Several WhatsApp photos accounts were blocked and put under review after Meta flagged their activity and device info. Affected users saw a notice saying the check should typically finish within 24 hours. Meta said it is working to restore access, but the episode shows how fast an account review can cut off chatting on a service with more than 3 billion monthly active users.
WhatsApp review screen
The screen told users, "Your account activity and device info is being checked to make sure it follows our Terms of Service. We'll notify you of the result typically within 24 hours." That wording points to an automated abuse check rather than a manual support queue, which is why the disruption can hit normal users as well as accounts that actually break the rules.
Meta restores access
Meta told TechCrunch that it was working on restoring access to affected accounts. A company spokesperson said, "We are always working to stay ahead of those trying to abuse our service and ban accounts to help keep other users safe. Sometimes we get this wrong, and if we do, we try to fix it as quickly as possible to get people back to chatting."
The company said it had taken action to restore affected accounts. That matters because the app's scale means even a narrow mistake can touch a large number of people, and the fix has to move fast once the wrong accounts are caught in the filter.
WhatsApp accounts under review
Meta did not say what caused the problem. It also did not say whether users in specific regions were impacted. For anyone still seeing the review screen, the only stated path is to wait for the result within the 24-hour window while access is restored on Meta's side.
