HelpWhatsAppA visitor did not get a WhatsApp message

A visitor did not get a WhatsApp message

Start with the reassurance: nobody loses their place. Then find the one reason on the list.

Owner & Manager Where: Queue · Messaging → Conversations · Messaging → Settings → Did it arrive? 4 min read

When a WhatsApp update cannot go out, nothing is taken from your pack. The visitor keeps the tracking link and the lobby TV. One message has a backup: if “almost your turn” is refused by WhatsApp and the visitor left an email, it is sent by email instead.

What it is

WhatsApp is a helpful extra, not a guarantee. A message can fail to start or to arrive for a few simple reasons, and turnda shows you which.

How to check it in turnda

Look at the visitor on the Queue. A flag Not told — call them means no message could go, by WhatsApp or by email. Call their name. They still have the tracking link and the lobby TV.
Open the visitor’s Contact & messages window. It lists every message sent to them with its status, such as Sent, Delivered, Read or Failed.
Open Messaging → Conversations, find the visitor, and read the mark beside their name. A dashed grey bubble says Not sent and why.
Open Messaging → Settings, and read Did it arrive? at the bottom. It shows the last messages tried, with the result.

A real example

Tom tells the counter he tapped Get WhatsApp updates but got nothing. You open Conversations and see no conversation for his ticket. He stopped before pressing Send. You ask him to open his tracking page, tap the button again and press Send. He keeps his place, and two minutes later message 1 arrives.

What happens in the system

1The visitor pressed Send
No Send, no WhatsApp for this visit
2Their country is in your zone
Otherwise nothing is used for them
3Your pack and limit can cover both messages
A visitor is signed up only when both are covered
4Their 24-hour window is open
Opened by their own message
5WhatsApp accepts the message
If it fails, the message is given back

Every WhatsApp update passes these checks, in this order. Fail one, and nothing is sent.

Why a visitor has no WhatsApp updates

What happens	How to tell	What you can do
They tapped the button but never pressed Send	No conversation for their ticket.	Ask them to tap again and press Send. They keep their place.
The button is not on their page	WhatsApp is off, the line has Visitor updates on this line off, you have no messages left, or you reached your limit.	Check Billing and Line settings → Messages & timing.
Their country is not in your zone	The page says WhatsApp updates are not available for their number.	They keep the tracking link and the lobby TV (and email only if they left one). Choose a higher zone if many visitors are affected.
The same phone is already signed up on this line for another visit	The page says so.	Nothing. When the first visit ends, they can sign up again.
Your line reached its daily sign-up limit	New sign-ups are refused for the rest of the day.	Nothing; it starts again tomorrow. If your line really is this busy, contact support.
A second phone tried on a visit that already has a number	The first number wins.	Nothing.
They replied STOP before	The log shows Opted out.	Nothing. This is by design. Only their own new Get WhatsApp updates message turns it back on.
Their 24-hour window closed	A grey bubble says “Not sent — the 24 hours had passed”.	Call their name. They can tap the button again.
The number has no WhatsApp account	Failed in the log.	They keep the tracking link and the lobby TV (and email only if they left one).
Your card was declined or your limit is reached	A Warnings alert for the owner (Update card, Raise my limit) and a notice on Billing.	Update the card or raise your limit. People already waiting still get “Almost your turn”.

What you need to do

Call the visitor’s name. Their place is safe. The lobby TV and tracking link carry on.
Find the reason in the table above, and fix the one thing. Most are not faults: the visitor did not press Send, or the window closed.
If a number was mistyped, press Change contact on the Queue and save the right one (the visitor must have asked). The old one stays in the Activity log.

The log says Sent, but the visitor insists nothing came? That is almost always on their side: WhatsApp muted, no signal, or the chat is in an archived list. Ask them to open WhatsApp and look. If you are still stuck, contact support.

What turnda does not cover

The visitor’s phone and network. Switched off, no signal, storage full, WhatsApp muted or not installed.
WhatsApp itself (run by Meta). It decides whether and when a message is delivered.
A visitor who blocks the number or leaves WhatsApp. We cannot reach them.

Common questions

Question	Answer
Is a failed message taken from my pack?	No. If WhatsApp tells us it failed, it is given back.
Will turnda text or email them instead?	Only for one message. If “almost your turn” is refused by WhatsApp and the visitor left an email, turnda sends that message by email instead, and the Queue shows them as reached by email. It is never sent after the visitor replied STOP, and no other WhatsApp message gets an email backup. No WhatsApp message is ever backed up by a text. They always keep the tracking link and the lobby TV.
Does a called-straight-away visitor get message 2?	No. They get message 1 only.
Where is the full log?	Did it arrive?