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Sometimes Meta puts a number “in review”, restricts it or bans it within minutes of connecting it, before iZap has sent a single message. This is a decision made by Meta, and only Meta can reverse it. This guide shows how to recognize it, how to appeal, and how to complete your business profile in Meta Business Suite to lower the risk.
Meta doesn’t publish the rules behind these decisions, so no step here guarantees your number won’t be restricted. A complete, verified business profile gives Meta more to trust and strengthens your appeal if a review happens.

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How to recognize it

  • The WhatsApp Business app shows account in review or This account can’t use WhatsApp, usually with a Request review button.
  • In Meta Business Suite, the WhatsApp account’s Account status shows Review in Progress.
  • iZap shows the number as connected, but nothing arrives or messages fail with error 131031 (Business Account locked).
  • Access comes back for a few minutes and then locks again.

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Complete your business profile in Meta

Do these steps in order in Meta Business Suite. Use real data that matches your business’s official records.
1

Fill in the business info

Open Settings → Business info. Under Business details, click Edit and fill in the Legal business name, Address, Business phone and Website. Empty fields show as “No name”, “No address”, “No phone” and “No website”.
Meta Business Settings, Business info page, with the Legal business name, Address, Business phone and Website fields empty and underlined in red.
2

Complete the WhatsApp account details

Open Settings → Accounts → WhatsApp accounts, select your account and stay on the Summary tab. Click Edit and fill in the Address, Currency and Time Zone.
Summary tab of a WhatsApp account in Meta Business Settings, with Address, Currency and Time Zone empty, the Edit button and the Start verification link highlighted, status Review in Progress and no payment method.
3

Add a payment method

On the same Summary tab, under Payment method, click Payment Settings and add a card. See the last step of the connection guide.
4

Start Business Verification

On the Summary tab, click Start verification next to Business verification, or open the Business Verification card in the Security Center. Choose the use case Verify my business to build trust or meet regulatory requirements, click Start verification and enter your legal business details exactly as they appear in your official documents. Meta may ask for supporting documents.
Business Verification card in Meta, showing Eligible for verification and the highlighted Start verification button.
5

Use a business display name

The display name must represent your business, such as your brand name. Meta rejects names that look like a personal name. If yours was rejected, edit it in WhatsApp Manager and submit a business name.
Verification can take days, and some labels differ by country or account. Don’t wait for it to finish to complete the other steps.

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If your number is already restricted

1

Open Business Support Home

Go to business.facebook.com/business-support-home and select the affected business. Meta shows the violation or restriction there.
2

Request a review

Click Request review on the restriction, or on the button shown in the WhatsApp Business app.
3

Explain your situation

Be short and factual. Say that:
  • You are a real business, and give its name and website.
  • You only have two-way conversations with customers who already know you.
  • You don’t send bulk or unsolicited messages.
  • The restriction appeared right after you connected the number, before you sent any messages.
Only Meta can lift a restriction. iZap can’t speed it up or remove it. The review can take from hours to several days. Meta notifies you when the status changes.

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What not to do

  • Don’t uninstall the WhatsApp Business app or delete the WhatsApp account.
  • Don’t disconnect the number to “speed up” the review. It doesn’t help.
  • Your conversation history imported into iZap is kept.
  • Don’t submit review requests over and over. One clear request is enough.

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Numbers that also use the WhatsApp Business app

If the number uses the WhatsApp Business app together with iZap (coexistence), wait until the number works again. Then, if you no longer want it on the API, disconnect it in the app: Settings → Account → Business Platform → Disconnect account. In iZap, Deregister number only revokes iZap’s access. For these numbers, Meta refuses to deregister them through the API. See Manage your numbers.

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Avoid new restrictions

  • Reply with free-form messages only within 24 hours of the customer’s last message.
  • To start a conversation, use an approved message template.
  • Don’t send bulk broadcasts from a freshly connected number. Start with small volumes to people who expect to hear from you.
More on this in Why a message wasn’t delivered.

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Number shown as “Ineligible” in Meta signup

In the Add your WhatsApp phone number step of Meta signup, the number shows up disabled in the Phone list, with an Ineligible badge and the message This number can’t be shared with this app. This happens when the WhatsApp Business app is integrated with the Meta Business Suite Inbox: while that integration is active, Meta won’t let the number be shared with any provider, iZap included.
Add your WhatsApp phone number step in Meta signup, with the number disabled, the Ineligible badge and the message This number can't be shared with this app.
1

Confirm the cause in Meta Business Suite

Open Settings → Accounts → WhatsApp accounts, select the account and open the Partners tab. If the Assign partner button is disabled with the message “This account can’t be shared with a partner because it uses Inbox”, the Inbox integration is the cause.
2

Disconnect the integration in the app

In the WhatsApp Business app, open Settings → Account → Business Platform and disconnect the Meta integration.
3

Connect the number to iZap again

Redo the connection following the connection guide. The number now shows up as available for coexistence.
After disconnecting, you can no longer handle this number from the Meta Business Suite Inbox.

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Contact support

If the restriction continues, write to [email protected] with the number (with country code), a screenshot of the status or error, and the time you connected it.