WhatsApp error 131026: message undeliverable, and what to check

What WhatsApp error 131026 means

Error 131026 means Meta accepted your message but could not deliver it to that number on WhatsApp. It points to the recipient, not to your WhatsApp Business account or your templates. This is what Meta’s error code reference says:

Common causes of error 131026 on Shopify orders

On Shopify orders, error 131026 usually comes from the phone number the customer typed at checkout. When an order confirmation or shipping update fails with this code, check these causes in order:

• The number has no WhatsApp. Customers sometimes enter a landline, a work number or a second SIM they don’t use for WhatsApp.
• The format is wrong. A local number without its country code, or with the local 0 kept after the country code, points to a number that isn’t on WhatsApp. See the next section.
• A typo. One missing or extra digit gives a number that doesn’t exist or belongs to someone else.
• The customer hasn’t accepted WhatsApp’s latest terms. Meta suggests sending them this link by another channel: wa.me/tos/20210210.
• An old phone or app. Customers on a WhatsApp version older than Meta’s minimum can’t receive business messages until they update.

How phone number format causes undeliverable messages

A number sent without a plus sign and country code can become undeliverable, because Meta then puts your business number’s country code in front of it. Meta recommends including both in every number and warns that leaving out the plus sign can lead to undelivered or misdelivered messages. Unlike the other causes, you can fix this one without the customer. Here is what correct numbers look like in four markets:

A concrete case: your WhatsApp Business number is German (+49) and an order arrives with 015123456789 and no plus sign. Following Meta’s rule, the message goes to +49 015123456789, a number that does not exist. Cross-border orders have the same problem: for a German store selling into France, a French customer’s number saved without +33 gets the German code instead.

How to fix WhatsApp error 131026

You fix error 131026 by correcting the number or by getting the customer to fix their WhatsApp, and both need a channel other than WhatsApp. Work through these steps:

1. 1

   Check the phone number on the Shopify order

   Look for a missing country code, a local 0 left in front of the number after the country code, or missing digits. Correct the number on the order if it is wrong.

2. 2

   Contact the customer another way

   Call or text the customer and ask whether this number has WhatsApp. It may be a landline or a second SIM they don’t use for WhatsApp.

3. 3

   Ask the customer to check their WhatsApp app

   Meta asks you to have the customer confirm they can send a message to your WhatsApp number, accept WhatsApp’s latest Terms of Service (Settings > Help, or Settings > Application information) and update WhatsApp to the latest version.

4. 4

   Ask the customer to message your WhatsApp number

   A message from the customer proves the number works and opens a 24-hour customer service window, so you can confirm the order in the same chat.

5. 5

   Resend once, or confirm the order by phone

   Resend the message after the customer has fixed the cause. If they can’t, confirm the order on the call and tag it by hand, so it does not sit unconfirmed.

Whapi’s own checklist for messages that don’t arrive starts from your side, then moves to the customer’s: make sure your WhatsApp number shows a green status in the Whapi dashboard, that your message templates are approved by Meta, and that the customer’s number has the right country code and is a valid WhatsApp number.

When to stop retrying

Stop retrying after the first failure. Error 131026 depends on the customer’s number and app, so the same send fails again until something changes. Retries are not billed, because Meta only charges delivered messages, but they don’t confirm the order either.

For order confirmations the practical rule is simple: one WhatsApp attempt, then a phone call. Whapi tags an order only when the customer taps one of the confirmation buttons, so orders whose message failed stay unconfirmed in Shopify. Filter them and add them to your call list.

When a message shows as sent but is never delivered

Some messages never fail with a code at all. They stay at sent and never reach delivered, and Meta says it will not disclose the cause for privacy and policy reasons. The reasons Meta lists include:

• The customer did not come online during the 30 days Meta holds messages for offline users.
• The customer blocked your business number, or another number your business owns.
• The customer is in a restricted or sanctioned country. Meta lists Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and the Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.

Meta notes that a message to a customer who blocked you can stay at sent, so ask the customer to check that your number is not in their blocked contacts (Settings > Privacy > Blocked) when you contact them another way.

Other WhatsApp error codes that look like 131026

Other failures do return a code, and each code needs a different response. These codes also stop a message from reaching the customer:

Prevent error 131026 at checkout

The best prevention is collecting a complete mobile number with its country code before the order is placed. Three settings help:

• Make the phone number required. In Shopify admin, go to Settings > Checkout and, under Customer information, set Shipping address phone number to Required. It is Optional by default on new stores.
• Ask for a WhatsApp number. Where your checkout or form lets you, label the phone field “WhatsApp number” so customers don’t enter a landline.
• Check any custom checkout or form app. If you collect orders outside the standard Shopify checkout, make sure it saves numbers with the country code.