WhatsApp error 132015: Template is Paused

Code 132015 means the template you tried to send has been paused by Meta because its quality rating dropped to Low. Quality is driven by how recipients react: blocks, reports, and negative feedback on messages sent with that template. When the rating falls, Meta pauses the template, and every send using it fails with 132015 until the pause ends. The template is still listed in WhatsApp Manager with status PAUSED.

Pauses are temporary and escalate: the first pause lasts a few hours, later pauses last longer, and after repeated pauses the template is permanently disabled (132016). Meta's recommended fix is to edit the template to improve its quality, which sends it back through review; once approved, the new version can be sent.

Your payload, recipient, and account are not at fault. The template's reputation is.

The refusal is synchronous at send time, and Meta also tells you out-of-band: the WABA receives a message_template_status_update webhook when the template is paused, so a pause should never be a surprise to a team with webhooks wired up - if yours are not arriving, start with the webhook debugging guide. The documented schedule escalates: the first pause lasts 3 hours, the second 6 hours, and the third instance disables the template permanently (132016). BSPs mirror the pause rather than own it: the PAUSED status you see in a Twilio or 360dialog dashboard is read from the WABA, and no provider can lift it early.

{
  "error": {
    "message": "(#132015) Template is Paused",
    "type": "OAuthException",
    "code": 132015,
    "error_data": {
      "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
      "details": "Template is paused due to low quality so it cannot be sent in a template message."
    },
    "fbtrace_id": "AbQwErTy123ZxC"
  }
}

Watch template quality ratings weekly and retire or rewrite anything that slips to Medium. Segment by engagement, cap frequency, and make opting out easy so negative signals stay low. Treat a pause as the last warning before permanent disablement and respond to it with content and audience changes, not just a retry later. Watch the number-level signals under quality rating and status at the same time, and run replacement copy through the template checker before resubmitting.