How to Fix the Pending Status of Meta WhatsApp API Phone Number?
As a leading digital agency in India and in the Middle East, we have done several WhatsApp API integrations for various clients. We have developed WhatsApp solutions and CRM integrations using WhatsApp APIs. Even though we have completed many integrations, we occasionally face some challenges, including:
- WhatsApp phone number connected to the Meta App goes into pending status and all attempts to change it to “connected” status fails
- Documentation from Meta is not very well structured and sometimes leads to outdated processes.
In this article, I am sharing an effective solution to this problem: WhatsApp phone number used in WhatsApp Manager shows “Pending” status and does not change to “Connected” status even after following all the steps suggested by Meta. So, if you are struggling to get the phone number status updated, follow the steps below to get a definite solution:
Step 1: Open WhatsApp Manager
- Log in to Business Manager Settings in Meta
- Click on the “WhatsApp accounts” menu on the left
- Select the WhatsApp account from the right
- Select “Whatsapp Manager” from the 3-dot menu on the right.
Step 2: See the status of the Phone Number listed on the page. If the status is shown as “Pending”, follow the steps below to resolve the issue.
Step 2: Open the Apps Dashboard for Your Active Meta App.
This is where you manage all the settings for your App and for the WhatsApp API integration:
- Go back to your Business Settings
- Select “Apps” from the left menu under “Accounts”
- Select your App from the middle panel
- Click on the 3-dot menu on the top right of the selected App and select “Open in App Dashboard”.
- Click on the App listed on the main window to open the App Dashboard.
Step 3: Go to API Setup
Go to the API Setup for the Meta App you selected. We are going to reconfigure the App to ensure the Phone Number is connected to it. This is the key step that will take your Phone Number from the “Pending” status to “Connected” status.
- Look for the “WhatsApp” menu in the left menu.
- Expand the menu and select “API Setup”.
- Select the “Phone Number” which is in pending status.
Step 4: Generate New Token
The most common reason for not getting your WhatsApp phone number switching from the “Pending” status to “Connected” status is, that your access token is expired or misconfigured. Unfortunately, the Meta documentation does explain this and your Meta accounts do not clearly show this reason. So, now the trick is to generate a new access token for your phone number and make sure all other configurations are correct. This will refresh your access token and make sure it is configured and connected.
Step 5: Verify Your Identity and Authenticate
Since generating an access token is a very sensitive process, Facebook may prompt you to authenticate yourself. Complete the authentication process.
When you choose the Meta app to connect to the WhatsApp accounts, there are 2 options:
- Select all WhatsApp accounts including the future WhatsApp accounts you are going to connect. This option will ensure you won’t get any issues in future but if you represent an agency that is managing several Apps and WhatsApp accounts, this will end up giving unnecessary access to several WhatsApp accounts.
- Select specific WhatsApp accounts. I suggest you choose this option and select only the WhatsApp accounts that you want to connect with the Meta App.
If prompted, Login to your Facebook account again and also agree to the terms of use. Make sure you have correctly selected all the settings and selected the right WhatsApp accounts. 
Step 6: Save Your New Access Token
Make sure you save your Access Token to use in your WhatsApp API integration. Keep in mind that the Access Token is very sensitive data that will give access to your Meta App and the connected APIs.
Step 7: Your Phone Number Status is Now Changed to “Connected”.
Now get ready to smile. Go back to your “Phone Numbers” page under the “WhatsApp Manager” and see the status. The status would be now changed from “Pending” to “Connected”.
Conclusion
I wish Meta had made this a little easier and obvious. It wouldn’t be hard for Meta to indicate the reason for not having the phone number status changed to “Connected”. I hope the steps in this article will help you resolve the problem with the phone number in Meta WhatsApp API integration. If you are looking for any help with custom WhatsApp applications or API integrations, SpiderWorks has a team of 100+ talented employees ready to help you.
