Documentation Deployments WhatsApp

Deploying to WhatsApp

Connect your flows to WhatsApp Business to automate conversations with customers on WhatsApp.

On this page

Prerequisites

Before deploying to WhatsApp, ensure you have:

Two Ways to Connect

When you click "Connect Account" during deployment creation, you are asked how you would like to connect. Both end with the same working bot; they differ in how much setup you do yourself.

Take me through it

Meta asks you to sign in and pick the number, and we do the rest. There is nothing to copy or paste, no credentials to look after, and no webhook to configure. This is the shorter route and the one to take unless you have a reason not to.

I will enter the details myself

For a number you have already set up in your own Meta app, with an access token to hand. You supply the credentials and configure the webhook in Meta yourself. Everything from Meta Business Setup onwards describes this route.

Already using the number in the WhatsApp Business app?

Take the guided route. It is the only one that can keep a number you already answer from your phone, and it brings your recent chat history across with it.

Letting Meta Walk You Through

  1. Open your flow in the Flow Editor and click "Deployments"
  2. Choose WhatsApp as the platform, then click "Connect Account"
  3. Choose "Take me through it"
  4. Answer whether you use the number in the WhatsApp Business app
  5. Meta opens its own window. Sign in, choose the business and the number, and approve the request
  6. When the window closes the account is connected and selected, ready to deploy

Do you use this number in the WhatsApp Business app?

No, the chatbot handles it. Every message to the number is answered here. Choose this for a new number, and for one you have finished using the app on.

Yes, we reply from our phone. The number keeps working in the WhatsApp Business app, and your recent conversations come across so you keep the history you already had. The number has to have been in use on the app for a week or more, and Meta does not offer this in every country yet.

Answering from both places

A reply you send from the WhatsApp Business app does not appear in the conversation here and does not stop the bot, so the bot may answer a conversation you have already picked up. If you and the bot both work a number, agree who answers what.

Keeping the number working

If the connection ever stops working, because you remove our access at Meta or WhatsApp restricts the account, we tell you in the portal and by email rather than leaving the bot quietly silent.

Meta Business Setup

The rest of this page covers the second route, where you bring your own Meta app. If you chose "Take me through it" above, you are already connected and can skip to Create a Deployment.

If you don't have a Meta App with WhatsApp Business API access:

1. Create a Meta App

  1. Go to Meta for Developers and click "Create App"
  2. App details: Enter a descriptive app name (e.g., "ACME WhatsApp Bot") and your contact email
  3. Use cases: Select "Connect with customers through WhatsApp" from the Featured list
  4. Business: Select your Meta Business Portfolio (or create one if needed)
  5. Requirements: Review the publishing requirements and click Next
  6. Overview: Review your selections and click "Create App"

2. Add a Phone Number

  1. After creating the app, go to WhatsApp → API Setup in the left sidebar
  2. Click "Add phone number"
  3. Enter the phone number you want to use (must not be active on WhatsApp)
  4. Verify the number via SMS or voice call

Test Phone Number

Meta provides a test phone number for development. You can use this to test your integration before connecting your production number.

Get Your Credentials

You'll need four pieces of information from your Meta App:

1. Phone Number ID

Find your Phone Number ID:

  1. In the left sidebar, go to WhatsApp → API Setup
  2. Your Phone Number ID is displayed in the "From" section
  3. Copy this ID - it identifies your WhatsApp Business number

2. Access Token

For testing, use a temporary token:

  1. In WhatsApp → API Setup, find "Temporary access token"
  2. Click "Generate token" (valid for 24 hours)

For production, create a permanent token via System User:

  1. Go to Meta Business Settings
  2. Navigate to Users → System Users
  3. Click "Add" and create a system user with Admin role
  4. Click "Add Assets", select your WhatsApp App
  5. Grant whatsapp_business_management and whatsapp_business_messaging permissions
  6. Click "Generate new token" and copy it

3. Verify Token

Create a custom verify token:

  • This can be any string you create (e.g., "my_webhook_verify_token_123")
  • You'll use this to verify webhook requests from Meta
  • Keep it secret and unique to your application

4. App Secret

Find your App Secret:

  1. In the left sidebar, go to App Settings → Basic
  2. Click "Show" next to App Secret
  3. Copy the secret - this is used to verify webhook signatures

Keep Your Credentials Secret

Never share your access token or app secret publicly. If compromised, rotate them immediately in the Meta dashboard.

