WhatsApp error 33: phone number deleted — cause and fix

WhatsApp error 33 means, according to Meta, that the WhatsApp Business phone number the request targets has been deleted. The phone number ID you are using no longer points to an active number. Check that ID; if the number really was deleted, it has to be connected again. Sending the same request again will change nothing.

What does error 33 mean?

Meta files it under the Cloud API's "other errors":

"The business phone number has been deleted." — suggested fix: "Verify that the business phone number is correct." — Meta, Cloud API error codes

Meta's fix therefore covers two causes: a number that really was deleted, or an ID that is not the right one.

Deleted, deregistered or still being deleted?

Three similar states produce three different codes:

The wording comes from the same Meta page. Meta also states that deregistering a number does not delete it or its message history (Meta, Registration).

Error 33 or subcode 33?

First check which field carries the 33. Graph can also answer with code 100 and error_subcode: 33, a response that says nothing about a deleted number:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Unsupported post request. Object with ID '123456789012345' does not exist, cannot be loaded due to missing permissions, or does not support this operation.",
    "type": "GraphMethodException",
    "code": 100,
    "error_subcode": 33
  }
}

This response was reported on the Activepieces forum. It says the target object does not exist, or the token has no access to it. The reported causes are a wrong ID, a token that lost access to that asset, or partner access that was removed (Fast2SMS). A deleted number can produce it, and so can removed access: do not conclude the number was deleted before checking access, see error 100 and error 200.

When does error 33 happen?

• The number was deleted in WhatsApp Manager by someone at the business, while an integration was still using it.
• The ID is wrong or stale: copied from another account, kept in a configuration after a number change, or confused with the displayed phone number.

Where do you see it in Genuka WA?

Genuka WA stores the number's ID when it is connected; the connectionId you pass points to it. If the business later deletes the number in WhatsApp Manager, calls on that connection are refused: with meta.code: 33, or with meta.code: 100 and meta.subcode: 33, the response described above.

Genuka does not put 33 in a dedicated class: the class follows the HTTP status Meta returned, usually unknown, and it is not retryable.

How do I fix error 33?

If you go through Genuka WA

If Meta gave the number a new identifier, the messages, templates and statistics Genuka WA already recorded stay attached to the old connection.

If you call the Cloud API directly

List the account's numbers with GET /{WABA_ID}/phone_numbers and compare their id with the one you use. If the number is gone, add it back in WhatsApp Manager, verify it, then register it with POST /{PHONE_NUMBER_ID}/register (Meta, Registration). Right after a deletion, wait a few minutes: Meta answers 133015 until it has completed.

How do I prevent error 33?

• Stop sends before deleting a number. Tell the people who manage WhatsApp Manager: deleting a number immediately stops every integration that uses it.
• Reference the connection, not the phone number. Store Genuka WA's connectionId, or Meta's phone number ID, rather than the displayed number, which is not an API identifier.
• Check health before a large campaign. A GET /api/v1/numbers/{id}/health fails right away on a deleted number, instead of letting every recipient fail one by one.

Related error codes

• 133010: the number exists but is not registered on the Cloud API.
• 133015: the number was just deleted and deletion has not completed.
• 100: an unknown or misspelled parameter; with subcode 33, an object that cannot be found or accessed.
• 200: the account is no longer accessible, for instance after access was removed.

FAQ

What is the difference between deregistering and deleting a number?

Deregistering makes the number unusable with the Cloud API until it is registered again, without deleting it or its history. Deleting removes it from the WhatsApp account: that is the case that produces error 33.

Should I retry a send refused with error 33?

No. Until the number is reconnected, every send on that connection will fail the same way.

Is my message history lost?

Not on the Genuka WA side: what was recorded stays attached to the old connection. On Meta's side, yes: deleting a number also deletes its history, whereas deregistering it keeps it (Meta, Registration).

Sources

• Meta — Error codes
• Meta — Register a business phone number
• Activepieces community — code 100, error_subcode 33
• Fast2SMS — Unsupported POST/GET request, object does not exist