[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":88},["ShallowReactive",2],{"pseo:glossary:timelock":3,"highlight:glossary:timelock":82},{"definition":4,"explanation":5,"in_wapito":6,"official_note":9,"question":10,"related":11,"related_operations":46,"seo":66,"slug":80,"term":74,"tier":81,"updated":78,"url":75},"A timelock is a temporary hold WhatsApp places on a number's ability to start new conversations. Replies inside existing threads usually keep working, which is the giveaway. It lifts by itself after a period, and Wapito surfaces the expected time so a scheduler can wait rather than retry into it repeatedly.","Timelocks are what happens before a ban. WhatsApp sees a number sending a burst of first messages to people who have never written to it, or collecting blocks and reports faster than a normal line would, and rather than removing the number it throttles the behaviour that triggered the alarm. Because ongoing conversations continue, the symptom is confusing from the inside: support threads work perfectly while every outbound campaign message is refused. The correct response is to stop, not to wait it out and resume the same pattern. A number that is timelocked twice for the same reason is on a short path to being banned outright, and no provider - Wapito included - can appeal that on your behalf, because the decision is WhatsApp's and the relationship is with the number's owner. Use the hold as a diagnostic: look at who you were messaging, whether they opted in, how fast the queue was draining, and whether the first message gave people an easy way to opt out.",{"example":7,"field":8},"{\"error\": {\"code\": \"reachout_timelocked\", \"details\": {\"until\": \"2026-09-16T08:00:00Z\"}}}","until","The Cloud API has its own quality signals and can restrict or pause a phone number that accumulates negative feedback, so the underlying risk of over-messaging exists on the official platform too.","What is a WhatsApp timelock?",{"features":12,"hub":25,"operations":26,"terms":36},[13,16,19,22],{"title":14,"url":15},"Send Group Message","\u002Fwhatsapp-api\u002Fsend-group-message\u002F",{"title":17,"url":18},"Group Events","\u002Fwhatsapp-api\u002Fgroup-events\u002F",{"title":20,"url":21},"Post to Channel","\u002Fwhatsapp-api\u002Fpost-to-channel\u002F",{"title":23,"url":24},"Send Without Template","\u002Fwhatsapp-api\u002Fsend-message-without-template\u002F","\u002Fglossary\u002F",[27,30,33],{"title":28,"url":29},"POST \u002Fmessages\u002Ftext","\u002Fdocs\u002Fapi\u002Fmessages\u002Fsend-text\u002F",{"title":31,"url":32},"GET \u002Fchannel\u002Flimits","\u002Fdocs\u002Fapi\u002Fchannel\u002Fget-channel-limits\u002F",{"title":34,"url":35},"POST \u002Fmessages\u002Fimage","\u002Fdocs\u002Fapi\u002Fmessages\u002Fsend-image\u002F",[37,40,43],{"title":38,"url":39},"Cold send","\u002Fglossary\u002Fcold-send\u002F",{"title":41,"url":42},"Warm-up","\u002Fglossary\u002Fwarm-up\u002F",{"title":44,"url":45},"Sandbox","\u002Fglossary\u002Fsandbox\u002F",[47,55,62],{"availability":48,"ban_risk":49,"method":50,"operationId":51,"path":52,"summary":53,"tag":54,"url":29},"ga","medium","POST","sendText","\u002Fmessages\u002Ftext","Send a text message","messages",{"availability":48,"ban_risk":56,"method":57,"operationId":58,"path":59,"summary":60,"tag":61,"url":32},"low","GET","getChannelLimits","\u002Fchannel\u002Flimits","Get quotas, warm-up and timelock state","channel",{"availability":48,"ban_risk":49,"method":50,"operationId":63,"path":64,"summary":65,"tag":54,"url":35},"sendImage","\u002Fmessages\u002Fimage","Send an image",{"breadcrumb":67,"canonical":76,"description":77,"h1":10,"lastmod":78,"title":79},[68,71,73],{"name":69,"url":70},"Home","\u002F",{"name":72,"url":25},"Glossary",{"name":74,"url":75},"Timelock","\u002Fglossary\u002Ftimelock\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fwapito.com\u002Fglossary\u002Ftimelock\u002F","A timelock is a temporary hold WhatsApp places on a number's ability to start new conversations. Timelock explained for developers building on the WhatsApp API.","2026-09-15","What is a WhatsApp timelock? | Wapito Glossary","timelock","t9",[83],{"label":84,"id":85,"lang":85,"code":86,"html":87},"JSON","json","{\n  \"error\": {\n    \"code\": \"reachout_timelocked\",\n    \"details\": {\n      \"until\": \"2026-09-16T08:00:00Z\"\n    }\n  }\n}","\u003Cpre class=\"shiki shiki-themes github-light-default github-dark-default\" style=\"background-color:#ffffff;--shiki-dark-bg:#0d1117;color:#1f2328;--shiki-dark:#e6edf3\" tabindex=\"0\">\u003Ccode>\u003Cspan class=\"line\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1F2328;--shiki-dark:#E6EDF3\">{\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fspan>\n\u003Cspan class=\"line\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#116329;--shiki-dark:#7EE787\">  \"error\"\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1F2328;--shiki-dark:#E6EDF3\">: {\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fspan>\n\u003Cspan class=\"line\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#116329;--shiki-dark:#7EE787\">    \"code\"\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1F2328;--shiki-dark:#E6EDF3\">: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#0A3069;--shiki-dark:#A5D6FF\">\"reachout_timelocked\"\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1F2328;--shiki-dark:#E6EDF3\">,\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fspan>\n\u003Cspan class=\"line\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#116329;--shiki-dark:#7EE787\">    \"details\"\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1F2328;--shiki-dark:#E6EDF3\">: {\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fspan>\n\u003Cspan class=\"line\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#116329;--shiki-dark:#7EE787\">      \"until\"\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1F2328;--shiki-dark:#E6EDF3\">: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#0A3069;--shiki-dark:#A5D6FF\">\"2026-09-16T08:00:00Z\"\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fspan>\n\u003Cspan class=\"line\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1F2328;--shiki-dark:#E6EDF3\">    }\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fspan>\n\u003Cspan class=\"line\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1F2328;--shiki-dark:#E6EDF3\">  }\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fspan>\n\u003Cspan class=\"line\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1F2328;--shiki-dark:#E6EDF3\">}\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fcode>\u003C\u002Fpre>",1790464916494]