WhatsApp Business API

WhatsApp quality rating: what it is and how to improve it

Your WhatsApp quality rating shows how customers react to your messages and affects your sending limit. Learn what lowers it and how to raise it again.

  • 2 min read
  • Updated
  • By Ashmit Arya
On this page (8)
  1. Where you see it
  2. Why it matters
  3. What lowers quality
  4. A recovery plan if your rating drops
  5. Build quality in from the start
  6. How to keep it healthy long term
  7. Sources
  8. Frequently asked questions

The quality rating is Meta's way of asking, "Do your customers want these messages?" The answer decides how fast your sending limit grows and whether your templates keep working.

Where you see it

In Responseify the connected number shows a quality badge: High quality, Medium quality or Low quality. A number with little history may show "not yet rated", which is normal.

Responseify WhatsApp page showing the connected number with its quality badge

If something is wrong with the connection, the page says so and offers a reconnect. See WhatsApp disconnected or quality dropped.

Why it matters

  • Sending limits. Meta's documentation says message quality is evaluated before a limit increase. Poor quality keeps you where you are. See messaging limits explained.
  • Template status. Templates with negative feedback from multiple customers, or low read rates, can show an Active - Low Quality status and, if it continues, be paused so they cannot be sent.

What lowers quality

Habits that hurt

  • Messaging people who never opted in
  • Sending the same offer too often
  • Vague or misleading messages
  • Ignoring requests to stop

Habits that help

  • Clear opt-in and a visible way out
  • Segmenting so messages are relevant
  • Saying who you are and why you are writing
  • Honouring opt-outs straight away

A recovery plan if your rating drops

  1. 1

    Pause the blaststoday

    Stop broadcasts to cold or unsure lists while you recover.

  2. 2

    Find the causeday 1

    Which template or audience drew complaints? The results screen shows delivered, read and replied.

  3. 3

    Clean the listday 2

    Remove anyone who did not opt in, and apply opt-outs. See [consent and opt-outs](/blog/whatsapp-opt-in-how-to-collect-consent).

  4. 4

    Rewrite the templateday 3

    Say who you are, why they are getting it and add a clear opt-out line.

  5. 5

    Send small, relevant batchesweek 1

    Re-start with people who engaged recently, and watch read rates.

Build quality in from the start

The best fix is not needing one: start small, send to people who know you, and read the replies. Customers who reply have told you the message was welcome.

How to keep it healthy long term

Make quality a routine, not a rescue. Before each broadcast, ask three questions: did these people agree to hear from us, is this relevant to them, and would I be happy to get this message myself? Then review results afterwards and retire templates nobody reads.

A few small habits go a long way: put a clear opt-out line in marketing templates, send fewer messages to people who never reply, and keep utility messages truly about the customer's order or booking. Read how to read your campaign metrics to spot trouble early, and the broadcast rules for what good sending looks like.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What does a low quality rating mean?

Customers are reacting badly to your messages, for example by blocking or not reading them. It can hold back your sending limit and affect templates.

Will my number be banned if quality drops?

A drop is a warning, not a ban by itself. Fix the causes and send relevant, opted-in messages.

How long does it take to recover?

It depends on how you change your sending. Send smaller, more relevant batches and watch read rates.

Can I see which template is the problem?

Check the template status and your broadcast results for read and reply rates by campaign.

About the author

Ashmit Arya · Founder, Responseify

Builds Responseify, a WhatsApp CRM for Indian businesses, and tests what these guides describe in the product himself. Every number here is sourced and dated, and posts are updated when the rules change.

Connect on LinkedIn
  • Last reviewed .
  • Where we give figures about our own examples, we say so and show how we counted.
  • Found a mistake or an out-of-date rule? Email us and we will correct it. More about us on the About page.
Share on WhatsApp

Keep reading

See the features in Responseify