You added a product or service to your WhatsApp Business catalog, and now it has a red exclamation mark next to the photo. Or it never seems to go live, and customers tell you they can't see it. Only that one item is affected. The rest of your catalog shows up fine.
WhatsApp reviews every item you add to a catalog, and customers only see an item once it's approved. So a missing item is in one of three states: still in review, rejected because something in it breaks WhatsApp's commerce rules, or rejected by mistake. The fix depends on which one it is. (If your whole catalog is missing, not just one item, that's a different problem with its own causes.)
Tell which case you're in
Open the WhatsApp Business app and go to your catalog. WhatsApp's help centre gives the path as: from the Tools tab, tap Catalog. Then look at the item.
- Red exclamation icon next to the image: the item was rejected. WhatsApp's help centre says this is how rejected items are marked.
- No icon, but customers can't see it yet: the item may still be in review. WhatsApp says items that are pending review aren't visible to customers.
- You hid the item: hidden items aren't shown to customers either. Check this before you assume a rejection.
- You manage the catalog in Meta Commerce Manager (common if you use the WhatsApp Business Platform/API): rejections and appeals are handled there, not in the app.
How WhatsApp reviews catalog items
WhatsApp's help centre says every image and video uploaded to a catalog is reviewed to check it complies with its business policy. Approved items are added to the catalog automatically. Until then, and if an item is rejected, customers can't see it.
WhatsApp's Business Policy says it may use automated tools and human reviewers to check business information for possible violations. Meta's developer documentation adds that WhatsApp automatically reviews items added to a catalog connected to a WhatsApp business account, and that a product a user reports is reviewed for violations too. So an item that was approved can still be pulled later if someone reports it.
WhatsApp's help centre doesn't say how long a review or an appeal takes. Be wary of any article that gives you an exact number of hours.
What WhatsApp's commerce rules prohibit
WhatsApp's Business Policy says anyone using catalogs or other commerce features must follow the Meta Commerce Policy. It also lists organisations and goods that can't use WhatsApp for business at all, including firearms; alcohol and tobacco; drugs, whether prescription, recreational or otherwise; medical and healthcare products; endangered species; live non-endangered animals (excluding livestock); hazardous goods and materials; real, virtual or fake currency; body parts or fluids; real-money gambling; adult products and services; dating services; multi-level marketing; and payday loans, paycheck advances, peer-to-peer lending, debt collection and bail bonds. It also bans business models WhatsApp judges fraudulent, misleading, offensive, deceptive or exploitative. The policy says these bans apply regardless of any local or global licences the business holds.
Meta's Commerce Policies, which WhatsApp points to, list these prohibited content sections at the time of writing:
- Community Standards; adult content and sexually positioned products; alcohol; body parts and fluids
- Digital media and electronic devices; discrimination; documents, currency and financial instruments; gambling
- Hazardous goods and materials; human exploitation and sexual services; jobs; land, animals and animal products
- Medical and healthcare products; misleading, violent or hateful content; no item for sale
- Prescription products, drugs and drug paraphernalia; recalled products; stolen goods; subscriptions and digital products
- Third-party infringement; tobacco products and related paraphernalia; used cosmetics; vehicle parts and accessories; weapons, ammunition and explosives
What to change before you ask for another review
Your photos and videos are reviewed, so look at the item the way a reviewer would. Some sections on Meta's list catch ordinary businesses by surprise: 'No item for sale' (a post that's really an announcement, a meme or a 'contact us' card rather than a product), 'Third-party infringement' (other brands' logos, replicas, or photos you don't have rights to), 'Medical and healthcare products', and 'Subscriptions and digital products'. Meta also lists 'Services' as restricted rather than prohibited, and names the WhatsApp Business app as one of the channels where services can be offered.
Things worth checking and fixing:
- Photos: show the actual item you're selling. Remove anything in the image that could read as a prohibited product, such as bottles, cigarettes, pills or weapons in the background.
- Name and description: describe what the item is. Avoid health or cure claims, and don't use another brand's name unless you're selling that genuine product.
- Country of origin: WhatsApp's help centre says you must select it when you add a new item or edit an existing one.
- Media limits: WhatsApp allows up to 10 images or videos per item, and each video can be up to 50 MB.
- If the product itself is in a prohibited category, editing won't help. WhatsApp's policy says selling prohibited goods through catalogs can lead to it restricting some or all of your access to WhatsApp for business, so remove the item rather than retrying it.
How to request another review in the WhatsApp Business app
If you think the item follows the rules and was rejected by mistake, WhatsApp's help centre says you can appeal from inside the app:
- Go to the Tools tab and tap Catalog.
- Tap the rejected item (the one with the red exclamation icon).
- Tap Request another review.
- Enter your reason. Say plainly what the item is and why it doesn't fall under a prohibited category.
- Tap Continue.
If the appeal is rejected too
WhatsApp's help centre says that if you have read the policy and your appeal was still rejected, you can send WhatsApp a reply explaining why you're asking for a third review. That's the last step the help centre describes for a single item.
Meta's Commerce Policies also say you can request a review of commerce content you believe was rejected or removed by mistake, and they cover catalog products on WhatsApp Business. The policies warn that violations can lead to listings being removed and to commerce features being suspended, and that repeated violations can lead to further action against the account. If a rejection is clearly right, delete the item. Don't keep re-uploading it.
If your catalog lives in Meta Commerce Manager
Businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform usually connect a catalog from Meta Commerce Manager instead of building it in the app. Meta's developer documentation says businesses can appeal disapproved items directly in Commerce Manager.
For catalogs managed through Meta's Marketing API, the developer reference says an additional review can be requested only after a product is rejected, and only once per product. You can add an optional short rationale in English, which Meta says helps. At the time of writing, a request can include up to 100 items, and the endpoint is limited to 10 calls per day per catalog.
If you're the customer
If a business sent you a link to a product and you can't find it in their catalog, the item may be pending review, hidden, or rejected. You can't see any of those, and there's nothing to fix on your phone. Message the business directly and ask them to send the details or a photo in the chat instead.
Where OneSol fits
If you want somewhere to point customers while an item waits for review, OneSol gives you a free page with one link for all your profiles, including your WhatsApp. You can also add forms that don't make people sign in, so customers can send an enquiry or order request. Taking payments through your own Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay or Square account is part of the paid Pro plan.