WhatsApp Coexistence: the Business app and the API on one number
Everything you need to know before connecting: how it works, what you keep, what changes and what it costs.
What coexistence is
Coexistence, which Meta calls “onboarding WhatsApp Business app users”, lets one phone number work in two places at once: the WhatsApp Business app on your phone and the WhatsApp Cloud API used by software.
Before it existed, a number could be on the app or on the API, never both. Businesses that wanted automation or a team inbox had to give up the app. With coexistence, both stay in sync: a reply sent from the phone shows up through the API, and a message sent by the API shows up on the phone.
What you need
- A number that is active in the WhatsApp Business app (not the personal WhatsApp app).
- WhatsApp Business version 2.24.17 or newer on the phone.
- A Facebook account that manages your business, to approve the connection.
- The phone in your hand for about two minutes.
How to connect, step by step
- 1
Start in WaCheap
Choose “Keep my WhatsApp Business app” and give the number a name your team will recognise.
- 2
Continue with Meta
Meta’s secure window opens. Pick “Connect your existing WhatsApp Business app” and enter your number.
- 3
Approve on the phone
WhatsApp Business shows a confirmation. Approve it and decide whether to share your chat history.
- 4
Sync finishes in the background
Contacts arrive first, then recent chats. Keep the app open until WaCheap shows the import as done.
What works and what changes
| Feature | With coexistence |
|---|---|
| One-to-one chats | Work on both the phone and the API, in sync |
| Chat history | Up to the last 6 months can be imported, once, at setup |
| Contacts | Synced from the app |
| Messages sent from the app | Free, as before |
| Messages sent by the API | Charged by Meta at Cloud API rates |
| Group chats | Stay on the phone only; not synced |
| Broadcast lists | Turned off by Meta; use template campaigns instead |
| Disappearing and view-once messages | Turned off by Meta for one-to-one chats |
| Linked devices | Up to four; they are unlinked at setup and can be linked again |
| Sending speed | Fixed at 20 messages per second |
What it costs
There is no Meta fee for turning coexistence on. You pay Meta only for messages sent through the API, at the published rate for the recipient’s country and message category.
WaCheap charges a flat monthly plan and never adds a markup to messages.
Keeping the connection healthy
Open the WhatsApp Business app at least every two weeks. Meta ends the connection after about 14 days of phone inactivity.
To stop using coexistence, go to WhatsApp Business → Settings → Account → Business Platform and disconnect. Your number and chats stay on your phone.
Coexistence FAQ
Is coexistence official?
Yes. It is a Meta feature offered through Embedded Signup by approved Tech Providers and Solution Partners. WaCheap uses that official flow; it never asks for your WhatsApp password or scans your chats through an unofficial session.
Can I use coexistence with the personal WhatsApp app?
No. The number must be in the WhatsApp Business app. Moving from personal WhatsApp to WhatsApp Business is free and keeps your chats.
Can I import chat history later?
No. Meta allows the history import once, within 24 hours of connecting. If you decline it at setup, you would need to disconnect and connect again to share it.
Does automation reply while I am chatting from my phone?
When you reply from the phone, WaCheap pauses automation for that conversation for 24 hours so customers never get two answers.
Connect your number today
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