You can connect the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app and keep using the app on your phone, or register a brand-new number. Both go through Meta's official Embedded Signup popup: you log in with Facebook, pick your path, and ReploChat sets up the rest. You never copy a token or configure a webhook. This guide covers both paths, what changes in the phone app when you keep your number, the manual alternative for developers who already run a WhatsApp Cloud API app, reconnecting a number Meta disconnected, and the errors you might see.
Keep your number or register a new one?
| Existing WhatsApp Business app number (recommended) | New number | |
|---|---|---|
| Phone app | Keeps working. You and your team see the same chats on the phone and in ReploChat. | The number runs on the API only. Answer from ReploChat on the web or in the ReploChat mobile app. |
| Old chats and contacts | Contacts and up to 6 months of one-to-one chats are imported, if you choose to share them | Nothing to import, you start fresh |
| How you confirm | Scan a QR code, then tap Connect on Meta's message in the WhatsApp Business app | A code by SMS or voice call |
| Best for | Businesses whose customers already message this number | A new brand, department or second line |
What you need first
- An active ReploChat plan or trial. How many numbers you can connect depends on your plan (see pricing). Keeping your Business app number is included in every plan.
- A Facebook account that can manage your business, or that can create a new Meta business portfolio during sign-up.
- To keep your number: the phone with that number, running WhatsApp Business app version 2.24.17 or newer, in your hand during setup. The number must be on the WhatsApp Business app (not the regular WhatsApp app).
- For a new number: a number that isn't on WhatsApp right now and can receive an SMS or a voice call for the verification code.
- Your business details: legal name, website (or a social page), and the display name customers will see. Meta reviews the display name, so it should match your business.
Method 1a: Connect your existing WhatsApp Business app number (recommended)
- In ReploChat, open Settings in the sidebar and choose WhatsApp numbers. The page is titled WhatsApp Accounts.
- Under Two ways to connect a number, press Connect my Business app number (the blue Connect with WhatsApp button at the top opens the same popup). If nothing happens, allow popups for replochat.com and turn off ad or tracker blockers for the site. ReploChat shows a red message if Facebook's sign-in can't load.
- Log in with Facebook, accept the permissions Meta asks for, and choose or create your business portfolio.
- When Meta asks how you want to connect, choose Connect your existing WhatsApp Business app and enter the number you use in the app.
- Scan the QR code shown in the popup with your phone.
- Meta sends a message to that number in the WhatsApp Business app. Open it and tap Connect.
- Choose whether to share your chat history. Share it to bring your contacts' past one-to-one chats into ReploChat; you can't add it later.
- Confirm the final permissions. The number is connected, and the import progress shows at the top of ReploChat.
- When the popup closes, ReploChat subscribes to your account's messages and starts importing your contacts and chat history. Your number appears as a new card with a green Active badge. Keep the WhatsApp Business app open on your phone for a few minutes while the import runs.
What is imported
- Contacts from the WhatsApp Business app, plus later changes to them.
- Up to 6 months of one-to-one chats (Meta's limit is 180 days before you connect), with the original times, and media for recent messages. This happens once, right after you connect, and can take a while for large histories. If you chose not to share history, only new messages appear.
- New messages, in both directions. Replies you send from the phone app show up in the ReploChat inbox too, so your team sees the whole conversation.
What changes in the WhatsApp Business app
Meta sets these rules for numbers used in the app and on the API at the same time:
- Group chats are not synced. They stay on your phone only.
- Broadcast lists become read-only. Use ReploChat campaigns instead.
- Disappearing messages, view-once messages and live location are turned off for one-to-one chats.
- Linked devices are unlinked when you connect. You can link them again afterwards, except WhatsApp for Windows and WhatsApp for Wear OS.
- Open the app regularly. Meta can disconnect a number whose phone has been inactive for about 14 days, so open the WhatsApp Business app at least every couple of weeks.
- Sending speed is fixed at 20 messages per second for these numbers, which is plenty for most campaigns.
- Availability: Meta doesn't offer this option in every country. If it isn't available for your number, use Method 1b with a new number.
Method 1b: Register a new number
- On Connect WhatsApp, press Register a new number (or Connect with WhatsApp). The same Meta popup opens.
- Log in with Facebook and choose or create your business portfolio.
- Choose an existing WhatsApp Business Account or create a new one, and choose to add a new number.
- Add your phone number and display name, then pick SMS or voice call and enter the code Meta sends.
- Finish the steps in the popup. When it closes, ReploChat subscribes to your account's messages and registers the number for the Cloud API. You'll see Connected <your number> and a new card with a green Active badge.
A new number runs on the API only and can't also be used in a WhatsApp phone app. Answer it from ReploChat on the web or in the ReploChat app for Android and iPhone.
