Troubleshoot WhatsApp Business API connection issues

Solutions for common errors when connecting your WhatsApp Business API to SleekFlow

Written By Ray Tang (Administrator)

Updated at October 7th, 2026

Table of Contents

Before you start Common connection issues when connecting WhatsApp Business API Troubleshoot connection and reconnection error messages Meta sign-in and access errors Two-step verification PIN errors Phone number registration errors Meta setup window errors Other connection errors FAQs Q: I want to use an already registered phone number Q: Why did the connection fail even after I completed the Meta steps? Q: Why can’t I complete phone number registration? Q: Why didn’t I receive the verification code? Q: Can I verify a landline phone number? Q: Can I connect a phone number that is still active in the WhatsApp Business app? Q: Why can’t I find my business portfolio after signing in? Q: Why does my legal business name and address need to match my official documents? Q: What happens if my Meta Business Portfolio is not verified? Q: Why am I seeing a rate limit or generic connection error?

If you see an error while connecting or reconnecting an WhatsApp Business API channel, use this guide to find the next steps.

If you want to continue using the WhatsApp Business app with the same number, use WhatsApp Coexistence. Refer to the Troubleshoot WhatsApp Coexistence connection issues before changing or deleting your existing account.

Before you start

Before connecting your WhatsApp Business API channel, confirm the following prerequisites. These checks can help prevent common connection issues during setup.

Use your exact legal business details
- The legal business name and address entered in the Business Info section of your Meta Business Portfolio must match your official business registration documents exactly. Even small differences in spelling or punctuation may delay verification.
Use an established Facebook account
- Newly created Facebook accounts are more likely to be restricted by Meta during Business Portfolio creation. We recommend using an account that has been active for at least one month.
Ensure you have the correct admin permissions
- The account used during setup must have “Full control” access to the Meta Business Portfolio in Meta Business Manager.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)
- Meta may require administrators to enable 2FA before certain WhatsApp setup steps can be completed.
Complete your business information in Meta first
- If your Meta Business Portfolio is missing required business details, the WhatsApp setup process may fail or prevent you from claiming a phone number.

⚠️Note: The sections below cover common issues that occur when connecting a phone number to the WhatsApp Business API through SleekFlow. Some errors originate from Meta's setup process or account restrictions and may require action in Meta Business Manager or WhatsApp Manager.

If an error shows a Reference ID, copy it when contacting SleekFlow Support. The ID can help our team investigate the issue.

Common connection issues when connecting WhatsApp Business API

Use the error message shown in SleekFlow to find the troubleshooting steps below.

Issues	Description	Possible cause & suggested solution
OTP not received	The verification code required to register your phone number was not received.	Confirm that the phone number is entered correctly and can receive SMS or voice calls. Avoid requesting verification codes repeatedly. If Meta shows a retry time, wait until that time before requesting another code. Tip: If the SMS verification code does not arrive, try requesting the code via phone call when available.
The IVR problem	The verification call cannot reach the phone number directly.	If the number has an IVR system or auto-attendant (for example “Press 1 for Sales”), the Meta verification system cannot navigate it. Temporarily disable the IVR so the call goes directly to a person or voicemail.
Wrong Business Portfolio selected	The wrong Meta Business Portfolio is selected.	Restart the connection process and make sure you select the correct Meta Business Portfolio during setup. Double-check the portfolio name before confirming the connection.
Phone number is still linked to the WhatsApp Business app	You are using the API-only setup flow for a number that is still registered in the WhatsApp Business app.	If you want to keep using the app, connect through WhatsApp Coexistence. If you want an API-only connection, review the existing-number requirements in the API connection guide before removing the app account. Do not delete your WhatsApp Business app account to troubleshoot Coexistence.
Cannot add phone number	The phone number cannot be registered during setup.	This can happen if the WhatsApp Business Account is restricted or banned by Meta. Check the Account Quality dashboard in Meta Business Manager and submit an appeal if necessary.
WABA limit reached	Your business account has reached its phone number limit.	Check the phone number limit and any required actions shown for your account in Meta. Complete business verification if Meta requires it for the requested change. If the next step is unclear, contact SleekFlow Support.
Migration verification fails	Phone number migration from another WhatsApp Business API provider cannot complete.	Check with your current provider whether two-step verification must be disabled before migration. Confirm that the number can receive SMS or voice calls, and follow any waiting period shown by Meta. Refer to Migrating an existing WhatsApp Business API account to SleekFlow.

Troubleshoot connection and reconnection error messages

When SleekFlow can identify why a WhatsApp Business API connection or reconnection failed, an error message is shown with steps you can take to resolve the issue.

