Why am I seeing error code "131056"?

Neelke Stadler Updated by Neelke Stadler

If you're encountering the 131056 error code more than you expect, for what seems like normal messaging activity, here's what you need to know. With the shift from WhatsApp's On-premise API to the Cloud API, we're seeing a new range of error codes. Let's zoom in on error code 131056.

Meta's explanation and suggested solution

The error, as returned by the Cloud API reads as follows: {code: 131056, message: "(#131056) (Business Account, Consumer Account) pair rate limit hit", type: "OAuthException"} . According to Meta's documenation, this means "too many messages were sent from the sender phone number to the same recipient phone number in a short period of time."

Their proposed solution is to "wait and retry the operation if you intend to send messages to the same phone number. You can still send messages to a different phone number without waiting."

But I am not sending too many messages

We've heard from several users that this error pops up even with their usual messaging practices, which didn't cause issues with the On-premise API. Often, it's the most engaged users who are affected.

We've reached out to Meta for clarity but haven't gotten substantial answers yet. Here's what we do know:

Meta hasn't shared specifics about the rate limiter's thresholds. At Turn.io, we can't adjust these limits, and Meta keeps the details under wraps.

Meta suggests retrying the API calls that return an HTTP 429. We've updated our client to wait and retry network requests that failed due to the 131056 errors, but this hasn't completely solved the problem.

Our observations indicate the error might occur at around 20-30 messages per minute, though some clients report issues at even 10-15 messages per minute to a single user. We suspect the alerting involves a combination of factors, including the total volume of messages, block rates, quality scores, and the tier of the number involved.

What now?

We're actively seeking a better understanding of this issue. We've lodged a detailed support request with Meta, highlighting cases of engaged users facing limits.

The best you can do is to ensure your service doesn’t spam people because essentially, that's what the rate limit aims to prevent.

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