Coexistence allows you to use your WhatsApp Business App on a phone and connect the same number to the WhatsApp Cloud API at the same time.

Prerequisites

Before connecting, make sure the following requirements are met:

1. WhatsApp Business App: You must be using the WhatsApp Business application (separate from the standard WhatsApp Messenger).

2. Latest Version Installed: Ensure the WhatsApp Business app is updated to the latest version from the official app store.

3. Meta Business Manager: An active Meta Business Manager account is required.

4. Compliance: The phone number’s country code and your business type must comply with WhatsApp Business and Commerce Policies.

Important Disclaimer (to avoid errors)

Co - existence WABAs are architecturally designed with a 1:1 relationship between the WABA and the phone number. This is because the SMB (WhatsApp Business App) model itself assumes one phone number = one business.

Embedded Signup WABAs don't have this restriction — they support multiple phone numbers per WABA, which is why adding additional numbers works fine when the customer onboards through normal Embedded Signup.

What This Means for UChat's Customer The error

"Cannot add phone number to WhatsApp Business Account"

is expected behavior when the WABA was created through the co - existence flow.

The customer has two options:

1. Create a new WABA via normal Embedded Signup — If the customer needs multiple phone numbers managed through UChat, they should onboard a new WABA using the standard Embedded Signup flow (not co - existence). This new WABA will support multiple phone numbers via the API.

2. Keep using co - existence for the first number + create a separate WABA for additional numbers — The customer can maintain their co - existence WABA for the original number (which keeps the WhatsApp Business App + Cloud API dual access), and create a separate standard WABA for any additional numbers.

How to Connect

Navigate to WhatsApp Cloud in your platform and press the button:
“Connect WhatsApp Cloud.”

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Choose your Business Manager. Select the connection type: “Connect the WhatsApp Business App.”

You will see two types of onboarding screens:

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Note on Existing Linked Numbers

If you already have a number connected to the Cloud API and you want to add another number using Coexistence:

• Simply connect the new WhatsApp Business App number.
  
  

• After connecting, both numbers will appear in your dashboard automatically.
  No additional setup is required.

Enter your WhatsApp Business App phone number. A verification code will be sent inside the WhatsApp Business app from the Facebook Business Account.

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After verification, now scan the QR code or enter the code. You will receive both messages on your WhatsApp.

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Tap the Connect to the Business Platform button to continue the onboarding process.

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Tap the Confirm button in the app to give the business the option to share their chat history with you

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Scan the QR code or paste the verification code

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Once that's done, the connection will be complete. Next, just add your payment method and link your number to the bot. After that, everything will be ready to go