Messaging Limits & Quality Rating
How WhatsApp Business Platform messaging limits work — the cap on unique users a business portfolio can message outside the customer service window per 24 hours (250, then 2,000, 10,000, 100,000, unlimited), shared by all numbers in the portfolio since October 7, 2025; the three ways to reach 2,000; automatic scaling; and what the green/yellow/red quality rating does.
On this page
A messaging limit is the maximum number of unique WhatsApp users your business can deliver messages to outside a customer service window in a moving 24-hour period. Replies inside an open customer service window don't count.
Since October 7, 2025, Meta sets the limit on the business portfolio, not on each phone number. Every business phone number in the portfolio shares that one limit — so one number can use up the whole portfolio's capacity for the day. New portfolios start at 250; the limit then grows as the business proves it sends high-quality messages.
The messaging limits#
| Level | Unique users per moving 24 hours | How you get there |
|---|---|---|
| Starting | 250 | Every new business portfolio |
| Level 1 | 2,000 | Complete one of the three scaling paths (below) and pass Meta's quality review |
| Level 2 | 10,000 | Automatic scaling |
| Level 3 | 100,000 | Automatic scaling |
| Level 4 | Unlimited | Automatic scaling |
How to move from 250 → 2,000 (scaling paths)#
Complete any one of these:
- Verify your business in Meta Business Suite. See Business Verification & the Green Tick for the application process and common rejection reasons.
- Have your partner verify your business (partner-led business verification), if a partner onboarded you.
- Send 2,000 delivered messages outside customer service windows to unique WhatsApp users within a 30-day moving period, using templates with a high quality rating.
Meta then reviews your message quality. If approved, the limit goes up to 2,000 immediately and
you get an email, a developer alert and a business_capability_update webhook. If denied, the
limit stays where it is and an account_alerts webhook tells you which other path to try.
How to move from 2,000 upward (automatic scaling)#
Once you are at 2,000, Meta raises the portfolio's limit by one level when both are true:
- You are sending high-quality messages across all your business phone numbers and templates.
- In the last 7 days you used at least half of your current limit.
When both criteria are met, the limit increases within 6 hours.
Quality rating#
Meta rates each phone number's message quality from how users received your messages over the past 7 days (weighted toward the most recent), using signals like blocks, reports, mutes, archives, and the reasons users give when they block you:
| Rating | What it means |
|---|---|
| Green (High) | High quality |
| Yellow (Medium) | Medium quality |
| Red (Low) | Low quality |
You see it in WhatsApp Manager → Account tools → Phone numbers. A Green rating keeps you eligible for automatic scaling and other features. Since October 7, 2025 a drop in quality rating does not downgrade your messaging limit, and the old Flagged and Restricted phone number statuses were discontinued — but low quality stops automatic scaling, and policy violations can still restrict the account.
Checking via API#
# Current messaging limit (shared by the portfolio) — works on a phone number,
# WhatsApp Business account, or business portfolio ID
curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/{phone-number-id}?fields=whatsapp_business_manager_messaging_limit' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN'
# → { "whatsapp_business_manager_messaging_limit": "TIER_250", "id": "..." }
# Quality rating of a phone number
curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/{phone-number-id}?fields=quality_rating' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN'The old messaging_limit_tier field is deprecated — use whatsapp_business_manager_messaging_limit.
Reference image#
Frequently asked#
Why can I only send 250 messages per day?
New business portfolios start at 250 unique users per 24 hours outside the customer service window. To reach 2,000, verify your business (or have your partner verify it), or send 2,000 delivered messages to unique users in 30 days with high-quality templates. After that, automatic scaling takes over.
Is the first tier 1,000 or 2,000?
2,000. The 1,000 step was the old per-number limit; since October 7, 2025 limits are set per business portfolio and the first increase is to 2,000.
How do I increase my messaging limit?
First reach 2,000 through one of the three scaling paths (business verification, partner-led verification, or 2,000 high-quality messages in 30 days). After that, scaling is automatic — keep message quality high and use at least half your current limit over 7 days; the next level arrives within 6 hours.
I have two numbers — does each get its own limit?
No. Since October 7, 2025 the limit belongs to the business portfolio and all its numbers share it. A new number you add gets the portfolio's limit straight away.
What is quality rating and why does it matter?
It's Meta's measure of how well your messages are received. If customers are blocking or reporting your number, your rating drops (yellow → red). Low quality stops your limit from scaling up; it no longer pushes the limit down by itself.
How do I check my current messaging limit and quality rating?
In WhatsApp Manager (Account tools → Messaging limits / Phone numbers), or via the Graph API
with the whatsapp_business_manager_messaging_limit field for the limit and
quality_rating for the rating. See the API calls above.
Gotchas & common mistakes#
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