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Flowella blocks every message to a phone number that has opted out, but only from the WhatsApp number where the opt-out was recorded. If a contact says they still hear from you after opting out, work through the checks below. For how opt-outs work, see Opt-outs.

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Check that the opt-out is active

1

Open the Opt-outs page for the right number

Select Opt-outs in the sidebar. The page lists the opt-outs for the WhatsApp number you have selected, so pick the number that messaged the contact.
2

Search for the contact

Type the phone number in Search phone…. The list shows active opt-outs only. Select Show re-opted to include contacts who opted back in.
3

Read the status

Don’t rely on a confirmation reply to tell you whether an opt-out worked. Check the Opt-outs page instead.

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The contact opted back in

A row shows Re-opted when the contact sent START or UNSTOP as the whole message, or when someone in your team selected Re-opt in. Flowella doesn’t show which. Open the conversation in the Inbox to check:
  • The contact sent START or UNSTOP. They asked to hear from you again, so messages are allowed. Respect that choice.
  • They didn’t, and they still want no messages. Record the opt-out again with Add opt-out, and note how they asked. See Add an opt-out.

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The opt-out keyword was not recognised

Flowella opts a contact out only when their whole message is one of these keywords: STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END or QUIT. Capital letters and spaces at either end don’t matter. Flowella only recognises these English keywords. Messages such as “please stop messaging me” or “STOP sending these” don’t opt anyone out. When a contact asks to stop in other words, or by email or phone, select Add opt-out on the Opt-outs page and record it yourself. See How keyword opt-outs work.
A tap on a quick reply button, or on an option in a list, sends its label as the contact’s message. A button labelled exactly Stop or Unsubscribe therefore opts the contact out when they tap it. A label such as Stop updates doesn’t, because it isn’t a keyword on its own. Check your labels: Cancel opts a contact out too, so use Cancel booking or Not now for other meanings.

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The contact opted out on a different number

Opt-outs apply to one WhatsApp number at a time, because the contact gave their choice to that sender. If you message the same contact from two numbers and they opted out on one, sends from the other number continue. Decide which approach you want, and apply it consistently:
Add the opt-out on each of your WhatsApp numbers. Switch number in the app, then use Add opt-out on each number’s Opt-outs page. See Switching channels.With the Flowella API, send one request per number, with that number’s whatsappChannelId. GET /v1/channels lists your numbers and their IDs. See Channels.

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A HubSpot workflow keeps trying to message the contact

When a workflow reaches a send step for a contact who opted out on the sending number, the step fails with CONTACT_OPTED_OUT and Flowella sends nothing. See What an opt-out blocks. Flowella doesn’t create or update a WhatsApp opt-out property in HubSpot. To keep opted-out contacts out of a workflow altogether, record the opt-out in HubSpot yourself, for example in your own contact property or list. Then use it in the workflow’s enrolment criteria.

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The contact never opted in

WhatsApp requires each person’s opt-in before a business messages them. If the contact says they never agreed to hear from you, add the opt-out, apologise and review how they got onto your list. See Meta’s Get opt-in for WhatsApp.

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A message was already on its way

Flowella checks for an opt-out immediately before it sends each message. A message Flowella had already passed to WhatsApp before the opt-out was recorded can still arrive, for example when the contact’s phone was offline and WhatsApp delivered it later.

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Still seeing messages reach an opted-out contact?

Contact Flowella support with:
  • The contact’s phone number
  • The WhatsApp number the messages came from
  • The date and time of a message they shouldn’t have received

Opt-outs

Keywords, manual opt-outs, CSV imports and re-opt-ins.

Multi-channel

How several WhatsApp numbers work together.

Error 131050

When a contact stops marketing messages in WhatsApp.

HubSpot workflow actions

What happens when a workflow step meets an opt-out.
Last modified on October 24, 2026