Getting started
Three things have to be in place before a message can go out: a Tobachat account, a WhatsApp Business account connected to us, and 1 approved template. Here's exactly who does what.
What to have ready
You connect through Embedded Signup, Meta's own sign-up flow. We can open it for you, but we can't fill it in: it's about your business and your accounts. Have this ready.
- A Facebook Business portfolio, previously called Business Manager. You can create one during sign-up if you don't have it yet.
- Your company name, address, and website URL. Meta asks for these and won't let you past without them.
- A number that can receive a text or a call, for the verification code. A landline without a phone menu or a prepaid SIM is enough.
- Already using the number in the WhatsApp Business app? You keep it, and the app keeps working. On regular WhatsApp? Move it to the Business app first.
- A display name for your business. That's what customers see instead of your number.
This part we can't take off your hands: you attach a payment method to your own WhatsApp Business account at Meta. Without a payment method Meta will still approve your templates, but it won't deliver your messages.
From nothing to your first message
- 1
Your account
Sign up for free. No credit card needed. The first time you log in, you accept our anti-spam policy. You can't connect a WhatsApp account until you do.
- 2
Connect WhatsApp
Open Meta's sign-up flow from Settings. Pick or create a business portfolio and a WhatsApp Business account, then verify your phone number. The number then shows up in your dashboard.
- 3
Register the number
A connected number can't send yet. Settings shows whether each number is registered. If it isn't, register it there with 1 click.
- 4
Payment method at Meta
You arrange this in your own Meta Business account, not with us. See the note above for why.
- 5
Your first template
Go to Templates, pick a category, and write the text. Meta usually reviews it within a few minutes, though it can take longer.
- 6
Add contacts
By hand, or from a CSV file. During import you say which column holds the phone number and whether the contact gave consent.
- 7
Send
A campaign sends 1 approved template to the contacts you select. Send a test to your own number first, so you see exactly what the customer gets.
What you do yourself, and what we can take over
You connect your WhatsApp Business account yourself through Meta's sign-up flow. Everything stays yours: the business portfolio, WhatsApp Business account, and phone number are registered to your company, and you can always access them in Meta's WhatsApp Manager.
Short on time? We'll handle the connection for you, including your first templates. You're still not locked in: if you switch providers, you keep your number and your approved templates.
When we register your number, we protect it with a two-step verification PIN and keep your message data in the EU. A number from the WhatsApp Business app keeps the PIN and storage it already has.
If connecting doesn't work
Meta's sign-up window sometimes stops with an error. Find the one you saw below, do what it says, then start connecting again. On the next try, pick what you already created last time, such as your business portfolio, instead of making everything again.
Meta rejects the name
Meta checks your business name and display name against your website. Use the name exactly as it's written on your site, and enter a website URL that loads and is about your business.
Meta turns down a display name that's just a generic word, like "Bike shop", or one that includes another brand's name.
Meta asks for two-factor authentication
Meta requires anyone who manages a business portfolio to have two-factor authentication on their Facebook account. Turn it on in Facebook under Accounts Center, Password and security, Two-factor authentication, then start connecting again.
Your number is already on WhatsApp
If the number runs on the WhatsApp Business app, choose your existing Business app in Meta's window. Meta sends you a message in the app: tap Connect and paste the code the window shows you. The app keeps working afterwards. You'll need version 2.24.17 or later.
If the number is on regular WhatsApp, move it to the WhatsApp Business app first. You can do that on the same phone, and your chats come along.
If another provider already uses the number through the WhatsApp Business API, ask them to disconnect it first.
The verification code doesn't arrive
On a landline, pick a voice call instead of a text in Meta's window. Numbers behind a phone menu don't work: the call has to reach you directly.
Tried too many times? Meta then stops sending codes for a while, sometimes up to 12 hours. Wait, and next time select your existing WhatsApp Business account and number, so you only request a new code.
Your business portfolio isn't accepted
You need to be an admin of the business portfolio you pick. If you aren't, ask the admin for full control, or create a new portfolio while connecting.
Brand-new Facebook accounts have to wait about an hour before they can create a portfolio. If Meta says it can't verify the portfolio, open Security Center in Meta Business Suite to see what's needed.
"Something went wrong", or the window closes on its own
Give it a few minutes and try again in Chrome or Edge on a computer. Turn off automatic translation and allow pop-ups for Tobachat.
After connecting: stuck on pending, or missing permissions
Linked a number from the WhatsApp Business app and it stays pending? Open the app on that phone and finish the link there.
A permissions error right after signing up means Meta is still passing your permissions through. Wait a minute and click connect again.
Error not listed, or still stuck? Message us through Help and feedback in the dashboard.