> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.flowella.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Messages not delivered

> Diagnose outbound WhatsApp messages that never reach the recipient: failed sends, messages stuck on sent, missing read receipts, and Meta error codes.

If a message you sent isn't reaching the recipient, this page walks you through the most common causes in order of frequency.

## Where to look first

Open the [Inbox](/app/inbox) and find the conversation. Each outbound message shows a status:

| Status        | Meaning                                          |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| **Sent**      | Flowella has handed the message to Meta          |
| **Delivered** | Meta confirmed it reached the recipient's device |
| **Read**      | The recipient opened it                          |
| **Failed**    | Meta rejected it or could not deliver it         |

If you see **Failed**, hover or click the message to see the failure reason. If you see **Sent** but never Delivered, work through the list below.

## Common causes

Work through these in order — they're listed by frequency.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="1. The contact has opted out" icon="shield-x">
    Sending to an opted-out contact is blocked. Check **Contacts → Opt-outs** or the contact card in the inbox. See [Opt-outs](/app/opt-outs).

    If the contact has not actually asked to opt out, an opt-out keyword in their reply (for example, "stop", "unsubscribe") may have triggered it automatically. Reach out via another channel to confirm intent before re-enabling.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="2. The 24-hour window has closed" icon="clock">
    You can only send free-form messages within 24 hours of the contact's last inbound message. Outside that window, you must use an approved **template**. See [Templates](/app/templates) and [Template reference](/app/template-reference).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="3. The template was rejected, paused, or disabled" icon="file-x">
    If the message used a template, check the template's status under **Templates**. A template can move out of `APPROVED` due to recipient feedback or quality issues. See [Template rejected](/troubleshooting/template-rejected).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="4. The recipient is on the WhatsApp Business app, not WhatsApp" icon="smartphone">
    WhatsApp Business Platform messages can only be received on the regular WhatsApp consumer app. Numbers running the standalone WhatsApp Business app on the same device cannot receive API messages while the app is active.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="5. Your channel is in a low-quality state" icon="trending-down">
    Meta tracks a quality rating per phone number. Low quality reduces your daily messaging limit and can pause sends. Check **Settings → Meta** for the per-number quality indicator. If quality has dropped:

    * Pause non-essential sends.
    * Avoid sending Marketing templates to disengaged contacts.
    * Wait 24–48 hours for the rating to recover.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="6. Your subscription is past due" icon="credit-card">
    If your Stripe subscription is past due or cancelled, sending is restricted. See [Billing](/account/billing). Restore payment and the restriction lifts within a few minutes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="7. The recipient phone number is wrong" icon="phone-off">
    Phone numbers must be in **E.164** form (`+447700900123`). A leading 0, a missing country code, or extra punctuation will cause Meta to reject the send. See [Phone number format](/hubspot/phone-number-format).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="8. The recipient blocked your number" icon="ban">
    If the recipient has blocked you on WhatsApp, messages will report as **Sent** but never **Delivered**. There is nothing to fix on the Flowella side.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="9. Meta is having an incident" icon="cloud-off">
    Check [Meta's WhatsApp Business API status](https://metastatus.com/whatsapp-business-api). If there is a live incident, sends will retry once the platform recovers.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Still stuck?

<Note>
  Gather the following before contacting [support](https://flowella.io/support):

  * The **conversation ID** or contact's phone number
  * The **timestamp** of the failing send
  * A screenshot of the message status
</Note>