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Why an Attachment Sometimes Fails to Send in WhatsApp

This article explains why ""Failed to upload the media used in the message," shows when messaging via WhatsApp on Alliants Experience Platform. It is often caused by a temporary issue on WhatsApp side. Retrying a while later shall fix the issue.

Summary: Occasionally, a message with an attachment (e.g. an image or document) fail to reach a guest over WhatsApp with the error "Failed to upload the media used in the message." on Alliants Experience Platform. This is caused by a temporary issue on WhatsApp's side, not your account or content, and can usually be resolved by waiting and retrying.

Permissions Required: Converser

What the Error Looks Like

  1. If you see the error "Failed to upload the media used in the message," under a message sent to guest via WhatsApp channel, this means the attachment could not be delivered to the guest's WhatsApp app on that occasion.

  2. Your message was processed correctly, but WhatsApp couldn't deliver the media.

What You Can Do

  1. Wait a while before retrying. This issue is tied to WhatsApp's network load easing off over time, so there isn't a fixed, guaranteed wait period.

  2. Use the retry option built into the platform to resend the same attachment without recreating the message.

  3. There's no need to change the file, resize it, or use a different format. The same attachment typically goes through fine on a later attempt.


Common Questions

Q: Why did this attachment fail to send?

A: This is related to how WhatsApp's own infrastructure handles media delivery.

It can happen due to temporary high load on WhatsApp's media servers, network congestion between WhatsApp and the recipient, or general short-term service disruptions on WhatsApp's end. These are transient conditions outside of our platform's control.

Q: Is there anything wrong with my account or the file I tried to send?

A: No. This isn't caused by an issue with your account, your content, or the platform configuration.

Q: How long should I wait before retrying?

A: There's no fixed wait period, as it depends on WhatsApp's own systems. We'd recommend waiting a few hours before retrying.

Q: What if it keeps failing after several retries?

A: If the same attachment continues to fail after multiple retries over an extended period, please reach out to support so we can investigate further.

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