Connect Your Account

Account connections are managed directly in the Flow Editor during deployment creation.

Connecting a WhatsApp Account

During deployment creation, you'll reach an account selection step:

  1. Click "Connect Account", then choose "I will enter the details myself"
  2. Enter your Access Token
  3. Enter your Phone Number ID
  4. Enter your Verify Token (the one you created)
  5. Enter your App Secret
  6. Click "Connect" - we'll validate your credentials
  7. Your account appears in the dropdown - select it to continue

The verify token and app secret are how we tell a real message from Meta apart from anything else that reaches the same address, so both belong to your app and both are required here.

One Phone Number Per Deployment

Each WhatsApp phone number can only be connected to one active deployment. If you need to deploy multiple flows, use different phone numbers.

Configure Webhook in Meta

After connecting your account, configure the webhook in Meta to receive messages:

  1. In the left sidebar, go to WhatsApp → Configuration
  2. In the "Webhook" section, click "Edit"
  3. Set the Callback URL to: 
    https://universalchatbot.com/deployments/whatsapp/YOUR_PHONE_NUMBER_ID

    Replace YOUR_PHONE_NUMBER_ID with your actual Phone Number ID

  4. Set the Verify token to the same token you used when connecting
  5. Click "Verify and save"

Subscribe to Webhook Fields

After verification, click "Manage" next to Webhook fields. Meta offers a long list; these are the ones that do something here.

Field Subscribe What it gives you
messages Required Your customers' messages. Without it the bot never hears from anyone, however well everything else is set up.
account_update Recommended Word from Meta about the account itself: a restriction, a ban, a warning that one is coming, or our access being removed. We take the connection out of service and tell you which of those it was, so you learn why the bot went quiet from us rather than from a customer.
history Coexistence only The conversations already on the number when you connected it. Only a number you kept in the WhatsApp Business app sends this, and only in the days after it is connected.

Anything else you subscribe to is accepted and ignored, so it costs nothing but does nothing. In particular, replies sent from the WhatsApp Business app are not shown here and do not stop the bot.

Don't Forget to Subscribe

Without subscribing to the messages webhook field, Meta won't forward any messages to your bot even though verification succeeded.

Create a WhatsApp Deployment

Once you have your credentials and connected account, creating a deployment is straightforward.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Choose Platform

  • Open your flow in the Flow Editor
  • Click "Deployments" in the toolbar (rocket icon)
  • Select the WhatsApp platform card

Step 2: Select Account

  • Existing account: Select a previously connected account from the dropdown
  • New account: Click "Connect Account" and pick one of the two ways to connect

Step 3: Configure Deployment

Deployment Name: Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Production WhatsApp")
Version Strategy:
• Latest Version - Auto-updates to newest published version
• Pinned Version - Lock to specific version (requires manual updates)
Active: Check to enable immediately

Testing Your Bot

Add Test Phone Numbers (Development Mode)

Before your Meta Business is verified, you must add phone numbers that are allowed to message your bot:

  1. Go to WhatsApp → API Setup in the left sidebar
  2. Find the "To" field section
  3. Click "Manage phone number list"
  4. Add your personal phone number and verify it with a code

Development Mode Restriction

In development mode, only phone numbers you've explicitly added can message your bot. Once your Meta Business is verified, anyone can message your bot.

Send a Test Message

Once your deployment is active and webhook is configured:

  1. Open WhatsApp on your phone
  2. Add your WhatsApp Business number as a contact
  3. Send a message to start a conversation
  4. Your flow should respond

WhatsApp Features

Your flow can use these WhatsApp capabilities:

  • Text messages - Standard text responses
  • Quick reply buttons - Choice nodes render as reply buttons (up to 3)
  • List messages - For more than 3 choices, uses list format

24-Hour Messaging Window

WhatsApp has a 24-hour messaging window. After 24 hours of inactivity, you'll need to use message templates to re-engage users. This is a WhatsApp Business API limitation.

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