Why are some messages marked as "failed", "undeliverable", or "pending"?

When you send a message and it does not immediately reach its destination, Kanal shows you a status to help you diagnose the problem. Here is what each status means.

The "Undeliverable" status

Meaning: The problem is permanent and comes from the recipient.
This status means Meta did not even try to send the message, because it detected upfront that delivery was impossible.

Possible causes:

• The phone number has no active WhatsApp account.

• The customer blocked your business number.

• The customer is using a version of WhatsApp that is too old to receive the message.

What to do?

In this case, the action is mostly list maintenance. Check that the phone number is correct. If a customer blocked you, it is best to remove them from your sending lists to keep your database clean.The "Failed" status

Meaning: The problem comes from you or from Meta, and the send was interrupted.
Here, Meta did try to send the message, but an error prevented delivery.

Possible causes:

• The most common: You tried to reply to a customer outside the 24-hour conversation window without using an approved Template message.

• Another very common cause: The format of the media (image, video) you sent is incorrect. A file that is too heavy, an unsupported format (.mov instead of .mp4 for example, or .webp or .gif instead of .png or .jpg), or wrong dimensions will cause the send to fail.

• The message was blocked by Meta's protection systems to preserve your quality score.

• A temporary technical issue on Meta's servers prevented the send.

What to do?

The first thing to check is the 24-hour rule and the format of your media.
➡ To avoid media-related errors

If the error persists across several contacts, review the quality of your message or the state of your account in the Meta Business Manager.

The "Pending" status

Meaning: The problem is temporary and comes from the recipient.
This is the least serious status. It means the message was sent correctly on your side and is waiting on WhatsApp's servers, ready to be delivered as soon as the customer is reachable again.

Possible causes:

• The recipient's phone is switched off.

• The recipient has no internet connection (no Wi-Fi or mobile data).

What to do?

No action is required on your side. The message will be delivered automatically as soon as the recipient's phone reconnects to the network. If the customer does not reconnect, Meta will cancel the delivery attempt after 30 days.