Connect a WhatsApp Business number through Meta's Embedded Signup and answer customers on WhatsApp.
The WhatsApp channel connects a WhatsApp Business number to your workspace. There are two ways in: Meta's official Embedded Signup for a number on the Cloud API, or coexistence mode for a number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app — both run from the Asks page, and you stay on it the whole time. Once connected, customer messages arrive as conversations in the inbox, the AI agent replies, and you manage your business profile, message templates, and number health from the channel page. You can connect more than one number; each becomes its own channel.
Availability — this channel is rolling out and may not be enabled for your workspace yet. It will appear under Channels in your dashboard as soon as it's available.
Prerequisites
- A Meta (Facebook) Business account.
- A phone number you control. For the Cloud API path it must not be registered with the consumer WhatsApp app — Meta sends a verification code to it during signup. A number already on the WhatsApp Business app connects through coexistence mode instead, with no verification code.
Connect WhatsApp
Go to app.asks.app/channels/whatsapp and click Connect WhatsApp Business. A Facebook login popup opens.
Sign in with your Facebook business account, then choose an existing WhatsApp Business Account or create one, and add your phone number. Meta sends a verification code to the number.
Asks subscribes webhooks, registers your number, and pulls your business profile. You can receive messages immediately.
Already using the WhatsApp Business app?
Connect the same number without giving up your phone. Click Connect your app on the channel page, sign in with Facebook, and pair the app by scanning a QR code — no verification code, no re-registration. You keep chatting from the app while Asks answers from the inbox, and replies you send from your phone are mirrored into the same Asks conversation.
During signup you can bring over your contacts and up to 6 months of chat history; sync status shows on the channel's Overview tab. Coexistence needs app version 2.24.17 or newer, and the app must be opened at least every 14 days or Meta drops the connection. A few app features — broadcast lists, disappearing messages, view-once — are disabled while connected.
Verify it works — message your business number from a personal WhatsApp account. The conversation should appear in your inbox, and the AI agent's reply should arrive back in WhatsApp.
After you connect
The channel page has four tabs:
- Overview — connection status, quality and conversation stats, and the Refresh, Disconnect, and Reconnect actions. For coexistence numbers it also shows the Business app connected badge and the contact and chat-history sync status.
- Business Profile — edit what customers see on your WhatsApp profile: about (139 characters), description, contact email, address, websites, and business vertical. The profile photo must be JPEG or PNG, up to 5 MB. The display name itself is managed in WhatsApp Manager.
- Templates — create message templates in the Marketing, Utility, or Authentication category. Templates support a body with numbered variables (
{{1}},{{2}}, …), an optional header (text or media), footer, and buttons. Every template is submitted to Meta for review and can only be used once Approved. Approved templates can't be edited at all — Meta doesn't even allow changing an approved template's category — so delete the template and create a new one. - Quality & Health — Meta's signals about your number: quality rating (High/Medium/Low), messaging limit tier, and throughput, plus a feed of recent account events. Refreshed daily and on every quality update from Meta.
How messaging works
WhatsApp uses a 24-hour customer service window. You and the AI agent can send free-form replies for 24 hours after the customer's last message. The inbox shows the time remaining above the composer.
Outside the window, free-form messages are rejected by Meta — you must send an approved template instead. The composer offers Send template when the window has expired; templates can also be sent inside the window.
Media is supported both ways: images, video, audio (voice notes are transcribed for the AI agent), documents, and stickers, with uploads up to 100 MB. Emoji reactions work in both directions, and delivery and read receipts show on your outbound messages. When the AI agent offers quick-reply choices, they're delivered as native WhatsApp reply buttons (up to three) or a list. Conversation pricing follows Meta's category-based model.
Troubleshooting
My templates keep getting rejected
Meta reviews every template against its category rules. Check the rejection reason shown under the template's status, and leave "allow category change" on so Meta can reclassify instead of rejecting.
I can't type a reply in an old conversation
The 24-hour window has closed. Send an approved template to reopen the conversation; once the customer responds, free-form replies work again.
My quality rating dropped
Meta lowers quality when customers block or report your number. Watch the Quality & Health tab, and keep outbound templates relevant.
What happens when I disconnect?
Asks unsubscribes from your WhatsApp Business Account and revokes its access. Conversations stay in your inbox, and Reconnect runs Embedded Signup again.