Connect a real WhatsApp number via QR — no Meta approval, no Business app.
The WhatsApp channel links a phone number to your chatbot using the WhatsApp Web protocol. Every incoming message on that number gets an automatic reply.
Disconnected state
When you first open the WhatsApp tab you see:
WhatsApp Connect a WhatsApp number and your chatbot will reply to every message — no Meta approval, no Business app.
A dashed card below, centered:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ [ WhatsApp glyph ] │
│ │
│ Connect your WhatsApp number │
│ No Meta approval · no Business app │
│ · just scan a QR │
│ │
│ [ Connect WhatsApp ] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘Click Connect WhatsApp. The button label changes to "Starting session…" while the backend spins up a WhatsApp Web session. Under the card, three steps are numbered:
- 01. Click Connect — We'll spin up a private WhatsApp Web session for this chatbot.
- 02. Scan the QR from your phone — Open WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device, then scan.
- 03. You're live — Every incoming WhatsApp message gets an automatic reply from your chatbot.
Below, three footnotes cover:
- "Which number?" — Any number on WhatsApp on a phone you keep online. Secondary numbers or WhatsApp Business both work.
- "Your data" — Session runs via WhatsApp Web; contacts and history stay on your phone.
- "Message quota" — Replies count against your plan's monthly message quota; there's a link to the Usage page.
Connecting state (QR)
After clicking Connect, the page flips into a connecting state. A yellow dashed panel shows:
┌─ Scan this QR with WhatsApp ────────────────┐
│ Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────┐ │
│ │ [ QR image ] │ │
│ │ 240 × 240 │ │
│ └─────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ The QR rotates automatically — │
│ keep this page open. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘While the session is being created (before the first QR arrives), the box shows a spinner and:
Waiting for WhatsApp… The QR will appear here as soon as the session is ready.
If the initial QR broadcast is missed due to timing, the page auto-reloads once after 2 seconds to recover. You shouldn't have to do anything.
Scanning
On your phone, in WhatsApp:
- Open Settings
- Tap Linked Devices
- Tap Link a Device
- Scan the QR shown on screen
The status transitions from connecting → connected via a real-time channel event — no page refresh needed.
Connected state
Once linked, the page shows a clean detail list:
STATUS ● connected
NUMBER Acme Support
NUMBER +54 9 11 5555-1234 [Disconnect]Plus a green checkmark callout:
✓ Your chatbot is replying on WhatsApp. Test it by messaging {display_name} from another phone.
Two buttons below:
- View conversations — goes to the chatbot's conversations page
- Disconnect (inline, next to the phone number)
Disconnecting
Clicking Disconnect opens a confirmation dialog:
Disconnect WhatsApp? This ends the session with your phone. Your bot stops replying on WhatsApp. You can reconnect any time.
[ Cancel ] [ Disconnect ]
Confirming removes the session from both sides — your phone's Linked Devices list loses the entry, and our webhook stops firing.
Message quota
Every reply your chatbot sends counts toward the monthly message limit on your plan. Free plans are capped at 50 messages/month. See Plans & pricing.
Troubleshooting
- QR doesn't appear — the page already waits 2 seconds and reloads once. If that still doesn't work, click Disconnect (if visible) and try again.
- QR expires before you scan — WhatsApp rotates QRs roughly every 20 seconds; the page keeps showing fresh ones automatically.
- Shows "connecting" forever — the phone never acknowledged the link. Close and reopen the QR scanner on your phone, or disconnect and reconnect.