The checklist
Connecting a number happens in a window that belongs to Meta, and it cannot be paused halfway. Have these ready first.
| You need | Details |
|---|---|
| A Facebook login for the business | The personal Facebook account of whoever manages the business’s Page is fine. In Meta’s window you sign in with it and pick your business portfolio, or create one there, which is free. |
| Your business details | Name, address and website, written as they appear on your paperwork. |
| A phone number | One that can receive an SMS or a call and is not signed in to the WhatsApp app. See the next section. |
| A display name | The business name customers see on the number. It has to follow Meta’s rules for display names. |
| A payment method | A card for Meta to charge for your messages. You add it at Meta right after connecting, and the number does not send until it is there. |
In xconversions you also need room on your plan for another number. Channels says how many numbers your plan includes and how many are connected.
Which phone number you can use
Meta accepts a number when all of these are true:
- It belongs to your business.
- It has a country code and an area code. A short code does not work.
- It can receive an SMS or a voice call, once, to prove it is yours. A landline works, by call.
- It is not in use in the WhatsApp app.
Before Meta’s window opens, xconversions asks which kind of number you have. What to do depends on the answer.
| Your number is | What to do |
|---|---|
| Not on WhatsApp anywhere | Use it as it is. |
| On the ordinary WhatsApp app | Delete the WhatsApp account on the phone first. That deletes its chat history, so do it before you start, not halfway through. How to delete a WhatsApp account. |
| On the WhatsApp Business app | Keep it there and share it with xconversions. See the next section. |
| Not bought yet | Any number that can receive an SMS or a call will do, including a landline. Get it first. |
Once a number is connected, it cannot be used in the ordinary WhatsApp app any more. Ordinary calls and SMS on the line are not affected.
Keeping the number on the WhatsApp Business app
A number that is on the WhatsApp Business app can stay on the phone and work in xconversions at the same time. Meta calls this coexistence. Choose A number on the WhatsApp Business app when xconversions asks, and Meta’s window follows that path.
What you need, as the connect screen lists it:
- The latest WhatsApp Business app, on the phone that number lives on.
- A working camera on that phone: there is a QR code to scan.
- The app left installed. Without it, Meta disconnects the number from xconversions too.
- Somebody opening the app at least once every thirteen days. If nobody does for about two weeks, Meta disconnects the number, your AI agent included.
What you give up, listed under What you give up on the same screen:
- No blue tick. A number with an Official Business Account cannot be shared.
- No calling through the API.
- Your display name is not reviewed automatically. That is a separate application to Meta.
- Messages sent from the phone are free. Messages sent from xconversions are billed as usual.
After connecting, your earlier chats can come across into the Inbox. A reply typed on the phone appears in xconversions and pauses the AI agent on that chat; Channels marks the number Also answered from the phone. Meta also switches off a few things in the app on that number, among them broadcast lists and disappearing messages.
What does not need to be ready
You do not need a verified business to connect a number and start answering. You can verify later. Until you do, Meta keeps you at its starting limits:
- 250 different customers you can write to first in 24 hours, shared by all your numbers;
- two phone numbers for the business;
- 250 templates.
Replies to customers who write to you are not limited. Business verification explains what verifying unlocks, and Messaging limits and quality rating how the limit grows.
Approval of the display name and the blue tick also come later, if at all.
How long it takes
About five minutes in Meta’s window when everything above is ready. Afterwards the number can show PENDING or REGISTERING on Channels for a while as WhatsApp finishes setting it up. You can leave the page: it turns to CONNECTED by itself.
If the account has no payment method yet, the number shows NEEDS A CARD instead. Add a payment method at Meta has the steps.
Questions
Can I use a landline?
Yes. Meta proves the number is yours with a voice call instead of an SMS.
Do I have to verify my business first?
No. Verification can come later. Until then Meta’s starting limits apply.
Can I connect a number that is on WhatsApp today?
Yes: after you delete its WhatsApp account, or without deleting anything if it is on the WhatsApp Business app and you share it.
Will my customers notice anything?
They keep writing to the number they already know. On a shared number, your chats in the WhatsApp Business app stay where they are.
Can I connect more than one number?
Up to the number your plan includes. At Meta, a business that is not yet verified starts with two.