Overview
- Reports surged on Monday, August 3 as thousands of users logged problems sending photos, stickers and files while others found their numbers blocked or placed under review.
- Monitoring site Downdetector recorded a sharp spike in outage reports beginning around 13:30–14:00 local time, with messages centering on multimedia failures and account access errors.
- Meta and WhatsApp have not confirmed a single systemic cause; the company says accounts are blocked when automated systems find suspected spam, fraud or unauthorized apps and that affected users can request a review inside the app.
- Some people said they regained access after using the app’s 'Solicitar revisión' appeal, but many cases remain pending and restoration has been uneven across regions and devices.
- Experts warn automated moderation can produce false positives when normal behavior looks like bulk or automated activity, which can disrupt businesses and users who rely on WhatsApp for work; affected users are advised to use the in‑app review and avoid reinstalling, changing numbers or paying third parties.