Get your phone number ready for connection

A WhatsApp chatbot runs on one business phone number, and Meta registers that number on the WhatsApp Business Platform during the connection. Most connection errors come from the phone number itself: it is still registered in a WhatsApp app, another provider holds it, or it cannot receive the confirmation code.

Let's talk about how to get your number ready for connection. The steps below follow the connection wizard: find out where your number is registered, disconnect it or choose a connection type, make sure it can receive the verification code, and set up your Meta account.

Basics

You can register a phone number in only one WhatsApp app or platform at a time. The wizard treats each of them differently:

Meta states the rule directly: you cannot register a phone number that is already in use with WhatsApp unless you delete its account first. After registration, you can still use the number for calls and SMS but not in the WhatsApp apps.

This gives four starting points, each with its own path in the wizard:

Find out where your phone number is registered

Before you make any changes, check the current status of your number. The team that uses the number and the person who connects the chatbot are often different people, so the phone number may be in use without you knowing.

To check if the number is registered in WhatsApp, open https://wa.me/11111111111 in a browser and click Start chatting. Replace 11111111111 with your phone number in international format without the plus sign.

If you see the Phone number shared via URL is invalid error, your phone number is not registered in WhatsApp.

Read more: Make sure your phone number can receive the code.

If you can start a chat with the phone number, it's already registered in the consumer WhatsApp app, the WhatsApp Business app, or on the WhatsApp Business Platform with another provider. To find out which one, ask the number's owner or the team that uses it. If the number already sends message templates or runs another chatbot, it's on the WhatsApp Business Platform.

To double-check, send a message to the number from another phone. If you see one gray check mark (Sent) or two gray check marks (Delivered), the number is still registered in WhatsApp.

Disconnect the phone number or choose a connection type

Go to the section that matches where your number is registered, and skip the other two.

If the number is in the consumer WhatsApp app

To connect the number, delete its WhatsApp account first. This action is permanent, so read the whole section before you begin.

If you want to keep your chats, back up the chats and media in the app first. Later, you can restore the backup on a phone. Once the account is deleted, your phone number will have no chat history, which means it won’t appear in SendPulse.

To delete the account, open WhatsApp on your phone, go to Settings > Account, tap Delete my account, and follow the steps in the app.

Uninstalling the app does not delete the account. Your account and its data stay active until you delete them through Delete my account, so the wizard will still detect the number as registered.

Once the account is deleted, it can take up to three minutes for the number to become available. Run the wa.me check again, as described in Find out where your number is registered. Then continue with Make sure your phone number can receive the code.

If the phone number is in the WhatsApp Business app

Meta offers two options: delete the account, as described in If the number is in the consumer WhatsApp app, or connect the number through Coexistence and keep using the app. Only Coexistence saves your chat history and lets your team keep working from the phone, so choose it whenever it's available.

To get your phone number ready for Coexistence:

1. Update the WhatsApp Business app on your phone to version 2.24.17 or later.
2. Make sure the phone number has been in use on the app. Meta sets its own eligibility criteria and doesn't share them, so it may not approve a new or rarely used number.
3. If the phone number is connected to another provider through the app, go to Settings > Account > Business Platform in the app, disconnect the number, and wait 15 minutes before you continue.

If the phone number is with another provider

If your phone number is registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform with another provider, you need to migrate it to SendPulse. If you try to register it as a new number, the wizard will show an error. Before you start the migration, make sure that:

• Your Meta Business Portfolio is verified. Migration is not available for a portfolio in trial mode.
• Your current WhatsApp Business account is approved and has a payment method attached.
• The display name of the number is approved, and there are no pending display name change requests.
• Two-step verification is turned off for the number.

Two-step verification is a six-digit PIN that Meta requires for every number registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform, so your number most likely has it on. Meta lists turning it off as the first step of a migration. Neither SendPulse nor your current provider can turn it off through the API, so you need to turn it off yourself in WhatsApp Manager.

To turn off two-step verification, open WhatsApp Manager, go to Account tools > Phone numbers, select your phone number, open the Two-step verification tab, and click Turn off two-step verification. Confirm the change by clicking the link in the email from Meta.

