WhatsApp is the most common starter channel, but it's one of six. If your customers reach you mostly on Telegram, Instagram, Messenger, or Email, see the Integrations doc.

Three WhatsApp paths

Path	How you connect	Keeps your phone app?	Meta charges	When to pick
Waslo QR	Scan a QR code from WhatsApp → Linked Devices	Yes	None	Default — fast, no Meta paperwork
Official QR (WhatsApp Business app)	Meta's window, then scan a code with the WhatsApp Business app	Yes	Per message the agent sends	You want Meta's official API and to keep chatting from the Business app
WhatsApp Cloud API	Meta's window with a new number	No — the number lives on the API only	Per message the agent sends	A dedicated number, templates, broadcasting at volume

The Waslo QR path is a WhatsApp Web-style multi-device connection — the same kind of session your laptop uses when you link a device. It isn't a Meta Business API integration. The official QR and the Cloud API both run on Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform.

One number connects one way. Waslo refuses to connect the same number through Waslo QR and through the official QR or Cloud API at the same time — otherwise two connections would answer every customer. Disconnect it from one path before connecting it through another.

Connecting via QR (recommended for most)

Go to Dashboard → Integrations → WhatsApp
Click Connect WhatsApp
On your phone: WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device
Scan the QR code shown in Waslo
Wait a few seconds — status flips to Connected

Your phone number appears in the dashboard once linked.

First sync. Right after linking, a large account syncs with WhatsApp for a few minutes. The number card shows Syncing with WhatsApp: N contacts so far and "The agent is already replying. Don't unlink or scan this number again until this finishes, usually a few minutes." Leave it alone until the card clears: unlinking or rescanning mid-sync can leave the linked device unable to read messages until you relink the number.

Connecting your WhatsApp Business app (official QR)

Keep the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app, keep chatting from your phone, and let the agent answer through Meta's official API.

Update the WhatsApp Business app to version 2.24.17 or newer
In Waslo: Integrations → WhatsApp Official API → Connect my WhatsApp Business app (also offered in the onboarding wizard)
In Meta's window, choose to connect your existing WhatsApp Business app and follow the steps
Scan the code Meta shows with the WhatsApp Business app on your phone
The number appears with a Business app badge

Right after connecting, Waslo asks Meta for your app's contacts and up to 180 days of chat history. Old chats land in your inbox as history: the agent does not reply to them, and nothing is charged for them. Meta allows this request only once, within 24 hours of connecting.

While connected:

Reply from the Business app whenever you like. Your reply appears in the Waslo thread and pauses the agent for that customer. The app's own automatic greeting and away messages don't pause it.
Groups, disappearing messages, view-once messages and broadcast lists stay in the app — the agent doesn't see them.
Meta caps a shared number at 20 messages per second.

If Meta's window connects a regular number instead of your Business app (it can, if you pick another option there), Waslo tells you so. Open it again and choose the Business app.

Connecting via Cloud API

For a dedicated number, template marketing, or high message volumes:

In Waslo: Integrations → WhatsApp Official API → Connect with WhatsApp
Follow Meta's window: pick or create your business, WhatsApp Business account and number
The number appears as Active

Advanced setup (manual) below the button accepts a WABA ID, phone number ID and access token instead, for numbers set up through your own Meta app.

On PAYG, the official WhatsApp connection (Cloud API or official QR) costs 3,000 credits to unlock (one-time). On Growth it's included.

Ready templates for alerts, reminders and follow-ups

Twenty-four hours after a customer's last message, Meta lets an official number send only a template it approved. Each official number has a Ready templates card with three templates you submit once:

Template	What it lets this number send	Meta rate
Alerts to your team	Operator alerts to the WhatsApp numbers in Settings → Notifications, when no Waslo QR number is connected	Utility
Appointment reminders	The 24-hour reminder to customers who booked through this number	Utility
Follow-ups	Automatic follow-ups to quiet leads on this number, when follow-ups are on	Marketing

Click Review and submit, check the text and language, and send it to Meta. The card shows each template's status — in review, approved, or rejected with Meta's reason — and Check status refreshes it. You can edit the wording, but keep the placeholders in double curly brackets and keep words before the first one and after the last one; Meta rejects anything else.

Meta's charges (official QR and Cloud API)

Meta bills your own WhatsApp Business account directly for messages sent through its API — Waslo doesn't resell or mark them up. From October 1, 2026:

Every reply the agent sends is charged by Meta, per delivered message, at Meta's rate for your customer's country.
Messages within the free 72-hour window that starts when a customer reaches you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad stay free.
Messages you type yourself in the WhatsApp Business app are free.
Keep a payment method on your WhatsApp Business account, or Meta stops delivering the agent's replies.

Waslo mirrors what Meta charged — total, by message type and by customer country — on Settings → Billing and on the WhatsApp Official API tab, updated every 30 minutes. See Meta's prices on the same card opens Meta's rate table. The Waslo QR path has no Meta charges.

Multiple WhatsApp Numbers

Plan	Max Numbers
PAYG	1 free + extras at 1,500 credits each (one-time activation), up to 10 numbers total
Growth	3 included, up to 10 — each number past the third is 1,500 credits once

To add another number:

Go to Dashboard → Integrations
Click Add Number
Give it a label (e.g., "Sales", "Support")
Scan the QR code with a different phone

Each number can have its own independent AI configuration (custom prompt, classification rules, follow-up policy, handoff keywords) via the Context Selector in AI Agent. You can also turn the "AI agent replies on this number" toggle off for any single number on the Personality page — the AI stops auto-replying on that number only (messages are still logged and still sync to your CRM), while the rest of your numbers and channels keep working normally.

Connection Status

Your WhatsApp connection can be in one of these states:

Connected — Active and receiving messages
Connecting — Establishing connection (may take up to 60 seconds)
QR Pending — Waiting for you to scan the QR code
Disconnected — Not connected, needs reconnection
Logged Out — Session was logged out, needs fresh QR scan

A QR code stays valid for as long as it is on screen — WhatsApp rotates it by itself, and there is no cutoff while you are scanning.

Auto-Reconnect

Waslo automatically monitors your connections and will attempt to reconnect if a session drops unexpectedly. This runs every 2 minutes, so brief disconnections are handled automatically.

Troubleshooting

QR code not appearing?

Refresh the page and try again
Check your internet connection

Connection keeps dropping?

Make sure your phone has a stable internet connection
Don't log out of WhatsApp on your phone
Avoid linking too many devices to the same WhatsApp number

Shows Connected, but incoming messages aren't coming through?

If a connected number keeps failing to read incoming messages, Waslo emails you about it
Fix: Disconnect the number, then link it again by scanning a new QR code

"Banned" status?

WhatsApp may restrict accounts that send too many messages too quickly
Contact WhatsApp support to resolve account restrictions
Waslo includes built-in rate limiting to prevent this

Switching between Waslo QR and the official QR

Disconnect the number where it is now (Disconnect on its card)
Leaving the official QR entirely: in the WhatsApp Business app, go to Settings → Account → Business Platform and disconnect
Connect the number through the other path

The customer stays the same lead. New messages start a new thread on the new path; the old thread stays in the inbox. Prompt and knowledge-base settings made for the WhatsApp Cloud channel don't carry over to a Waslo QR number, which uses your workspace or per-number settings.

Disconnecting

To disconnect a number:

Go to Dashboard → Integrations
Click the Disconnect button next to the number
The session will be saved — you can reconnect later without scanning a new QR code

To fully remove a number (clear all session data), use the Logout option instead.

Connecting WhatsApp