WhatsApp setup
“My customers are on WhatsApp, and so am I, all day.” BizOS is WhatsApp-first. From the first day it can send your bills and reminders from a shared BizOS number. Connect your own WhatsApp Business number and quotes, invoices, reminders and automations go out from your number with your business name, replies land in a shared inbox, and you can keep using the WhatsApp Business app on your phone as before.
What does connecting my own number change?
Your name on every message
Bills, quotes and reminders come from your own number and business name, not from a shared sender.
Automatic messages
The invoice on issue, the quote when sent, payment reminders, job and AMC updates go out without anyone sending each one. You choose which, under Settings → Customer messages → Automatic messages.
A shared inbox
Customer replies land in Chats, where your team can answer from one number.
Which way should I connect?
Open Settings → Customer messages → WhatsApp and pick one under Connect your WhatsApp Business number:
| I already use the WhatsApp Business app (recommended) | Use a separate number for BizOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | You already chat with customers in the WhatsApp Business app | You want a number only for BizOS |
| The app on your phone | Keeps working; your chats stay | The number cannot be used in the app |
| Number needed | Your existing business number | A number not active on WhatsApp, for example a new SIM or a landline |
| Sending speed | Plenty for a shop or service business | Higher |
How do I connect the WhatsApp Business app I already use?
- 1
Open Settings → Customer messages → WhatsApp
Choose "I already use the WhatsApp Business app" and click Continue with Facebook. Stay on the tab until Meta’s window closes.
- 2
Log in with Facebook
Use the Facebook account you use for your business, or create one.
- 3
Connect your existing account
Choose to connect your existing WhatsApp Business account and enter your business phone number.
- 4
Confirm inside the WhatsApp Business app
Meta shows a code during setup and sends a message inside your WhatsApp Business app. Open it, confirm, and type the code.
- 5
Decide about chat history
You can choose whether to share past chats. If you do, Meta sends up to about the last 180 days and BizOS adds them to Chats.
- 6
Finish
BizOS shows Connected. Keep the app open on your phone for a few minutes while Meta finishes syncing.
What changes in the app on your phone (these are Meta's rules and Meta can change them):
- One-to-one chats, contacts and calls keep working as before.
- Broadcast lists stop working for new sends.
- Disappearing messages and "view once" are turned off in one-to-one chats.
- Linked devices are signed out once; link them again.
If the option to connect an existing account does not appear, update the WhatsApp Business app to its latest version and try again.
How do I connect a separate number?
- In Settings → Customer messages → WhatsApp, choose Use a separate number for BizOS and click Continue with Facebook.
- Log in, create or pick your WhatsApp Business account, add the number and verify it by SMS or voice call. The number must not be registered on WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app; delete it from the app first if it is.
- When the flow finishes, BizOS shows the number's two-step PIN once. Note it down: it is needed if the number is ever registered again.
Manual setup (advanced) on the same page takes Cloud API credentials (WhatsApp Business account ID, phone number ID and access token) for a number set up outside BizOS.
Meta must approve your display name
Until Meta approves the business name shown on your number, every send fails. BizOS shows a warning on the WhatsApp page while that is pending. Approve the display name in WhatsApp Manager under Account tools → Phone numbers.
What does WhatsApp messaging cost?
| Where the message goes from | Who pays |
|---|---|
| You, typing in the WhatsApp Business app | Free, as always |
| Your own number, sent by BizOS | Meta bills your WhatsApp Business account for each message at Meta's rates. Add a payment method in WhatsApp Manager. BizOS adds nothing. |
| The shared BizOS number | Included up to your plan's monthly allowance. Beyond it, paid from your BizOS wallet at Meta's rate plus 20%. |
Test messages and the confirmation sent after a STOP reply are never counted. The allowance for each plan and the wallet are on Plans & pricing; this month's shared-number use is shown under Plan & billing.
What happens when a customer replies STOP?
A customer who replies STOP (or UNSUBSCRIBE, or बंद) stops getting WhatsApp messages from your business and gets one confirmation. That closes both everyday updates and offers. Replying START (or चालू) turns everyday updates back on, but not offers: someone who wants their invoices again has not asked for promotions.
You can also block or re-enable WhatsApp updates for one customer from their customer page. The block is checked at send time, so no automation, campaign or teammate can send past it. Separately, a customer or lead can be switched to Exclude from Facebook audiences so they are never sent to Facebook for ads.
Sign-in codes for your team are sent by SMS, not WhatsApp.
How do I disconnect?
- In BizOS: Settings → Customer messages → WhatsApp → Disconnect…. Messages go back to the shared BizOS number; your templates stay with Meta.
- If you connected alongside the WhatsApp Business app, you can also disconnect from the app's own settings on your phone.
Keep using WhatsApp on that phone
If you connected alongside the WhatsApp Business app, keep using the app on that phone. If the phone stays offline for a long stretch (Meta's current rule is about 14 days), Meta disconnects the number and you need to connect again in BizOS.
Troubleshooting
- The Facebook window closes with no result. A pop-up blocker, or the window was closed early. Allow pop-ups for BizOS and try again.
- "Signup finished but we did not receive your WhatsApp details from Meta." Run the flow again; slow networks can miss Meta's reply.
- The option to connect an existing account is missing. Update the WhatsApp Business app.
- Messages are not going out. Check that the WhatsApp page shows Connected, that Meta has approved your display name, and that a payment method is added in WhatsApp Manager. The message log shows WhatsApp's own reason for each failure.
Common questions
- Can I keep using WhatsApp on my phone after connecting to BizOS?
- Yes, and it is the recommended way. BizOS connects your existing WhatsApp Business number alongside the app, so you keep chatting from your phone while BizOS sends bills and reminders from the same number. Both appear in BizOS Chats.
- Do I need my own WhatsApp number to use BizOS?
- No. Until you connect one, BizOS sends bills and reminders from a shared BizOS number, up to a monthly allowance in your plan. Connecting your own number gives you your business name on every message, the two-way Chats inbox, campaigns and your own templates.
- What does WhatsApp messaging cost with BizOS?
- Messages you type in the WhatsApp Business app stay free. Messages BizOS sends from your own number are billed by Meta directly to your WhatsApp Business account, and BizOS adds no charge. Shared BizOS number messages beyond your plan's monthly allowance are paid from your BizOS wallet at Meta's rate plus 20%.
- What number can I use as a separate BizOS WhatsApp number?
- A number not currently registered on WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app, such as a new SIM or a landline. If it is registered, delete the account in the app first.
- What happens if a customer replies STOP to a BizOS message?
- BizOS stops all WhatsApp messages to that customer, including automated reminders and offers, and sends one confirmation. If they reply START, BizOS resumes everyday updates such as invoices, but not offers.
- Why are my BizOS WhatsApp messages failing?
- The usual causes are a display name Meta has not approved yet, no payment method in WhatsApp Manager, or a number that was disconnected. BizOS shows WhatsApp's own reason for each failed message in the message log.
- Why did my WhatsApp number get disconnected from BizOS?
- With a number connected alongside the WhatsApp Business app, Meta disconnects it if the phone stays offline for a long stretch, currently about 14 days. Keep using WhatsApp on that phone and connect again from Settings → Customer messages → WhatsApp if it happens.