WhatsApp Catalog Not Showing? Causes and Fixes
Added your products but customers can't see your catalog? The cause is often a pending review, a hidden product or a setting that stayed off after moving to the API. We walk through the likely causes and fixes by symptom.
The story of businesses searching for "WhatsApp catalog not showing" is usually the same: you added the products one by one, picked the images, and then a customer writes, "I can't see your catalog." Annoying. But the cause often turns out to be a single setting, a review that is still pending, or an old app version. Below we walk through the causes we run into most and what to do about each one.
If you want to build the catalog from scratch, take a look at our guide to creating a WhatsApp catalog. Here we focus only on the "I set it up but it doesn't show" situation.
What exactly isn't showing?
"WhatsApp catalog not showing" actually covers a few different problems, and the fix changes accordingly. First pin down which one you have:
- One product isn't showing, the others are in place.
- Products show but there is no price.
- You see the catalog, the customer can't.
- The catalog link you shared won't open.
- You moved your number to the WhatsApp Business API and the shop icon on the chat screen disappeared.
You can jump straight to the heading that fits you. Still, we suggest starting with the short checklist below; most problems get solved in the first steps.
What should you check in the first five minutes?
- App version: Are both your and the customer's WhatsApp apps up to date? Check in the app store.
- Product status: Open the product that isn't showing. Is there a warning like pending review or not approved?
- Hiding: Could the product be hidden from customers?
- An outside view: Check the catalog not from your own phone but by opening your business profile from another number.
- Link: If you shared the catalog link, was the link edited by hand?
One of these items often solves the problem. If it doesn't, let's look at the causes one by one.
Why isn't a single product showing in the catalog?
The product is in Commerce Policy review
WhatsApp reviews products added to the catalog against its Commerce Policy. Until the review is complete, the product may not be visible to customers. If you can't see a product you just added right away, you may need to wait a bit without panicking.
A product that fails the review is marked as not approved in the catalog. Some product groups are banned or restricted under the policy; alcohol, tobacco products, weapons, prescription drugs and live animals are the best known. If you think your product follows the rules, you can request a new review.
Before you send it for review again, check these:
- Is there a misleading or exaggerated claim in the title or description?
- Does the image show a banned or restricted item, such as a cigarette pack or a liquor bottle?
- Do the product name, image and description match each other?
Don't add the same product again without changing it. Deleting a rejected product and uploading it again without fixing anything doesn't solve the problem. First find the reason for the rejection, fix it, then request a new review.
You've hidden the product
In the WhatsApp Business app, you can hide a product from customers without deleting it. Hiding a product when stock runs out and then forgetting to turn it back on is something we see often. It's also hard to notice, because the product stays in the list on your own screen.
The fix is simple: open the product's edit screen, make sure the hide option is off, and save.
The product shows but there is no price
According to WhatsApp's help page, adding prices to the catalog is available only in certain countries. If the price doesn't appear even though you filled in the field, first check that the field was actually saved. If it is saved and still doesn't show, keep this country restriction in mind; writing the price in the product description or sharing it separately in the chat can be a temporary workaround.
You see it, so why can't the customer?
App version and device
Old versions may not display shopping features properly. According to WhatsApp's own note, shared catalog links may not open on versions older than Android 6.0. Ask the customer to update their app; if they use a very old phone, sending the products one by one as images is more practical.
The feature isn't turned on for that account yet
WhatsApp states clearly on its help page that some shopping features aren't rolled out to everyone at the same time. In that case there is no setting you can change. You wait, and in the meantime you share the products inside the chat.
You've edited the catalog link
The automatically generated catalog or product link can't be customized; if you try to change it by hand, it can break. Always get the link again from the app's share option.
Collections have a limit too: you can't share a single collection as a separate link. You can send the customer the catalog link and tell them to open the relevant collection, or send the products in that collection one by one. If the link is opened from an email or a browser, a choice screen comes up first; it helps to tell the customer this in advance.
Why did the catalog disappear after moving to the API?
We hear the "WhatsApp catalog not showing" complaint most at this point from businesses that have moved their number to the WhatsApp Business API. There are two separate issues here.
