Connect WhatsApp

WhatsApp works through the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API). There are two ways to connect a number, and you pick one on the same screen:

• A number I use on the WhatsApp Business app (best for most businesses). The number stays on your phone and you keep replying from the app. The same chats also reach the inbox, and the last 180 days of chats are imported.
• A new number, or one not used on WhatsApp. The number works from the inbox only, with no app on a phone. It needs a verification code by SMS or a call.

Option 1: a number you already use on the WhatsApp Business app

Before you start

• The number runs on the WhatsApp Business app (not the personal WhatsApp app), updated to version 2.24.17 or later. Keep the phone in your hand during the connection.
• The number is not already connected to the WhatsApp Business Platform anywhere else.
• A Facebook account to sign in with. In the Meta window you choose your business (Meta business portfolio) or create one; the WhatsApp Business Account is created for you.
• Linked devices (WhatsApp Web, the desktop app, a tablet) are signed out when you connect. Link them again afterwards by scanning the QR code as usual.

Connect

1. Open the STS Connect Inbox and go to Settings → Channels → Add Inbox, then choose WhatsApp.
2. Choose A number I use on the WhatsApp Business app, read the Before you start list, and press Connect with WhatsApp Business.
3. In the Meta window, sign in, pick or create your business, and choose the number. Meta shows a code: copy it.
4. On the phone, open the message from the Facebook Business account in the WhatsApp Business app and tap Connect.
5. Choose to share your chat history so the last 180 days are imported. If you skip this, only new chats reach the inbox.
6. Back in the inbox, add the team members who should answer this number under Collaborators.

The inbox settings show a Data sync from the app card with the number of contacts synced and the progress of the history import. Imported conversations arrive as resolved, so they do not notify your team or trigger automations. Replies you send from the phone appear in the inbox with a From phone badge.

What changes on the phone

• One-to-one chats keep working in the app and in the inbox at the same time.
• Groups and calls stay in the app only; they do not reach the inbox.
• Broadcast lists become read-only, and disappearing messages, view-once messages and live location are turned off for one-to-one chats.
• Up to 4 linked devices keep working (WhatsApp for Windows and Wear OS are not supported). For more people, give each one a team member seat instead.
• Open the app on the phone at least once every two weeks. Otherwise Meta disconnects the number from the inbox. If that happens we email your administrators and show a banner in the inbox with a reconnect button.

For a closer look at what syncs and what stays on the phone, see Use the WhatsApp Business app and STS Connect on the same number.

Option 2: a new number, or one not used on WhatsApp

Before you start

• A Meta Business Manager account (business.facebook.com). Create one if you don't have it.
• A phone number that is not currently registered on the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app, and that can receive an SMS or a call. To move a number that is on the app without keeping the app, delete the WhatsApp account on the phone first (Settings → Account → Delete my account), or use Option 1 instead.
• Your business display name as customers should see it.

Connect

1. Open the STS Connect Inbox and go to Settings → Channels → Add Inbox, then choose WhatsApp.
2. Choose A new number, or one not used on WhatsApp and press Connect with WhatsApp Business.
3. In the Meta window, sign in, pick or create your business, and create your WhatsApp Business Account.
4. Add the phone number, enter the verification code sent by SMS or call, and finish.
5. Back in the inbox, add the team members who should answer this number under Collaborators.

Send a test message from your own phone to the number. It appears as a new conversation within seconds.

What the Meta window looks like

These are the screens of a new number (Option 2). Meta shows them in the language of your Facebook account; the order can differ slightly.

Add a payment method at Meta (required for templates)

Meta charges template messages to the WhatsApp account itself, so the card must be added to that account, not only to the business portfolio. Without it, template messages fail with a payment error. Add the card right after connecting the number:

1. Open business.facebook.com and pick your business.
2. Open Settings > Billing and payments > Payment methods.
3. Open the Messaging accounts tab and pick the WhatsApp account of your number; its ID is the WhatsApp Business Account ID.
4. Press Add payment method and enter the card. Adding the card only under Business portfolio is not enough: it must also be listed under the messaging account.
5. To check that it works, send one template from the inbox. If it fails with a payment error, the inbox now shows a Payment issue on your WhatsApp account card with a direct link to the right Meta page. Wait a few hours after adding a new card, then try again, and check Payment activity for a declined charge or a bank confirmation request.

Prepare the number for campaigns (optional)

Inbound and outbound chats work as soon as the inbox is connected. To send WhatsApp campaigns, register the number for campaigns too:

1. In Meta Business Manager open WhatsApp → API Setup and copy the Phone number ID and the WhatsApp Business Account ID.
2. Create a system user with a permanent access token that has the whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management permissions.
3. In STS Connect, open Account > WhatsApp numbers, press New, paste the three values, and mark the number as Default for campaigns.

The token is stored encrypted and never shown again.

Good to know

• Meta bills the WhatsApp Business Account directly, so add a payment method at Meta; without one, template messages fail and Meta eventually stops delivering your replies. Messages you send from the WhatsApp Business app stay free, and incoming messages are free.
• Customer-initiated conversations can be answered with free-form messages for 24 hours (Meta charges these replies after 1,000 a month per number; see Lower your WhatsApp bill). After that, or to start a conversation, you must use an approved message template (Campaigns > Templates).
• Meta limits how many new conversations a new number can start per day. The limit rises automatically as customers keep engaging with you.
• Complete business verification in Meta Business Manager to show your display name and raise limits.
• Want customers to message you from a poster, a flyer or your website? Make a free WhatsApp link and QR code.