Connect your channels

Use the WhatsApp Business app and STS Connect on the same number

Keep replying from your phone while the team works in the inbox: what syncs, what stays on the app, and what to watch.

You can keep using the WhatsApp Business app on your phone and have the same number connected to STS Connect at the same time. Both stay in sync: you keep replying on the go, and your team answers the same chats from the inbox. Requirements and the full connection walkthrough are in Connect WhatsApp (Option 1); in short:

  1. Open the STS Connect Inbox and go to Settings → Inboxes → Add Inbox, then choose WhatsApp.
  2. Choose A number I use on the WhatsApp Business app and press Connect with WhatsApp Business.
  3. Sign in with Facebook, pick your business and choose the number; then confirm on your phone in the WhatsApp Business app.
  4. Choose to share your chat history so the last 180 days are imported, and add the agents under Collaborators.

What syncs

  • One-to-one chats keep working in the app and in the inbox at the same time. Replies you send from the phone appear in the inbox with a From phone badge, so your team always knows what you already answered.
  • Your contacts sync. 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 and do not trigger automations.

What stays on the phone

  • Groups and calls stay in the app only; they never reach the inbox.
  • Broadcast lists become read-only.
  • 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 an inbox seat instead.

Keep the connection alive

Open the WhatsApp Business app on the phone at least once every two weeks. If you do not, Meta disconnects the number from the inbox. When that happens we email your administrators and show a banner in the inbox with a reconnect button.

Billing on a shared number

Meta bills the WhatsApp Business Account directly. Messages you send from the WhatsApp Business app stay free, and incoming messages are free; replies sent from the inbox are billed. Add a payment method to the WhatsApp Business Account in Meta Business Suite, because without one Meta does not deliver your replies from the inbox. The 24-hour window and message templates follow the usual WhatsApp rules; see Lower your WhatsApp bill. To send campaigns from the number, it also needs to be registered for campaigns as described in Connect WhatsApp.

Still stuck?

Signed in? Press Help in the STS Connect side menu to chat with our team, Monday to Friday 9:00 to 18:00 Dubai time. Or email hello@stsconnect.chat with your company name and what you were trying to do. We answer on business days.