> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.alcmeon.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# WhatsApp account quality, sending tiers, and warm-up

> How Meta rates WhatsApp Business accounts, how sending tiers work, how to warm up a new account, and how Simio surfaces quality and tier information.

Meta closely monitors what happens on a WhatsApp Business account, especially in its first weeks. Two signals govern how a brand is rated: **account quality** and **sending tiers**. They are closely linked, and Simio surfaces both on the home page so you can keep an eye on them.

## Account quality

Every WhatsApp account has a quality rating that reflects how contacts have interacted with it.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="High quality (green)">
    A new account starts at High. After a few sent messages, contacts have engaged positively and the account has no warning attached.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Medium quality (yellow)">
    Quality can drop to Medium if some contacts report the account. There is no explicit warning, but the account is on watch and you should be careful with subsequent sends.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Low quality (red)">
    Quality drops to Low when many contacts have reported the account. Meta flags the account and warns you; if the pattern continues, Meta may suspend the account. You should stop and review your communication strategy immediately.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Flagging

An account is **flagged** as soon as its quality drops to Low.

* If quality improves back to Medium or High, flagging is removed automatically.
* If quality stays at Low, flagging is eventually removed anyway, but the account is **downgraded to a lower sending tier**.
* If you keep sending on a flagged account without changing behavior, Meta may **suspend** the account entirely. A suspended WhatsApp Business account cannot be recovered; you have to create a new one.

Simio sends an automatic email alert whenever the quality of your WhatsApp account changes.

### Where to check quality

* **In Simio**: home page (click the Simio logo top-left to reach it). Quality is shown next to the connected WhatsApp number.
* **In Meta Business Manager**: WhatsApp Manager for your account.

If activity settles and no more contacts report the account, quality can recover from Low to Medium, and sometimes back to High.

## Sending tiers

New WhatsApp accounts have to prove they are legitimate before Meta lifts their daily volume ceiling. Sending tiers cap how many conversations you can start in a rolling 24-hour window.

| Tier | Conversations per 24h |
| - | - |
| Basic | 250 |
| Tier 1 | 1,000 |
| Tier 2 | 10,000 |
| Tier 3 | 100,000 |
| Tier 4 | Unlimited |

A new account starts at Basic while Meta verifies it (usually within 24 hours), then moves to Tier 1. Meta may promote directly to Tier 2 if it recognizes the brand's reputation (via the company website provided at account creation). A phone number that was already used on WhatsApp Business may resume at its previous tier.

### How to move up a tier

Three conditions must all be met:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Maintain High or Medium quality">
    See the section above.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start at least 50% of the tier's cap over 7 consecutive days">
    On Tier 1 (cap 1,000), that means starting at least 500 conversations in a 7-day window.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait 24 hours after crossing the threshold">
    Meta applies the tier upgrade after a short delay.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Where to check the tier

* **In Simio**: home page, next to the account quality.
* **In Meta Business Manager**: same page as account quality. Meta also shows the current tier's upgrade conditions and whether each is met.

### What happens if you exceed the tier limit

Once you hit the cap in a 24-hour window, Simio stops the campaign in-flight. Any queued messages are shown as **Spam Rate limit hit** errors in the delivery log. The account is then restricted for 24 hours (no new outbound conversations allowed) before you can send again.

## Warming up a new account

To move up tiers safely without triggering flagging, warm up the account with these practices:

* **Send your first campaign to your most engaged customers.** High engagement on the first sends signals Meta that this is a trusted account.
* **Target a small, opted-in segment.** For example, loyal customers you announce the new WhatsApp channel to.
* **Include an unsubscribe button** in the message, linked to an opt-out step in the flow. Contacts who don't want to be reached can opt out, which is far better than being reported as spam.
* **Launch conversational automations** (like abandoned cart, order confirmation) alongside campaigns. Contacts replying to those automations increase account trust.

<Warning>
  Do not send to your entire opted-in base on day one, and do not send campaigns without an unsubscribe button. Both are the fastest ways to get flagged.
</Warning>

### Recommended volume ramp-up

Spread the first campaign over several days, doubling the daily volume as long as quality stays green:

| Day | Max targeted contacts |
| - | - |
| D1 | 500 |
| D2 | 1,000 |
| D3 | 1,500 |
| D4 | 2,500 |
| D5 | 5,000 |
| D+1 | previous × 2 |

At that pace, a 3,000-contact base is fully activated in 3 days, a 10,000-contact base in 5 days.

### Recommended segmentation

Start by isolating a segment of highly engaged customers, for example:

* Has a phone number.
* Is opted in to email.
* Has made at least 2 purchases this year.

Then split that segment by purchase count, sending to the most engaged first:

| Day | Rule | Approx. volume |
| - | - | - |
| D1 | Purchases > 4 this year | \~500 |
| D2 | Purchases = 4 this year | \~800 |
| D3 | Purchases = 3 this year | \~1,200 |
| D4 | Purchases = 2 this year | \~2,500 |

<Warning>
  If Meta issues a warning at any point during the ramp-up, cancel the pending sends and reach out to Simio support to adjust the strategy.
</Warning>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Conversation billing" icon="receipt" href="/simio/channels/whatsapp/conversation-billing">
    How Meta charges per 24-hour conversation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Templates" icon="file-text" href="/simio/channels/whatsapp/templates">
    Marketing vs Utility templates and the approval lifecycle.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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