A message can be sent from MsgOrb and still fail on Meta's side. MsgOrb records every failure with Meta's reason, shows it on Delivery and Queue Health, and marks the number on the group page so you can clean your list. Removing numbers that can never be reached keeps your counts honest and stops them using a place on your plan.
What each reason means
| Reason shown in MsgOrb | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Not on WhatsApp, or this number can't receive WhatsApp messages | The number isn't on WhatsApp, is mistyped, or can't receive messages from businesses. | Check the number with the person. If it's wrong or not on WhatsApp, remove it. |
| This person stopped marketing messages from you | They chose to stop marketing messages from your business in WhatsApp. | Don't send them marketing templates. Utility messages they asked for can still be sent. |
| Outside the 24-hour window: send an approved template instead | A free-form message went to someone who hasn't written to you in the last 24 hours. | Send an approved template, or wait until they message you. See The 24-hour window. |
| Meta held back a Marketing template to a US number | Meta can hold back Marketing templates sent to US phone numbers. | For messages people signed up for, use a Utility template. |
| No payment method on your WhatsApp Business Account | Meta needs a card on your WhatsApp Business Account before it delivers templates. | Add one: see Adding a payment method. |
The first two are problems with the number itself. The rest are about the message, so the number is fine and the next correct message will reach it.
Find failing numbers in a group
- 1Open Groups and the group you want to clean.
- 2If any number's latest message failed in the last 30 days, a red bar says how many, and how many can't receive WhatsApp at all.
- 3Click Show failing numbers to list only those, each marked Failing with the reason. A later delivered message clears the mark on its own.
Use Search name or number above the roster to find one person in a large group.
Remove contacts
- One at a time: click the remove button at the end of the row.
- In bulk: tick the people you want, or click Select numbers WhatsApp can't reach to tick every number with a number problem, then Remove selected and confirm.
Removed contacts are deleted from your organization's contacts, so they stop getting messages from every group. You can add them again later.
Keep the list clean from the start
- Let people add themselves with Text JOIN or a join link, so numbers are typed by their owners.
- Every phone field has a country picker, which prevents most mistyped numbers.
- Read more about list hygiene on the WhatsApp Broadcasts page.