Media & Limits
Media requirements, analytics support, and common errors
Media Requirements
Images
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Formats | JPEG, PNG |
| Max file size | 5 MB |
Videos
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Formats | MP4, 3GPP |
| Max file size | 16 MB |
| Codec | H.264 video, AAC audio |
Documents
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Formats | PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, TXT |
| Max file size | 100 MB |
Audio
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Formats | MP3, OGG (with opus codec), AMR, AAC |
| Max file size | 16 MB |
Analytics
WhatsApp does not provide post-level analytics through its API. Message delivery status (sent, delivered, read) is tracked per-recipient in broadcasts.
What You Can't Do
- Send free-form messages outside the 24-hour conversation window (must use templates)
- Send messages to numbers without WhatsApp
- Use personal WhatsApp accounts (must be WhatsApp Business)
- Send more than 250 unique contacts/day on a new account (tier 0 limit, increases with usage)
- Schedule individual messages (use broadcasts with scheduling instead)
- Get per-message analytics (only delivery status)
Common Errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Template not found" (132001) | Template name or language code doesn't match | Verify the exact template name and language code (e.g., "en" not "en_US") |
| "Invalid phone number" (131021) | Recipient number format is incorrect or doesn't have WhatsApp | Use E.164 format with country code (e.g., +1234567890) |
| "Re-engagement required" (131026) | 24-hour conversation window expired | Send an approved template message to re-initiate |
| "Rate limit hit" (131047) | Too many messages sent too quickly | Reduce sending frequency, wait for rate limit to reset |
| "Media download failed" (131052) | WhatsApp can't fetch media from the URL | Ensure URL is publicly accessible with no auth required |
| "Not in allowed list" (131030) | Number not in Meta's sandbox test list | Add the number to your test recipients in Meta Business Suite |
| "Account locked" (131031) | Meta suspended the WhatsApp Business account | Contact Meta support to resolve |