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How to connect a WhatsApp number without coexistence (API-only mode)

Last updated on Sep 01, 2026

When to use

  • You want to connect a number to Cloud Chat that will operate exclusively via API, without a phone

  • You are creating a 100% digital operation, with helpdesk or automation support

  • You do not need to use the number in the WhatsApp Business App on a phone

  • You want greater stability, without conflicts between devices

Prerequisites

Starting the integration without verifying the points below may result in number loss, blockage by Meta, verification errors, or the need to redo the entire setup.

Migrating an existing number? Read the migration guide first — mandatory reading.

If the number you want to connect is already active on another support platform or provider (BSP), DO NOT start the Cloud Chat integration flow before reading:

Migrating WhatsApp to Cloud Chat from another platform

Skipping this step may result in:

  • Verification and migration failures or stuck

  • Inability to release the number from the previous provider

  • Need to reconfigure everything from scratch

The migration guide shows all Meta prerequisites (WABA ownership, Two-Step Verification, Business Manager status, payment method, message history) that need to be validated before performing the Cloud Chat setup.

Number already registered in the WhatsApp Business App on your phone?

The non-coexistence integration (this article) does NOT allow the number to continue functioning in the WhatsApp Business App. To proceed here, you will need to:

  1. Delete the account of the number in the WhatsApp Business App (delete the app or remove the account inside it) before starting the Embedded Signup

  2. Accept that the number will stop working on the phone after the integration — all messages will only arrive in Cloud Chat

If you want to keep the number working in the WhatsApp Business App alongside Cloud Chat, DO NOT follow this article. Use the coexistence method:

How to connect a WhatsApp number with coexistence (phone + API)

New number? It needs to be warmed up before attempting integration.

Meta evaluates the number’s usage history before enabling API connection. Newly created numbers, with no history in WhatsApp Business App, may be blocked right at the Embedded Signup — Meta returns the error:

Your phone number is not qualified to connect to the WhatsApp Business platform. More activity in the WhatsApp Business app is required to help determine qualification. (#3441045)

How to warm up before integrating:

  • Use the number in the WhatsApp Business App (phone) for a few days/weeks, receiving real conversations

  • Promote the number on your channels (website, social media, email) to generate organic entries

  • Respond within the 24-hour window, without spam, repeated messages, or suspicious links

After warming up, the number enters the API with better tier and Quality Rating, and the Embedded Signup proceeds without the above error.

Official Meta documentation: Messaging Limits · Quality Rating.

Validating Business Portfolio Status

Your Business Portfolio must have the "Verified" status in Meta. This means Meta has recognized and validated your company's identity.

Why does this matter? Without verification, your messaging limits are very low (up to 250 messages/day), you cannot migrate numbers from other providers, and certain API features may be restricted. Verification is the first requirement for healthy operation on Meta's platform.

How to verify:

  1. Access business.facebook.com/settings/info

  2. Check the Verification status field

  3. It should be "Verified" ✅

If it shows "Not verified" or "Pending", click Start verification and follow the process with company documents and domain validation before proceeding.

Step-by-step guide for API-only integration

With all the above prerequisites validated, you can start the integration. For this, have on hand:

  • Be a manager of your Cloud Chat account

  • Manager access to the Business Portfolio in Meta (necessary to authorize connection via Embedded Signup)

  • Access to the number to receive verification code via SMS or call

  • A credit card enabled for USD payments — mandatory for platform migration or proactive messaging

Step 1 — Access Cloud Chat Settings

  1. In Cloud Chat, go to Settings

  1. Go to the Inboxes section

Step 2 — Create a WhatsApp inbox

  1. Click Add Inbox

  1. Select WhatsApp

  1. In the WhatsApp Channel screen, select the Embedded Signup provider and fill in the desired inbox name. Then click Enter via WhatsApp to start the integrated flow

Step 3 — Authenticate with Meta

A Meta pop-up will open; log in with the personal Facebook account of the person who has admin access to the company's Business Portfolio in Meta.

The login is not done with a generic corporate email or a "company account" — it is with the personal Facebook of the admin of the business portfolio in Meta. Without this administrative permission, the Embedded Signup process cannot authorize the connection, and the setup will be stuck at this step.

  1. After logging in, click Continue

Step 4 — Select Business Portfolio and start WhatsApp account

  1. Choose the Business Portfolio in Meta and click Next

  1. Select Start with a new WhatsApp phone number and click Next

If you want to connect a number already on WhatsApp Business App (coexistence mode), stop this flow and follow the coexistence integration step-by-step.

  1. Select Create a WhatsApp Business Account and click Next

Step 5 — Configure Business Account and Number

  1. Enter the WhatsApp Business Account name, display name, and choose a valid category

  1. Select Add a new number, enter the phone number, and verify it

If the number is a landline or digital number, verification should be done by voice call, not SMS.

Step 6 — Complete and set up payment (if applicable)

When payment method setup is MANDATORY:

  • Existing number migration — always mandatory, without exception. Without a valid payment method, Meta will not complete the WABA migration.

  • Proactive messages (template/campaign/single message via API) — mandatory, because Meta charges for templates sent outside the 24h window.

  • Re-opening the 24h window — mandatory. To initiate a new chat outside the active window, a template must be sent, which incurs a direct cost charged by Meta to the registered card.

  • Customer satisfaction survey (CSAT) — the CSAT message is also a template from Meta. If sent outside the 24h window (common if the customer does not respond right after support), without a registered payment method, CSAT is not sent — the customer does not receive the survey question, and the metric remains empty.

Without a valid card registered in WABA, no proactive message will be sent, no window will be reopened, and no CSAT will be delivered outside the window — the number will only be able to respond within 24h after the last customer message.

  1. Click Add Payment Method to add your payment method to WABA. For purely reactive support (responding within the 24h window, without proactive messages or migration), click Finish.

Step 7 — Add agents to the inbox

  1. Configure the agents who will have access to the new inbox

  1. Click Add Agents

The inbox is ready to send and receive WhatsApp messages. ✅

Notes

  • Migration: if this number is already in use on another platform, DO NOT follow this isolated article — start with the Migration Guide to validate Meta's prerequisites before embedded signup

  • WhatsApp Business App: API integration does not coexist with an active number on the WhatsApp Business App; delete the account before proceeding or use coexistence if you wish to keep the phone active

  • Meta Templates: for any proactive sending or reopening of the 24h window, a valid card + approved template are required — see WhatsApp Template Rules (Meta) and How to create, edit, and delete WhatsApp templates in Cloud Chat

  • Payment method is mandatory for migration, proactive sends, and window reopens — for reactive support within the active window, it is not required at the moment of setup

  • To keep the number active on your phone in parallel, use the coexistence setup

  • In case of doubts or errors, contact support before proceeding — incorrect adjustments may lead to number blocking

  • Official Meta documentation: Meta Developers — Embedded Signup