How do I get the WhatsApp Business API?

There are two ways to get the WhatsApp Business API. WhatsApp's business site describes a partner route, where a Business Solution Provider or software company onboards you through Meta's embedded signup with little or no code, and a direct route, where your own developers integrate with Meta's platform. For a sales or support team that wants an inbox and a CRM, the partner route is usually faster.

What you need before you start

• Access to a Meta business portfolio (Meta Business Suite) with admin rights, or the person who has them.
• A phone number you own with a country and area code that can receive an SMS or voice call for the verification code. Short codes are not supported.
• A number that is free to register. Meta says numbers already in use with WhatsApp cannot be registered unless they are deleted first. Coexistence is the exception for WhatsApp Business app numbers.
• A display name that matches your business. Meta reviews it against its display name guidelines.
• A live website with your business name, which helps with business verification later.

Getting the API through a provider

1. Choose a provider or CRM that is a Meta partner and supports embedded signup.
2. Start the connection from inside the provider's app. A Meta window opens.
3. Log in with Facebook and choose your business portfolio, or create one.
4. Create or pick a WhatsApp account, then add the phone number and display name.
5. Enter the code Meta sends to the number by SMS or call.
6. Add a payment method if your provider asks for one. Meta's partner documentation says billing differs by partner type, so ask how messages are paid for.

Meta's documentation says embedded signup creates the WhatsApp assets you need automatically and gives the provider's app access to them.

Getting the API directly from Meta

Meta's get-started guide for the Cloud API is aimed at developers. You create a Meta developer account, create an app with the "Connect with customers through WhatsApp" use case, and connect it to a business portfolio and a Messaging account. Meta creates a test phone number so you can send test messages. Before going live you add your real number, create a system user with a permanent access token, set up webhooks to receive messages, and build your own inbox or connect one.

After you connect

You can reply to customers straight away, and send templates once Meta approves them. New business portfolios start at a messaging limit of 250 unique recipients for business-initiated messages in 24 hours and two registered phone numbers. Completing Meta business verification is one way to raise these to 2,000 recipients and 20 numbers, so start it on day one.

How salestrack helps

salestrack connects to the official WhatsApp Business Platform as a Meta Tech Provider. You connect your number through Meta's embedded signup from inside salestrack, and you can keep the WhatsApp Business app on the same number with coexistence. The step-by-step guide is Connect your WhatsApp number. If you want help with Meta business verification and onboarding, an optional guided setup is listed on the pricing page.