The first is the shop icon. According to WhatsApp's explanation, the shopping (shop) button on the chat screen is for now available only to businesses that use the WhatsApp Business app. Customers can still reach the catalog from the business profile. So after moving to the API, the icon disappearing from the chat screen may not mean there is an error by itself.
The second is the catalog connection and the visibility setting. On the API side, the catalog is uploaded to Meta through Commerce Manager or the Commerce API and connected to your WhatsApp Business account. Then commerce settings are set for the phone number. According to Meta's developer documentation, catalog visibility and the cart are turned on and off from these settings. In short: if the catalog isn't connected to the account, or visibility is off, the customer can't see the catalog.
If you use the API, go through this list with your technical team or your solution partner:
- Is the catalog connected to the right WhatsApp Business account?
- Is catalog visibility turned on for the phone number in question?
- If you have more than one number, was the setting made on the right number?
- Have the products passed the review stage?
Bring the product into the chat instead of the icon. On the API, you can share products by message: a catalog message that introduces the whole catalog with a small image, a single product message, or a multi-product message of up to 30 products split into sections. Often more effective than waiting for the customer to find the icon.
If you haven't moved your number yet, note one point: when you move your existing number to the API, the WhatsApp Business app on your phone closes on that number. Before moving, it helps to save product titles, descriptions, images and prices in a file. If you're curious how the API differs from the app, see our WhatsApp Business API page.
Let's plan the move to the API together. At Chatopya, setup and training are free, and our Turkish-speaking support team is with you throughout the process.
Book a free demoHow do you show products until the catalog is fixed?
A catalog problem can last a few days, but sales don't wait. The simplest way is to share the product image, a short description and the order link directly in the chat.
If your message traffic is high, doing this by hand is tiring. Chatopya's AI bot can list the relevant products when a customer asks about a category, send a PDF catalog or product images, and direct the customer to the order and payment link. If you've connected your store through Trendyol, Hepsiburada or Shopify, stock and price information is updated from the connected store at regular intervals (these integrations aren't in the Starter plan). For details, see the WhatsApp customer service and AI chatbot and marketplace integration pages.
What if nothing works?
If you've tried every step and the WhatsApp catalog still isn't showing, write to WhatsApp's support team from the help section of the app. Add a screenshot, the name of the product that isn't showing, when you added it and which device you see the problem on. The clearer you are, the faster it moves.
If you use the API through a solution partner, make their support team your first stop; they can check the catalog connection and number settings faster.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| New product isn't showing | Commerce Policy review is in progress | Wait a while, check the product status |
| Product not approved | Content or category against the policy | Fix the title, description and image, then request a new review |
| An older product vanished | The product is hidden | Turn off hiding on the edit screen |
| Price doesn't show | The price feature isn't available in some countries, or the field wasn't saved | Check the field, give the price in the description if needed |
| Link won't open | The link was edited or the device is too old | Share the link again, ask the customer to update |
| No icon on the API | The shop button is app-only; the catalog isn't connected or visibility is off | Check the catalog connection and the visibility setting |
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't a product I added to the WhatsApp catalog show right away?
WhatsApp reviews products added to the catalog against its Commerce Policy, and until the review ends the product may not be visible to customers. Wait a while and check the product's status.
Why doesn't the price show in the WhatsApp catalog?
According to WhatsApp, adding prices to the catalog is available only in certain countries. Make sure the price field was saved; if the feature isn't turned on for you, share the price in the description or in the chat.
Why did the shop icon in the chat disappear after moving to the API?
The shopping button on the chat screen is for now available only to businesses that use the WhatsApp Business app. On the API, if the catalog is connected to your account and visibility is on, customers can reach the catalog from your profile, and you can share products by message.
Why won't the WhatsApp catalog link open?
If the link was changed by hand it can break; it also may not open on devices older than Android 6.0. Get the link again from the app's share option and ask the customer to update the app.
What can I do about a rejected product?
Review the title, description and image against the policy and fix them, then request a new review. If the product is in a category banned by the policy, it can't be in the catalog.
Related articles
Put your products in front of customers on WhatsApp
Let the AI bot list products when a category comes up, send a PDF catalog and images, and direct the customer to the order and payment link. Setup and training are free.