# WhatsApp error 132015: template paused — cause and fix URL: https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/errors/132015 Language: English > WhatsApp error 132015: Meta paused the template for low quality. How long pauses last (3 h, 6 h, then disabled with 132016) and how to resume safely. WhatsApp error 132015 means the template is paused: its quality rating dropped to the lowest level after negative feedback or low read rates, and Meta suspended it. It cannot be sent while the pause lasts. Wait for the pause to lift or edit the template, and switch to another template in the meantime. ## What does error 132015 mean? > "Template is paused due to low quality so it cannot be sent in a template message." > — [Meta, Cloud API error codes](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/support/error-codes#other-errors) Meta's fix: edit the template to improve its quality, then try again once it is approved. Its neighbouring code marks the next step: > "Template has been paused too many times due to low quality and is now permanently disabled." > — Meta, code 132016 For 132016 there is only one way out: create a new template, with different content. ### How does pausing work? Every template has a quality rating, based on usage, user feedback and engagement: `GREEN`, `YELLOW`, `RED`, or `UNKNOWN` until there is enough data ([Meta, Template quality](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-quality)). According to Meta's page on pausing, a template that reaches the lowest rating (`RED` through the API) is paused automatically ([Meta, Template pausing](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-pausing)). Its page on quality says, however, that a `RED` template "can be sent, but is in danger of being paused or disabled soon". Meta is not consistent from one page to the other: treat `RED` as an imminent pause. The pause schedule: | Occurrence | Consequence | | ---------- | ---------------------- | | 1st time | Paused for 3 hours | | 2nd time | Paused for 6 hours | | 3rd time | Disabled: error 132016 | During the pause, Meta does not charge you for send attempts and does not count them against your messaging limit, but the API rejects them. When the pause ends, the template becomes active again on its own and its rating is recalculated. Meta notifies you through a WhatsApp Manager notification, an email and the `message_template_status_update` webhook. A pause does not affect the number at first: its other high-quality templates keep going out. But a number that keeps sending low-quality templates may eventually be affected. ## When does error 132015 happen? * **In the middle of a campaign**, when the template collected negative feedback on the first sends. * **On an automated template** (cart reminder, follow-up) going to people who were not expecting it. * **Right after a pause**, if the cause was not addressed: the next pause lasts longer, and the third one is final. ### Where do you see it in Genuka WA? | Channel | What you get | | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `POST /api/v1/messages` response | `400`, `"error": "send_template"`, `meta.code: 132015` | | Campaign launch | If Genuka WA already knows the template is paused: a single refusal before the first send, instead of one failure per recipient | | `GET /api/v1/templates/{id}` | `status` and `qualityScore` read live from Meta | | `message_template_status_update` webhook | The pause event, forwarded as Meta sends it | As soon as Genuka WA knows the template is paused, after `GET /api/v1/templates/{id}` or `GET /api/v1/templates?sync=true`, it refuses the send **before** Meta, with the same 132015 code so your error handling reacts the same way: ```json title="400 — POST /api/v1/messages" { "error": "send_template", "message": "Template \"october_promo\" is paused by Meta after negative recipient feedback and cannot be sent. Wait for the pause to lift or edit the template", "meta": { "errorClass": "template", "retryable": false, "code": 132015 } } ``` A disabled template is refused the same way with code 132016. Note that Genuka WA also records as disabled a template that Meta has only **flagged** (the `FLAGGED` webhook event, "at risk of being disabled" according to [Meta](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/webhooks/reference/message_template_status_update)), even though it can still be sent. Before recreating a template refused with 132016, read it again with `GET /api/v1/templates/{id}`: if Meta still reports it approved, Genuka WA sets it back to `approved` and the refusal goes away. ## How do I fix error 132015? 1. **Stop the automated sends that use this template.** Meta recommends it: they will be rejected anyway while the pause lasts. 2. **Switch to a backup template** for messages that cannot wait, such as an order confirmation. 3. **Choose between waiting and editing.** At Meta, the pause lifts on its own after 3 or 6 hours. Editing the content (`PATCH /api/v1/templates/{id}` with new `components`) sends it back to review: it cannot go out until it is approved again. 4. **Once the pause has lifted, have Genuka WA read the template again** with `GET /api/v1/templates/{id}`, `GET /api/v1/templates?sync=true` or `POST /api/v1/templates/sync`. Only that read guarantees Genuka WA clears its own 132015 refusal: the reinstatement notice received by webhook does not always update its status. Without that read, it can keep answering 132015 after Meta has already reactivated the template. 5. **Fix the cause before resuming**: targeting, frequency, relevance of the message. Otherwise the next pause lasts longer, and the third one disables the template. Meta also lets you unpause a paused template manually, from WhatsApp Manager or through its `unpause` API, and requires it for pauses caused by *template pacing*. Genuka WA does not expose that action: use WhatsApp Manager. **curl** ```bash curl https://wa.genuka.com/api/v1/templates/tpl_123 \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $GENUKA_WA_API_KEY" # { "data": { "name": "october_promo", "status": "paused", "qualityScore": { "score": "RED", ... }, ... } } ``` **Node.js** ```ts /** Call before a bulk send: do not start on a template that is paused or in the red. */ export async function templateIsSafe(templateId: string): Promise { const response = await fetch(`https://wa.genuka.com/api/v1/templates/${templateId}`, { headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.GENUKA_WA_API_KEY}` }, }); const { data } = await response.json(); return data.status === "approved" && data.qualityScore?.score !== "RED"; } ``` **Python** ```python import os import requests def template_is_safe(template_id: str) -> bool: """Call before a bulk send: do not start on a template that is paused or in the red.""" response = requests.get( f"https://wa.genuka.com/api/v1/templates/{template_id}", headers={ "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['GENUKA_WA_API_KEY']}", "User-Agent": "acme-crm/1.0 (+https://example.com)", }, timeout=30, ) response.raise_for_status() data = response.json()["data"] return data["status"] == "approved" and (data.get("qualityScore") or {}).get("score") != "RED" ``` ## How do I prevent error 132015? * **Watch the rating before the pause.** At `YELLOW`, Meta warns the template is at risk of being paused; at `RED`, treat the pause as imminent. That is the moment to slow down. * **Only send to people who opted in** to your messages, and at the right time. * **Make every message useful and expected**: an appointment reminder is rarely reported, a generic promotion sent to your whole list often is. * **Keep a backup template** for every critical message, under another name. ## Related error codes * [131048](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/errors/131048): no longer a template but **the number** is restricted for low quality. * [132001](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/errors/132001): the template cannot be found in that language, or is not approved. * [131049](https://wa.genuka.com/en/docs/errors/131049): a marketing template held back for one specific recipient. ## FAQ ### How long does a template pause last? 3 hours the first time, 6 hours the second. The third time, the template is disabled (error 132016\) and you need to create a new one. Once the pause has lifted, read the template again with `GET /api/v1/templates/{id}` so Genuka WA stops refusing it. ### Are send attempts during the pause billed? No. Meta states that you are not charged for attempting to send a paused template, and that the attempt does not count against your messaging limit. It is simply rejected. ### Does editing the template lift the pause? Not right away: editing sends it back to review, and it cannot be sent until it is approved again. It helps when the content is the cause, not to save time. ## Sources * [Meta — Error codes](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/support/error-codes) * [Meta — Template pausing](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-pausing) * [Meta — Template quality rating](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-quality) * [Meta — message\_template\_status\_update webhook](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/webhooks/reference/message_template_status_update)