WhatsApp error 131031 (business account locked): tell a policy lock from a wrong PIN, then fix it

WhatsApp error 131031 is two errors sharing one number. Meta's error codes page lists it under integrity errors: "The WhatsApp Business Account associated with the app has been restricted or disabled for violating a platform policy, or we were unable to verify data included in the request against data set on the WhatsApp Business Account (e.g, the two-step pin included in the request is incorrect)." The suggested solution is to read the Policy Enforcement document, and to use the Health Status API, "which may provide additional insight into the reason or reasons for the account lock." Your first job is to work out which of the two cases you are in, because the fixes have nothing in common.

Two causes, two fixes

Case 1: a wrong two-step verification PIN

Every Cloud API number has a six-digit two-step verification PIN. You set it when the number is first registered, and you must send the same PIN whenever the number is registered again: after moving it to a new provider, re-registering after a display name change, or reconnecting it to a different app. If the PIN in the request is not the one on the account, registration fails with 131031.

This is common in India when a number moves between agencies. The old provider set the PIN, nobody wrote it down, and the new provider's registration call fails. The fix:

1. Ask whoever registered the number for the PIN. It is often in the previous provider's settings or onboarding email.
2. If nobody has it, reset it. An admin of the business portfolio can change the two-step verification PIN for the number in WhatsApp Manager under the phone number's settings. A developer with access can also set a new PIN through the API with a POST to the phone number ID.
3. Register again with the new PIN:

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "pin": "482913"
}

4. Store the PIN safely, in a password manager or your secrets store, not in a chat thread. Our guide to moving a WhatsApp number to a new provider covers the full migration steps.

Case 2: the account is locked for policy

If 131031 appears on normal sends, especially on every number of the account at once, treat it as an enforcement. Meta's policy enforcement guide describes an escalating ladder of restrictions for repeated violations such as spam, misclassified templates or high-risk products, ending in an account lock (an indefinite block that only an appeal removes) and, after that, permanent offboarding.

Check the account's health to confirm what is blocked. Request the health_status field on the WhatsApp Business account ID (or a phone number ID):

{
  "health_status": {
    "can_send_message": "BLOCKED",
    "entities": [
      {
        "entity_type": "WABA",
        "id": "104857600123456",
        "can_send_message": "BLOCKED",
        "errors": [
          {
            "error_code": 131031,
            "error_description": "Business account is locked",
            "possible_solution": "Review the violation in Business Support Home"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

The response above is illustrative. can_send_message is AVAILABLE, LIMITED or BLOCKED for each entity (business, account, phone number, app), and the errors list says what is wrong at each level. Then:

1. Pause all sending on the account: campaigns, bots and integrations.
2. Open Business Support Home in Meta Business Suite, select the WhatsApp account and read the violation.
3. Fix the cause, whether that is a purchased list, a misleading template or a product the Commerce Policy does not allow.
4. Request a review if you believe it is a mistake: choose the violation and click Request Review, with specific evidence such as opt-in wording and dates.
5. Resume slowly when Meta lifts the lock: replies and transactional messages first, marketing later.

What the send error looks like

Values and title illustrative:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "(#131031) Business Account locked",
    "type": "OAuthException",
    "code": 131031,
    "error_data": {
      "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
      "details": "The WhatsApp Business Account associated with the app has been restricted or disabled."
    },
    "fbtrace_id": "AmW3cX7pLq9TzRb2nKv5yJd"
  }
}

131031 compared with 368

Error 368 is always a policy restriction ("Temporarily blocked for policies violations"). 131031 can be a policy lock too, but it can also be a simple data mismatch that you fix yourself in minutes. If you see 131031 only on registration, do not file an appeal; check the PIN.

A worked example

Arjun's agency takes over WhatsApp for Meera's coaching institute in Kota from another provider. When he connects the number in his own panel, registration fails with 131031. The account's health shows it can send, so this is not a lock. The previous provider set the PIN and has stopped replying. Meera, who is an admin of the business portfolio, changes the PIN in WhatsApp Manager, Arjun registers the number with the new PIN, and the number goes live the same afternoon.

Two months later a different client, a supplements seller, gets 131031 on every send. Health status shows the account BLOCKED. Business Support Home names a spam violation from a broadcast to a bought list. There is nothing to fix in code; Arjun pauses all campaigns, rebuilds the audience from opted-in buyers, and submits a review with the new opt-in process.

Preventing 131031

• Record every number's PIN when it is set, in a shared secrets store with access for portfolio admins.
• Check health status before big sends and after any 131031, so you know at once whether it is a lock.
• Message only opted-in people and keep template categories honest; see WhatsApp opt-in best practices.
• Subscribe to the account_update webhook so policy notices reach your systems before a campaign does.

How Broadchat handles 131031

Broadchat treats 131031 as a sign that the channel cannot send. A campaign that hits it stops instead of failing recipient after recipient, and the channel's health is re-checked against Meta. When Meta reports sending as blocked or restricted, the channel shows Meta's reason and new sends from it are refused until the issue is fixed and the channel's Refresh status confirms it can send again. Appeals and PIN changes are made by the account owner in Meta Business Suite and WhatsApp Manager; no provider can lift a lock.

For other codes, see the WhatsApp API error codes cheat-sheet and the plain-English guide to the WhatsApp Business API. Agencies that manage many client accounts can watch channel health for all of them in one panel through the white-label program.