This article provides information and a workaround for a number formatting scenario impacting MultiLine users who send WhatsApp messages to Mexico and Argentina numbers.
Scenario
When using MultiLine to message WhatsApp users in Mexico and Argentina, the WhatsApp messaging functionality is disabled for certain phone numbers. Specifically, when these numbers include a prefix after the country code (e.g., "+52 1 386 126 1234" for Mexico), the messaging feature will not work, and a help message displays.
Example Help Message (Mexico number)Cause
WhatsApp Business for MultiLine has a limitation where phone numbers that include the prefix after the country code, which is the E.164 international standard, cannot be used for messaging. This affects numbers in Mexico (prefix "1") and Argentina (prefix "9").
Example (Mexico number):
Format including prefix "1": "+52 1 386 126 1234"
Format required for WhatsApp Messaging: "+52 386 126 1234"
Note: to prevent WhatsApp messaging errors, MultiLine automatically disables the messaging feature for numbers that include the prefix and displays the help message.
Workaround
To ensure seamless communication, we recommend saving two entries of the contact's phone number:
Example:
- For calling or SMS, save the number with the prefix, for example "+52 1 386 126 1234"
- For WhatsApp messaging, save the number without the prefix, for example "+52 386 126 1234"
With two separate entries for each contact, you can easily send WhatsApp messages without encountering errors.
Example (Mexico Number)
Example (Argentina Number)