---
title: "Troubleshooting Phone Connection Issues"
description: "When a user reaches out about unusual issues related to phone connection and you're not sure how to proceed, work through the steps below in order."
canonical_url: https://chatfuel.com/docs/whatsapp/troubleshooting-phone-connection-issues
markdown_url: https://chatfuel.com/docs/whatsapp/troubleshooting-phone-connection-issues.md
last_updated: 2026-03-02
lang: en
site: https://chatfuel.com/docs
llms_txt: https://chatfuel.com/llms.txt
---

# Troubleshooting Phone Connection Issues

When a user reaches out about unusual issues related to phone connection and you're not sure how to proceed, work through the steps below in order.

When a user reaches out about unusual issues related to phone connection and you're not sure how to proceed, work through the steps below in order. Always ask the user for a screenshot or screen recording at every key step — they can easily miss something.

***

## Step 1: Verify the Business Portfolio [#step-1-verify-the-business-portfolio]

Ask the user to send a screenshot of their [Business info page](https://business.facebook.com/latest/settings/business_info).

If the Business Portfolio is not verified, ask the user to complete verification from the same page before proceeding.

***

## Step 2: Check for restricted categories [#step-2-check-for-restricted-categories]

Confirm that both the **business category** and the **WABA (WhatsApp Business Account) category** are not on the restricted list.

See the full list of restricted categories in the [WhatsApp rules guide](https://chatfuel.com/docs/whatsapp/whatsapp-rules-or-how-to-avoid-bans).

***

## Step 3: Validate the display name [#step-3-validate-the-display-name]

Check whether the **display name** for the phone number follows [WhatsApp's naming rules](https://chatfuel.com/docs/whatsapp/how-to-change-whatsapp-display-name).

***

## Step 4: QR code can't be scanned (CoEx) [#step-4-qr-code-cant-be-scanned-coex]

If the user is [connecting a WhatsApp Business App number](https://chatfuel.com/docs/whatsapp/connect-whatsapp-business-app-number) and the QR code can't be scanned, first ask them to try again after a few minutes.

If the issue persists, ask them to:

1. Open [Billing hub](https://business.facebook.com/billing_hub/accounts) in Meta Business Suite.
2. Look for **"Payment failed"** notifications next to their Ad and WhatsApp Business accounts.
3. Pay any outstanding amounts and wait \~10 minutes.
4. Try scanning the QR code again.

***

## Step 5: "Your account is using marketing messages" error (CoEx) [#step-5-your-account-is-using-marketing-messages-error-coex]

If the user sees an error saying **"Your account is using marketing messages"** during connection, ask them to:

1. Open the **WhatsApp Business** app on their phone.
2. Go to **Tools → Marketing messages**.
3. Delete all marketing messages listed there.
4. Try connecting the phone number to Chatfuel again.

***

## Step 6: Check if the Facebook account is restricted [#step-6-check-if-the-facebook-account-is-restricted]

Ask the user to check whether their personal Facebook account is restricted by visiting [Ads Manager](https://adsmanager.facebook.com/adsmanager/manage/accounts).

If the account is restricted, they have two options:

* **File an appeal** with Meta Support at [Business Support Home](https://www.facebook.com/business-support-home/).
* **Use a colleague's account** — grant a colleague admin permissions on the business account and have them connect the phone number instead. Important: warn the user **not** to log in to Facebook using their colleague's credentials, as this will get the colleague's account restricted too.

***

## Step 7: Business account not visible in the popup [#step-7-business-account-not-visible-in-the-popup]

If the user wants to connect their WhatsApp to the bot but does not see their Business account in the popup window during setup, ask them to verify they have **Full Control** rights on the Meta Business Account they are trying to connect.

They can check this at [Meta Business Account settings → People](https://business.facebook.com/settings/people).