Depending on the error, you might also see:

From Meta side: Additional information returned by Meta about the error.
Reference ID: An identifier that SleekFlow Support can use to investigate the error.
An action such as Try again or Go to Channels.

Find the error shown in SleekFlow below and follow the recommended steps.

These errors can appear while SleekFlow is requesting access to your Meta business and WhatsApp Business Account.

Error shown in SleekFlow	What it means	What to do
Your Facebook session has expired	Meta no longer accepts the session you signed in with because it expired or access was revoked.	Click Try again and sign in to Meta again Use the Facebook account that administers your business portfolio.
A required permission was not granted	Meta completed the sign-in but one of the permissions SleekFlow needs was not granted.	Click Try again and approve every permission requested in the Meta popup. Check that you are an admin of the business portfolio you selected.
Meta is rate limiting this request	Too many requests reached Meta within a short period, so the connection attempt was rejected.	Wait before retrying and follow any retry time shown by Meta. Avoid starting several connections at the same time.
Meta ran into a temporary problem	The failure occurred on Meta’s side rather than because of your account setup.	Try again later. If the issue continues, contact SleekFlow Support with the Reference ID shown in the error.
Meta did not grant a usable access token	The sign-in finished, but Meta returned no access token SleekFlow can use for the selected business.	Start again and complete every step in the Meta popup. If the error continues, contact SleekFlow Support with the error details and Reference ID, if available.
SleekFlow is not authorised on this business	The access returned by Meta does not authorize SleekFlow to manage the business you selected.	Start again and select the business portfolio that owns your WhatsApp account. Confirm that you are an admin of that portfolio before continuing.
The access Meta shared has expired	Access previously shared with SleekFlow is no longer valid.	Start the connection again to grant fresh access.
The selected WhatsApp account was not granted	Meta reported a different WhatsApp Business Account from the one it gave SleekFlow access to.	Start again and select the same WhatsApp Business Account in the Meta popup. Do not close the Meta popup until it says the setup is complete.
That WhatsApp account cannot be connected here	The WhatsApp Business Account you selected cannot be used for this connection.	Start again and check that you selected the intended WhatsApp Business Account. If the same account still cannot be connected, contact SleekFlow Support.

Two-step verification PIN errors

These errors can appear when two-step verification is enabled for the phone number.

Error shown in SleekFlow	What it means	What to do
This number has two-step verification	The phone number has two-step verification enabled and its 6-digit PIN is required to continue.	Make sure you know the two-step verification PIN set for this phone number. Click Go to Channels, choose Reconnect for the number, and enter the PIN. If you do not know the PIN, contact the person or provider managing the number before retrying.
The PIN is incorrect	Meta did not accept the PIN entered for the phone number.	Check that you are using the PIN for the correct phone number. Go to Channels, choose Reconnect, and enter the PIN again when another attempt is allowed. If you believe the PIN is correct but the error continues, contact SleekFlow Support with the error details.
Too many PIN attempts	Meta has temporarily locked the number after repeated incorrect PIN attempts.	Wait until Meta allows another attempt. If you do not know the PIN, contact the person or provider managing the number instead of continuing to guess.

Phone number registration errors

These errors can appear when SleekFlow tries to register the phone number after access to the WhatsApp Business Account has been granted.

Resolve the issue before starting another connection attempt.

Error shown in SleekFlow	What it means	What to do
Your display name was not approved	Meta has not approved the display name for the phone number, so the number cannot be registered yet.	Open WhatsApp Manager and check the display name status for the number. Submit a display name that follows Meta’s display name guidelines. Connect again once Meta has approved the new display name.
This number is not verified yet	The phone number has not completed SMS or voice verification.	Open WhatsApp Manager and verify the number by SMS or voice call. Connect again once WhatsApp Manager shows the number as verified.
This number was deleted very recently	Meta is still removing the number from its previous account, so it cannot be registered yet.	Wait for Meta to finish removing the number before starting another connection attempt. Follow any retry time shown in the error.
Too many registration attempts	Meta has temporarily blocked registration because the number reached its registration-attempt limit.	Stop retrying until the block has ended. Follow the waiting period shown by Meta. Before trying again, check the phone number and any required two-step verification PIN.
This account is restricted	Meta did not allow registration and returned an account restriction error.	Open Meta Account Quality and check for restrictions on the business or number. Resolve or appeal any issues shown there. If no restriction is shown or the cause is unclear, contact SleekFlow Support with the full error and Reference ID, if available.

Meta setup window errors

These errors can appear when the Meta setup window does not complete successfully.