After you connect
- Test it: message your business number from another phone. The chat should appear in WhatsApp Inbox within seconds.
- Fill in the business profile for this number so the AI assistant and away messages work. See business profiles.
- Create templates, because you need an approved template to message anyone who hasn't written to you in the last 24 hours. See message templates.
- Add a payment method in Meta. Meta bills WhatsApp message fees to your own WhatsApp Business Account, so add a card in Meta Business Settings or WhatsApp Manager before sending templates at volume. ReploChat adds no markup.
Method 2: Manual connect with a phone number ID and token
Use this method only if you already manage your own Meta developer app with the WhatsApp product, for example because a developer set up the Cloud API for you. You'll need three values:
| Field in ReploChat | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Phone ID (phone number ID) | Meta Developer Dashboard → your app → WhatsApp → API Setup |
| Business ID (WhatsApp Business Account ID) | Meta Business Settings → Business info, or the API Setup page |
| Access Token | Meta Developer Dashboard. Use a permanent System User token: temporary tokens expire after about 24 hours. |
- On Connect WhatsApp, press Add Account. The Add New Account form opens.
- Enter a Name your team will recognise (for example "Lahore store") and paste the Phone ID, Business ID and Access Token.
- Press Create Account.
- In your Meta app, set the WhatsApp webhook callback URL to
https://replochat.com/webhook/whatsappand subscribe to the messages field. Contact support for the verify token. - Send a test message to the number and check it arrives in the inbox.
The manual form saves what you paste without checking it with Meta first. If messages don't send or arrive, check the IDs, the token and the webhook. With Embedded Signup none of this is needed.
Connecting more than one number
Repeat either method for each number. Every number gets its own card, its own business profile, templates, flows and contacts, and they all share one inbox. When you reach your plan's limit, ReploChat shows WhatsApp connection limit reached (used/max). Upgrade on the Billing page to add more.
Reconnecting a disconnected number
Meta sometimes disconnects a number, for example after a token is revoked, the number is deregistered, or a policy action is taken. When that happens the number's card turns red and shows Disconnected — reconnect, the date, and Meta's reason where one was given. Until you reconnect, messages are not sent or received on that number.
- Fix the cause in Meta if there is one (for example, resolve a warning in WhatsApp Manager).
- Press Reconnect on the red card. This opens the same Meta popup as Method 1.
- Choose the same business portfolio, WhatsApp Business Account and number. ReploChat updates the existing connection, so your chats, contacts and templates stay in place.
Removing a number
Press the trash icon on a number's card and confirm Remove. Conversations stop syncing until you connect the number again. Removing it from ReploChat doesn't delete your WhatsApp Business Account at Meta, and a WhatsApp Business app number keeps working in the app on your phone.
Troubleshooting
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Couldn't load Facebook's sign-in | Disable ad or tracker blockers for this site, refresh and try again. Try another browser if it persists. |
| Meta would not complete the sign-in | Start again. Make sure you finish every step in the popup. |
| Could not activate that number for the API | When registering a new number, this usually means the number is still on a WhatsApp app or the code wasn't verified. If you want to keep using the app, start again and choose Connect your existing WhatsApp Business app instead. Otherwise delete the app account on the phone, wait a few minutes and reconnect. |
| The popup doesn't offer the Business app option | Update the WhatsApp Business app to 2.24.17 or newer and make sure the number is on the WhatsApp Business app, not regular WhatsApp. Meta also doesn't offer the option in every country. In that case register a new number. |
| Old chats aren't showing | The history import runs once, right after you connect, and large histories take time. Keep the WhatsApp Business app open on your phone. If you didn't share chat history in the popup, only new messages appear. Group chats are never imported. |
| WhatsApp connection limit reached | Your plan's number limit is used. Remove an unused number or upgrade. |
| Subscribe to a plan before connecting WhatsApp | Your trial or plan has ended. Choose a plan on Billing. |
Frequently asked
Is this the official WhatsApp API? Yes. ReploChat is built on the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API). There's no unofficial WhatsApp Web automation. The only QR code you scan is Meta's own, in Meta's popup, when you keep your existing number.
Does my phone app keep working? Yes, when you connect with Connect your existing WhatsApp Business app. Chat from the phone and from ReploChat at the same time, and open the app at least every couple of weeks so Meta keeps the number connected.
Can I move a regular WhatsApp (not Business) number? Install the WhatsApp Business app on that phone and move the number to it first, then connect it with Method 1a.
Do I need business verification? You can start without it. Meta caps how many people a new number can message each day and raises the cap as you verify your business and keep quality high. Some features, such as publishing WhatsApp Flows, require verification.
Is my token safe? Access tokens are stored encrypted, and webhooks from Meta are signature-checked.