it and offer an opt-out in every message. Order, delivery and payment notifications are exempt from this consent requirement.
- Do not contact anyone who says “stop” again. This is WhatsApp’s own recommendation too: delete people who do not want messages and do not contact them again.
- Use the official infrastructure for bulk sending. If you will regularly message many people, use the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) and approved message templates. A new business on the API starts with messages to 250 unique people per day; with business verification and quality messaging, this limit rises to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and then unlimited.
- Stay away from unofficial apps and extensions. GB WhatsApp, “auto message sender” Chrome extensions and similar tools put your account directly at risk.
- Start slowly with a new number. Messaging a large number of new people in the first days of a new line looks suspicious.
- Keep backups turned on. While a ban is in place you cannot access your chat history or backup; the backup can only be restored if the number is unbanned. Even so, keeping your customer records outside WhatsApp, in a CRM, is the safest approach.
What to do if the number does not come back
- Get a new number and announce it right away. Update the number everywhere: your website, Google Business Profile, Instagram bio, ads and email signature.
- Announce it to your customers slowly and with permission. Send gradually as in the example above, and do not let the new line make the same mistake.
- Relaunch your ads with the new number in a new ad set.
- Accept that your chat history may not come back. Because the backup is tied to the old number, it cannot be moved to the new one. That is why you should also keep important customer information outside WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a WhatsApp restriction last?
WhatsApp does not announce a fixed period; it varies from account to account. You can see the remaining time by tapping New chat and choosing someone you have not messaged before. When the time is up, the restriction lifts on its own and you get a notification.
What happens if I do not appeal a WhatsApp ban?
A permanent ban does not lift on its own. If the screen offers a review option, be sure to use it; if not, the ban is final.
Can I switch to WhatsApp Business with a banned number?
No. The ban applies to the number; switching between regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business does not get around it. A banned WhatsApp Business account’s Meta Verified subscription is also canceled automatically.
My WhatsApp number was banned. Will my messages be deleted?
While the ban is in place, you cannot access your chats or backup. If the ban is lifted, you can restore from your backup. With a permanent ban, the history is usually lost.
Is sending bulk messages banned?
Not in itself, but sending high volumes from the regular app to people who have not given permission breaks WhatsApp’s rules. Bulk notifications should go through the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) with approved templates.
Why does WhatsApp restrict accounts?
According to WhatsApp, a restriction happens when recent activity on the account shows signs of spam, automated or bulk messaging. Sending the same message to many people who don’t have your number saved, or being blocked or reported by many people in a short time, are the most common causes.
In summary
A WhatsApp restriction lifts on its own after a set period; with a permanent ban, you need to request a review from inside the app. Almost all bans come from the same behaviors: messaging people without permission, bulk and automated sending, and unofficial apps. Letting the customer send the first message, using permission-based lists and moving to the official API for bulk work are the most reliable ways to protect your number.
If you want to set up WhatsApp more safely, connect your ads to WhatsApp or bring customer messages together in a CRM, take a look at our WhatsApp Business guide or get in touch with us.
