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WhatsApp says I am being "rate limited" was closed on Super User for being off-topic, as a web service. It's about an error message I'm getting with the Windows version of WhatsApp. Is there an appropriate place on any of the Exchange sites for this question?

As requested, here is the question: I am using the Windows and Android version of WhatsApp. It works fine for sending regular text messages, but as soon as I send a link to a Zoom meeting with the Windows version, it says, "You are being rate limited." I contacted WhatsApp support and got random answers that seemed like the person never read my question. The first response was: "1. Open your phone's Settings. 2. Tap Apps > select the application you no longer need as a default or wish to set as a default. 3. Tap * Open by default*. 4. Tap Open supported links to toggle it on or off".

When I complained about the response, they asked me to send a video capture of the issue happening, which I did. Then they said, "Unfortunately, this feature isn't supported. We're constantly working on improving our products." So what's not supported? Sending text messages with links in them? How do I work around this? If I can't, is there some way to get real support out of WhatsApp?

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I think that the message that you are seeing is related to a problem with how WhatsApp handle links (it tries to pull a thumbnail and a description to show a card) combined with how Zoom handle the meta tags for social media of the videoconferences URLs that feeds the thumbnail image and description for card to be shown on social media posts, like WhatsApp messages.

I don't think that you could do anything to workaround this. Regarding how to get "real support out of WhatsApp"...

AFAIK there is no site on SE that handle this kind of "questions".

By the way, it's very likely that the message means that WhatsApp is being used too much lately to share Zoom links... I would like to think that who is being rate limited is WhatsApp, not you, but I don't have enough info to be able to make a good conjecture.

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    Thanks! I won't try and post the question anywhere here. I believe you're right about the message coming from Zoom, because it appears where the Open Graph meta description for the web page would normally go.
    – George
    Commented Jan 13, 2023 at 0:10
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Your question is about WhatsApp.

Under Super User help it says:

not about … websites or web services like Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress

The list is not meant to include every such site. WhatsApp should be considered equivalent to the others on that list. Thus your question is off-topic and needs to be on WhatsApp’s support forum or sites.

WhatsApp is mostly a mobile app. It may be on-topic for Web Applications if you restrict yourself to using the web.whatsapp.com. Web Applications on-topic line:

Using Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Google, or any other website which behaves like an application

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  • I understood that, but which site would be the right one? Would Web Applications be acceptable?
    – George
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 23:18
  • @George last time I had a similar question, it was deemed off-topic on Web Applications.
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 23:20
  • Is the Windows version of WhatsApp a web service?
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 23:21
  • @FranckDernoncourt I believe it is. Wikipedia's first definition of a web service is, "a service offered by an electronic device to another electronic device, communicating with each other via the Internet."
    – George
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 23:26
  • @George it also seems we apps would be off topic.
    – James Risner
    Commented Jan 13, 2023 at 2:16

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