Error shown in SleekFlow	What it means	What to do
The Meta setup window was closed	The Meta popup was closed before the setup finished.	Click Try again and keep the Meta popup open until it confirms the setup is complete.
The Meta login could not be opened	Your browser prevented the Meta login window from opening.	Allow popups for SleekFlow. Disable ad blockers and privacy extensions that may be blocking the window. Reload the page and click Try again.
We could not tell which account you selected	Meta did not report which WhatsApp Business Account you selected, so nothing was connected.	Click Try again and complete every step in the Meta popup. Wait for the popup to close on its own before leaving the page.

Other connection errors

If SleekFlow cannot identify a specific cause, you may see one of the following errors.

Error shown in SleekFlow	What to do
Meta rejected the connection	Review the additional message from Meta shown with the error and resolve the issue in Meta Business Manager. If it is unclear, contact SleekFlow Support with the Reference ID shown in the error, if available.
The connection failed without details	Contact SleekFlow Support with the details shown in the error so our team can investigate.
We could not complete the connection	Contact SleekFlow Support with the Reference ID shown in the error, if available.

FAQs

Q: I want to use an already registered phone number

The next steps depend on how the number is currently registered:

If registered with the WhatsApp Business app
Use WhatsApp Coexistence if you want to keep using the app. For an API-only connection, review the existing-number requirements in the API connection guide before removing the app account.
If registered with WhatsApp Messenger
Review the existing-number requirements in the API connection guide. WhatsApp Coexistence uses the WhatsApp Business app.
If registered with another WhatsApp Business API provider
Follow the migration guide and check the phone number’s two-step verification requirements with your current provider. The phone number’s PIN is separate from administrator 2FA.

Learn more about migrating an existing WhatsApp Business API account to SleekFlow.

Q: Why did the connection fail even after I completed the Meta steps?

Completing the Meta setup window does not always mean that phone number registration and the connection to SleekFlow have finished successfully.

Check the error shown in SleekFlow and follow the matching steps in Troubleshoot connection and reconnection error messages. If no specific cause is shown, contact SleekFlow Support with the full error and Reference ID, if available.

Q: Why can’t I complete phone number registration?

Phone number registration may fail if:

The number is already linked to another WhatsApp setup
The selected WhatsApp Business Account is unavailable
The phone number or WABA has been restricted by Meta
The number cannot receive SMS or voice calls for verification

Check the error shown during setup, confirm that you are using the correct connection or migration flow, and review Meta Account Quality for restrictions before retrying.

Q: Why didn’t I receive the verification code?

Verification codes are sent by SMS or voice call during phone number registration.

If you did not receive the code:

Confirm the phone number can receive international SMS or voice calls. Check that the number format is entered correctly.
Avoid requesting multiple codes in a short period, as Meta may temporarily block additional requests.
If SMS verification fails, try requesting the code via phone call.

If Meta has temporarily blocked requests, follow the retry time shown before attempting again.

Q: Can I verify a landline phone number?

Yes. Landline numbers can receive the verification code through a voice call.

However, verification may fail if the number uses an IVR or auto-attendant system. If possible, temporarily disable the IVR so the verification call can reach a person or voicemail directly.

Q: Can I connect a phone number that is still active in the WhatsApp Business app?

Yes, through WhatsApp Coexistence, if your number is eligible.

If you want to continue using the app, follow the WhatsApp Coexistence guide.

If you want an API-only connection, review the existing-number requirements in the API connection guide first. Do not delete your app account as a Coexistence troubleshooting step.

Q: Why can’t I find my business portfolio after signing in?

Check that you signed in with the Facebook account that has access to the intended Meta Business Portfolio.

If you have access to multiple portfolios, confirm the portfolio name in Meta Business Suite. Make sure your account has Full control, then restart the connection process.

If the portfolio still does not appear, contact SleekFlow Support with a screenshot of the setup step.

Q: Why does my legal business name and address need to match my official documents?

Meta verifies your business using the Business Info details in your Meta Business Portfolio.

Even small differences in spelling, punctuation, or address format can delay or prevent verification. Make sure the business name and address match your official registration documents exactly.

Q: What happens if my Meta Business Portfolio is not verified?

You may still be able to start setup. Check the requirements and limits shown for your account in Meta, and complete business verification when required.

If Meta blocks a setup step, follow the instructions shown for your account. Contact SleekFlow Support if the required action is unclear.

Q: Why am I seeing a rate limit or generic connection error?

If SleekFlow displays a specific error, follow the matching steps in Troubleshoot connection and reconnection error messages.

For rate limits, avoid repeated attempts and follow any retry time shown. If the cause is unclear or the error continues, contact SleekFlow Support with a screenshot of the full message and the Reference ID, if available.