WhatsApp coexistence: use the WhatsApp Business app and the API on the same number

For years, moving a number to the WhatsApp Business API meant giving up the WhatsApp Business app on it. Coexistence changes that: the same number works in both.

How it works

• You connect the number to the API through a platform such as MeAPI and confirm by scanning a QR code in the WhatsApp Business app.
• Your contacts and, if you agree, recent chat history are imported.
• Messages you send from the app also appear in the platform’s inbox, so your team sees the full conversation.
• Customers notice nothing: same number, same name.

Requirements

• The number is on the WhatsApp Business app (not regular WhatsApp), on a recent version.
• You have the phone in hand during setup.
• The country is supported by Meta for coexistence (India is).

Setup in MeAPI

1. Update the WhatsApp Business app.
2. In MeAPI, open Connection and choose I already use the WhatsApp Business app on this number.
3. In Meta’s popup, pick your business and enter the same number.
4. Scan the QR code shown in the popup from the app.
5. Choose whether to share chat history, and finish.

What changes in the app

Meta switches off a few app features on coexistence numbers, such as broadcast lists (use API campaigns instead) and disappearing messages. The app and the API share one quality rating and messaging limit. Chatting from the app stays free.

Error 3441047

If Meta shows “This feature is not available for accounts using marketing messages”, the WhatsApp Business account you picked has marketing messages enabled. Run the signup again and choose Create a new WhatsApp Business account in the popup. Full steps.

More: coexistence feature · step-by-step guide.