Troubleshooting Scenarios

Affected Area

Onboarding / WABA status mismatch

Issue

The organization’s Meta Business Manager shows the WABA as "Approved", but the Smarsh onboarding wizard still shows a "Pending" status. The user is prompted to create a new WhatsApp Business Account despite one already existing and being approved.

Root Cause

This occurs when an earlier WABA attempt was blocked; commonly due to a phone number issue that has since been resolved. Smarsh displays the state received from Meta. If Meta is still surfacing the old blocked account's status, the approved account will not reflect correctly in the wizard. Disabling and re-enabling the WAPI integration does not force a state resync.

Resolution / Workaround

During onboarding, manually select the correct (approved) WABA from the portfolio dropdown. The approved account should appear as an option. Do not create a new WABA.

If the correct WABA does not appear or the issue persists, create a ticket with Smarsh to remove the stale/blocked WABA entry from the backend. Once the blocked WABA is removed, the correct one can be re-added.

Important

Re-onboarding will override any existing data or WABA already linked from a previous onboarding session. Do not re-onboard unless necessary.

Affected Area

Number linking / Meta block

Issue

After transitioning away from TeleMessage, the users' phone numbers cannot be linked to the new WhatsApp service. Meta blocks the numbers as their prior association with TeleMessage's capture method violates Meta's Terms of Service.

Users also cannot use the WhatsApp desktop app for personal use.

Root Cause

Meta has applied an account-level block on numbers previously associated with non-compliant archiving methods. This block persists even after the prior service is decommissioned and is enforced entirely on Meta's side.

Resolution / Workaround

This is a Meta-enforced block and is not under Smarsh's direct control. Escalate to Meta Business Support directly to appeal the block on affected numbers, providing evidence of the legacy service teardown. In the interim, register a new and previously unassociated phone numbers for WhatsApp Business API onboarding to proceed without delay. Contact Smarsh Product/Support for assistance coordinating the Meta appeal process.

Affected Area

Admin portal / Feature visibility

Issue

The admin has enabled WhatsApp API at the organization level, but end users cannot see the WAPI feature or button in the portal.

Root Cause

Enabling WhatsApp API at the organization level is only one of two required steps. The permission for each user must also be enabled separately. If either step is missing, the feature will not appear for the user.

Resolution / Workaround

Confirm the following with your Account Manager:

1. "Enabled for Managed Users" under the WhatsApp API organization setting is enabled.

2. "WhatsApp API" permission is explicitly enabled for each user.

Both settings must be active simultaneously for the feature to appear for the user.

If both are confirmed and the issue persists, escalate to Smarsh R&D/Support with screenshots of both configuration pages.

Affected Area

Registration / Phone number

Issue

Registering WABA using a VOIP number such as Zoom Phone number fails. The SMS OTP required during Meta's verification step is not received, causing registration to fail or stall.

Root Cause

VOIP numbers are not capable of receiving SMS messages. Meta's registration process requires SMS delivery for the OTP verification step, so VOIP numbers are incompatible by design.

Resolution / Workaround

You must use a mobile number that is capable of receiving SMS.

Recommended options:

• Use an existing corporate mobile number.

• Obtain a corporate eSIM and activate it on an existing corporate device.

• Port the VOIP number to a standard mobile carrier if the business specifically requires that number for the WABA registration.