WhatsApp error 131047: how to reply after the 24-hour window closes

What WhatsApp error 131047 means

Error 131047 means WhatsApp refused a free-form message because the customer service window with that customer had already closed. A free-form message, which Meta calls a service or non-template message, is anything you type and send without a pre-approved template: plain text, an image, a document or a voice note.

Nothing is wrong with your number or your account. The error only tells you that this conversation needs a template before it can continue.

How the WhatsApp 24-hour customer service window works

The customer service window is a 24-hour timer that starts when a customer messages or calls your business number. Each new message or call from the customer resets the timer to 24 hours. While it runs, you can send any type of message. When it ends, you can only send approved template messages, and only to customers who opted in to hear from you.

Here is how one support conversation plays out:

Buttons matter too. When a customer taps a quick reply button, such as Confirm Order on a order confirmation, WhatsApp sends that button text to you as a message. That tap opens a 24-hour window, so a follow-up sent right after it goes through.

When Whapi users see error 131047

In Whapi, error 131047 usually comes from a manual reply sent after the window has closed. Whapi’s automations, such as order confirmations, abandoned checkout reminders and shipping updates, send templates that Meta has approved, and templates are allowed outside the window. The typical cases are:

• An agent answers a question in the inbox more than 24 hours after the customer’s last message.
• A customer replied to an automation yesterday, and today you want to send them a photo or a link by hand.
• Your team picks up weekend messages on Monday morning.

In the Whapi Team Inbox, a customer’s reply to an automation appears as a conversation, and agents can send an approved template straight from it when the window has closed.

How to fix WhatsApp error 131047

You fix error 131047 by sending an approved template, then switching back to normal replies once the customer answers. Step by step:

1. 1

   Check when the customer last wrote to you

   The 24-hour customer service window starts from the customer’s last message or call, not from your last reply. If that was more than 24 hours ago, free-form messages fail with 131047.

2. 2

   Pick an approved template that matches why you are writing

   Use a Utility template if the message is about the customer’s order or account, and a Marketing template if it promotes a product or offer. Only templates Meta has approved can be sent outside the window.

3. 3

   Send the template instead of free text

   In the Whapi Team Inbox (Team plan) you can send an approved WhatsApp template message directly from the conversation. Templates can be delivered at any time, as long as the customer opted in to hear from you.

4. 4

   Continue the conversation when the customer replies

   The customer’s reply opens a new 24-hour window. From then on you can send free-form text, images and documents again until 24 hours after their latest message.

5. 5

   Answer faster next time

   Error 131047 comes from late replies. Get new conversations to an agent quickly so they answer while the window is still open. Whapi’s Team plan assigns conversations to agents automatically.

Templates to restart a conversation after 24 hours

The best template to restart a chat is short, names the reason you are writing and asks the customer to reply. These three are ready to copy. Variables in double braces are Whapi variables for Shopify data, such as the customer’s first name and order number. Meta decides the final category during review, so the category shown is the likely one, not a guarantee.

Hi {{customer_first_name}}, this is {{store_name}} about your question on order {{order_number}}. We have an answer for you. Reply to this message and we will continue the conversation here.

Button (quick reply): Continue chat

Hi {{customer_first_name}}, the courier could not deliver order {{order_number}} today. Please reply with a good time for a new delivery attempt, or confirm your address.

Buttons (quick reply): Pick a new time · Confirm address

Hi {{customer_first_name}}, you asked {{store_name}} about {{product_name}} earlier this week. It is back in stock now. Reply to this message if you would like us to reserve one for you.

Button (quick reply): Reserve one

Keep order follow-ups free of discounts and product suggestions. Meta treats a template that mixes an order update with a promotion as Marketing. Our guide to utility vs marketing templates shows what moves a template from one category to the other.

What each option costs since October 1, 2026

Free-form replies inside the window are free for the first 1,000 each month on each business number, and templates are charged at the rate for their category. This is how Meta charges since October 1, 2026:

• Service messages (free-form replies inside the window) are charged per delivered message after the first 1,000 per business phone number each month. Unused free messages do not roll over.
• Utility templates sent inside the window are now charged at the normal Utility rate. They were free from July 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026.
• Templates sent outside the window are charged at the Utility or Marketing rate for the customer’s country, as before. The exception is a free entry point window, which opens when you reply to a customer who came from a Click to WhatsApp ad: Meta does not charge for messages in it for up to 7 days.

Messages that fail with 131047 are not delivered, so they are not charged. For every country and category, see the full WhatsApp API pricing table, and for what changed and why, read our summary of the October 2026 WhatsApp pricing change.

Why 131047 can appear when the customer wrote recently

If the customer wrote less than 24 hours ago and you still get 131047, check which number they wrote to and when, counted to the minute. These are the usual explanations:

• They wrote to a different number. The window belongs to the business number the customer messaged. If they wrote to another number of yours, the window on your Whapi number is not open.
• The 24 hours are counted exactly. A message sent at 18:30 on Monday opens a window that closes at 18:30 on Tuesday, not at the end of the day.
• Only the customer resets it. The window restarts when the customer messages or calls you. Your own replies and reactions do not extend it.
• A rare Meta issue. Meta lists a known issue where, in rare cases, a business receives a message but cannot respond within the window. If that happens, send a template.

A Click to WhatsApp ad does not lengthen the window either. Its free entry point window changes what Meta charges for up to 7 days, but Meta still allows free-form messages only inside an open 24-hour customer service window. For other error codes, see the WhatsApp Business API troubleshooting list.