On this page
An approved WhatsApp template can stop sending even after approval: Meta pauses it for quality reasons (error 132015) or disables it permanently after repeated pauses (error 132016). VGraple CRM detects both the moment Meta reports them, parks any broadcast running on the affected template automatically, and alerts you with the reason.
Paused or disabled templates: first 5 of 7 steps
- 1An alert arrives the moment Meta reports
- 2Check whether any broadcast was affected
- 3Open the template to see its current
- 4For a paused template, decide what changed
- 5Fix the content if needed, and resubmit
Before you start
- Nothing needs to be configured to receive these alerts; they fire automatically from Meta's own webhooks against your WhatsApp Business Account.
- A pause or disable applies to the template, not your whole number; other templates on the same channel keep sending normally.
- You need "View templates" permission at minimum to see the alert and open the affected template.
Steps
- An alert arrives the moment Meta reports it. For a pause or disable, the alert title reads "Template '[name]' was paused by Meta" (or "disabled" or "rejected"), naming the template and, when Meta supplied one, the reason.
Check whether any broadcast was affected. If a scheduled or sending broadcast was using the template, the alert states how many were paused: "[n] scheduled broadcast(s) were paused so they do not fail." These are set to a paused status with the reason attached, so nothing keeps burning sends against a template Meta will reject every time.
Open the template to see its current quality score. Above and before an actual pause, a template's quality score is visible as GREEN, YELLOW or RED. A RED score triggers its own earlier alert: "'[name]' is close to being paused. WhatsApp rates this template's quality as red, which is the last step before it stops sending. Recipients are blocking or reporting it."
For a paused template, decide what changed. Recipients block or report a template when the content reads as unwanted, misleading, or arrives too often. Review recent sends: was it sent to a stale or unengaged list, or does the wording itself need to change?
Fix the content if needed, and resubmit. Editing a paused template's content and resubmitting puts it back into review, the same as correcting a rejection. See template rejected: reasons and fixes for how to edit and resubmit.
Resume any broadcast that was parked. Once the template is Approved again, or the pause window has lifted, return to the parked broadcast and resume it manually; VGraple CRM does not auto-resume a paused broadcast, since the underlying cause may still need review.
For a disabled template, start a new one. Error 132016 is permanent. There is no unpause or appeal path for a disabled template; build a new template, ideally with different wording addressing whatever drove the quality score down, rather than resubmitting the same content under a new name.
What you will see
A paused or disabled template shows its status badge in amber (Paused) or red (Disabled) everywhere it appears: the Templates list, the broadcast composer, the flow builder's template picker, and the inbox's send-template menu. It is automatically filtered out of the picker in each of those places while paused or disabled, so it cannot be selected for a new send by accident.
Settings and options
| Setting or field | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Quality score badge | GREEN, YELLOW or RED, Meta's read on recent recipient engagement with this specific template | Updates automatically as Meta reports it |
| RED quality alert | Notifies the org before an actual pause happens, while there is still time to act | Always on |
| Broadcast auto-park | Sets any scheduled or sending broadcast on a paused or disabled template to paused | Always on; no setting to disable |
| Needs attention tab | Filters the Templates list to only rejected, paused or disabled templates | Available from the Templates page |
Meta's pause ladder
Editing a paused template moves it back into In Review rather than clearing the pause instantly; Meta's own status_update and quality_update webhooks are what VGraple CRM listens for to keep this in sync, rather than a periodic poll.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Template shows Paused with no alert received | The pause happened before this workspace connected, or the webhook has not yet been processed | Click Sync from Meta on the Templates page to pull the current status directly |
| Broadcast stuck at Paused after the template's pause lifted | VGraple CRM does not auto-resume a parked broadcast | Open the broadcast and resume it manually once the template is Approved again |
| Template quality is YELLOW but nothing else has happened | YELLOW is a warning state, not a pause; it can persist for a while | Review recent sends for engagement; a YELLOW template can recover to GREEN on its own with better engagement, or continue declining to RED |
| Template disabled after only one or two pauses instead of three | The pause ladder counts pauses within its own tracked window; a portfolio-level or policy-driven disable can also happen outside the standard quality ladder | Treat it as permanent regardless of the count reached; build a new template |
| Paused template used by a flow or automation rule keeps trying to send | Flows and automation rules do not check template status before attempting a send the way a broadcast is auto-parked | Disable or edit the flow node or automation rule referencing the paused template until it is approved again |
Related reading
To understand what drives a category change that sometimes accompanies quality issues, see template recategorised from utility to marketing. To catch a falling read rate before Meta acts on it, see template analytics and approval stats.