You cannot migrate Meta test numbers with the US country code and the 555 area code or use them outside the WhatsApp Business Platform. Use a real phone number instead.

After the migration, Meta copies your approved message templates to your new WhatsApp Business account, and you can use them once the copying is complete. Messaging continues without interruption.

Read more: Switch to SendPulse from other WhatsApp providers.

Make sure your phone number can receive the code

Meta verifies the number with a one-time code by SMS or a voice call, so the number has to be reachable while you run the wizard. This check applies when you register a new number or migrate one. For Coexistence, you confirm the connection in the WhatsApp Business app instead.

Choose the verification method based on your phone number type:

Meta doesn't recommend shared-cost, personal, or machine-to-machine (M2M) numbers, and it doesn't support pager numbers. If possible, use a different phone number.

A verification call can't go through an automated phone menu. If your number uses an automated phone menu or a company phone system (PBX), ask your VoIP administrator to allow calls from the one or two numbers WhatsApp uses for verification and forward them to an employee. If you can't find these numbers, contact Meta support.

A banned number can't be registered. Submit an appeal in WhatsApp first, and register the number once the ban is lifted.

Check the country of your phone number

Meta has been adding regions to Coexistence since 2025 and does not publish a list of supported countries. If the wizard shows This feature is unavailable for phone numbers from this region, connect the number as a new phone number instead.

Read more: Country restrictions.

Set up your Meta Business Portfolio

The wizard adds your number to a WhatsApp Business Account in your Meta business portfolio. You can create a portfolio in the wizard if you don't have one yet. If you already have a portfolio, make sure that:

• You have admin access. Only admins can manage business phone numbers, including deleting them.
• Your company's legal name, phone number, website, and email address are added to the portfolio.
• You haven't reached the phone number limit. Unverified portfolios can register up to two numbers. After business verification, Meta raises this limit.
• Your display name matches your company and follows the WhatsApp Business Policy. If it differs from your legal name, make sure your website confirms that both names belong to your business.

We recommend verifying your business in Meta before you connect the number. Verification increases the limits for unverified portfolios and is required for migration. Read more: Verify a business in Facebook Business Manager.

Check your devices

Meta's connection wizard opens in a pop-up window, and you'll need both your phone and your browser to complete it. Before you start:

• Use a desktop browser and allow pop-ups for SendPulse. Meta also supports mobile browsers, but in our experience, the wizard often fails to complete the connection on them, especially in Safari on iOS.
• Keep the phone with the SIM card or the WhatsApp Business app unlocked, connected to the internet, and within reach.
• Turn off any call and SMS blockers on the phone during registration.

Final checklist

Before you open the wizard, go through this checklist in order:

1. You know where your phone number is registered: nowhere yet, in the consumer WhatsApp app, in the WhatsApp Business app, or with another provider.
2. If your phone number is registered in the consumer WhatsApp app, make sure you backed up the chats, deleted your account, waited three minutes, and the wa.me check shows the Phone number shared via URL is invalid error.
3. If the number is in the WhatsApp Business app, make sure you updated the app and chose Coexistence.
4. If the number is with another provider, make sure your portfolio is verified, your portfolio is verified, your WhatsApp Business Account and display name are approved, and two-step verification is turned off.
5. Your phone number can receive an international SMS or a voice call, and no voice menu answers the registration call.
6. Your business is located in a country supported by the WhatsApp Business Platform.
7. You're an admin of a Meta business portfolio that includes your company details and hasn't reached its phone number limit.
8. You are using a desktop browser with pop-ups allowed, and your phone is within reach.

When everything on the checklist is ready, open the wizard and follow the instructions for your connection type: Create a WhatsApp chatbot with a new phone number, Create a WhatsApp chatbot through Coexistence, or Switch to SendPulse from other WhatsApp providers.

Troubleshoot pre-connection issues

If you run into problems while getting your phone number ready for connection, one of the following is the likely cause:

If the wizard shows a different error, see Troubleshoot WhatsApp connection errors.

Last Updated: 08.10.2026