Yes. Meta's coexistence option lets a provider connect your existing WhatsApp Business app number to the Cloud API, so you keep replying from the app while your team uses an API inbox. Up to six months of one-to-one chats can sync. App messages stay free, but broadcast lists switch off and throughput is fixed at 20 messages per second.
Normally, Meta says a number already in use with WhatsApp cannot be registered on the API unless it is deleted from the app first. Coexistence is Meta's exception for WhatsApp Business app numbers. It lets a business onboard with its existing app account and number, send higher volumes through the Cloud API, and keep messaging one-to-one from the app, with history kept in sync between the two.
How coexistence works
- You start it from a provider that is a Meta Solution Partner or Tech Provider and has enabled the Business app option in embedded signup.
- Your WhatsApp Business app must be version 2.24.17 or higher.
- You confirm the connection inside the app, and choose whether to share chat history.
- Your contacts and up to six months of one-to-one chats can be synced to the provider. Group chats are not.
- After that, new messages are mirrored: replies sent from the phone show in the team inbox, and the other way round.
Keep the phone online with WhatsApp open during setup. Meta gives the provider a limited time to sync contacts and history, and missing it means starting again.
What changes in the app
| Feature | After coexistence |
|---|---|
| One-to-one chats | Keep working, mirrored with the API |
| Broadcast lists | Disabled; existing lists become read-only |
| Disappearing and view-once messages | Turned off for one-to-one chats |
| Live location | Disabled |
| Voice and video calls, catalog, labels, quick replies | Stay in the app; not available on the API side |
| Companion devices | WhatsApp for Windows and WearOS are not supported |
Before you connect, note down your broadcast lists and labels. Labels do not move across to the API side, so rebuild them as stages or tags in your CRM.
Pricing, throughput and limits
- Pricing. Meta says messages sent from the WhatsApp Business app continue to be free. Messages sent through the Cloud API are charged under normal API pricing: per delivered message, with 1,000 free service messages per number a month and free windows from Click-to-WhatsApp ads.
- Throughput. Numbers used with both the app and the Cloud API have a fixed throughput of 20 messages per second. That is enough for most small and mid-size businesses.
- Messaging limits. Coexistence does not bypass them. Templates sent through the API still count toward your business portfolio's daily limit.
- Keep the phone active. Meta disconnects the number from the API if the primary phone is inactive for about 14 days.
When coexistence is a good fit
It suits a business whose number is printed on boards, cards and old ads, where the owner wants to keep replying from the phone but a team also needs to work every chat. Agree a simple rule so two people do not reply to the same chat, for example the inbox owns all ad leads and the phone handles existing customers.
How salestrack helps
salestrack supports coexistence, so the same number keeps working in the WhatsApp Business app on your phone and in the salestrack shared inbox at the same time. You can connect several numbers on coexistence and run ready-made or custom chatbots and workflows on each of them. Each chat is linked to a lead, an owner and the ad it came from. See Use the WhatsApp Business app with salestrack for setup steps.
Related questions
Will I lose my old WhatsApp chats if I enable coexistence?
No. Your chats stay in the app. If you agree to share history during setup, your provider can sync up to the most recent six months of one-to-one chats and your contacts. Group chats are not synced.
Are messages from the WhatsApp Business app still free after coexistence?
Yes. Meta says messages sent from the WhatsApp Business app continue to be free. Messages sent through the Cloud API follow Cloud API pricing.
Can I still use broadcast lists after coexistence?
No. Broadcast lists are disabled and existing lists become read-only. Bulk messages move to approved templates sent through the API.
How do I enable WhatsApp coexistence?
You start it from a provider that is a Meta Solution Partner or Tech Provider and supports onboarding Business app users in embedded signup. You need WhatsApp Business app version 2.24.17 or higher, then confirm the connection inside the app.
How do I turn coexistence off?
In the WhatsApp Business app, go to Settings, Account, Business Platform and tap Disconnect Account. The provider cannot deregister a coexistence number from the API side.
Sources
Checked on 1 November 2026. WhatsApp and Meta change their rules and prices often, so check the source before you rely on a detail.