Get started in the Twilio Console

1. Navigate to Messaging > Senders > WhatsApp senders. This will take you to the WhatsApp Senders section of the console, where you will create your WhatsApp sender.

2. Click Get Started.

3. Check the box to agree to WhatsApp's Terms of Service and click Confirm.

Select a phone number to register

4. Next, select or enter the phone number you wish to connect to WhatsApp. You may use your Twilio Number or your own phone number.                  

Link your WhatsApp Business Account with your number

5. Once you have selected/entered the phone number you wish to use, click Continue.

6. Then click Continue with Facebook

This step will open a pop-up window on Facebook.com. Do not close the pop-up window or navigate to a different page in the Twilio Console. You will need the Twilio Console window for later steps in this guide.

Log into Facebook

7. Log into Facebook if you haven't already, or click Continue as [your name] if you're already signed in. After logging in, you will be shown an overview of the process to connect your number to WhatsApp.

8. Facebook will then ask you to allow Twilio to manage your WhatsApp Business Account. Click Continue to proceed.

Select your Meta Business Portfolio

9. On the next screen, select your the Meta Business Portfolio for your business from the list. If you don't have one, you may create a new one by selecting the option Create a Business Portfolio.

Create your WhatsApp Business Account and WhatsApp Business profile

10. Create or select your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA):
    
    

• If this is the first WhatsApp Sender you are onboarding in this Twilio account or subaccount:

  • Select Create a new WhatsApp Business Account. Do not select WABAs created outside of Twilio.

• OR if you are onboarding an additional WhatsApp Sender in the same Twilio account or subaccount:

  • You MUST select the same WABA ID as shown in the Twilio Console window. Twilio requires all WhatsApp Senders in an account to be within the same WABA and maintains a 1 to 1 relationship between a Twilio account and a WABA.

• Since you are onboarding a new WhatsApp Sender, select Create a new WhatsApp Business profile.

11. On the next screen, you will need to enter in the following information:

• WhatsApp Business Account Name - This is only used for internal purposes and is not consumer facing. If you had selected a WABA on the previous screen, you will not be able to change the name here.

• WhatsApp Business display name - This is what your customers will see. It MUST meet the requirements set by WhatsApp

• .

• Category - Select the category that best describes your business. This is shown to consumers when they view your profile and can be updated later in the Twilio Console.

• You may optionally click Show more options and fill out the below. These fields can be also be added or updated in the Twilio Console later:

  • Business Description - This is also shown to consumers when viewing your profile in the WhatsApp application.

  • Website - This is also shown to consumers when viewing your profile in the WhatsApp application. Once you register your WhatsApp Sender, you will have the ability to add an additional website if you wish.

(warning)

Display names cannot be changed without a support ticket

Meta reviews display name asynchronously after the WhatsApp Sender is registered. If the display name is rejected by WhatsApp, the phone number's messaging limit will drop to 250 business-initiated messages per 24-hour period and may risk disconnection by WhatsApp. We strongly recommend using your company name as a WhatsApp Sender's display name. as WhatsApp will reject anything that does not match the company name in the linked Meta Business Portfolio.Using a brand name in your WhatsApp Business Profile instead of your company name

Verify your WhatsApp Sender

12. Meta requires you to verify phone number ownership as a part of the registration process. This is done by sending a verification code using either SMS or an automated voice call. Follow the instructions below based on the type of phone number you using for your WhatsApp Sender:

Twilio SMSTwilio Voice onlyNon-Twilio (BYON)

1. Switch to the Twilio Console window you left open in step 2 and click to Copy your Twilio numbers

1. Then, paste the number into the Facebook pop up window. Keep the Text Message verification method selected and then click Send Code.

2. The verification code will then show in the Twilio console under the "Verification code" heading. Click Copy and paste it into the Facebook pop-up window.

Info

If you have tried several times and still cannot receive the verification code from Meta, Twilio strongly suggests using a different phone number. If you require using the specific phone number you had selected, then open a support ticket

 and Twilio will contact Meta to make changes on how the code is being sent or discuss alternative methods to verify ownership of the phone number with Meta.

Complete registration

13. Once your phone number is verified by Meta, you may continue to click next until the pop-up window closes. The Twilio Console should then begin the last steps required to complete the registration. This process may take up to 2 minutes.

14. After 2 minutes, if the Twilio Console has not refreshed automatically, please refresh the page. Upon successful registration, your number will be displayed. You may click Edit Sender to use a messaging service, set your inbound message webhooks or update the rest of your WhatsApp Business profile including your profile picture.

Complete Meta Business Verification to increase limits

If you or someone in your company has already verified your Meta Business Portfolio previously, you will not need to complete this step again.

To check your Meta Business Portfolio's verification status or to start the process:

1. Navigate to the Security Center

2. within the Meta Business Portfolio that's listed on the WhatsApp Senders page in the Twilio Console

3. If your Meta Business Portfolio is already verified, it will display when it was verified.

4. Click the Start or Continue button under in the Verification section. If the button is unable to be clicked, make sure you have onboarded a WhatsApp Sender first.

You may be required to upload supporting documents to verify your business. See Meta's guide on uploading official documents to verify your business

Info

The Meta Business Verification process can take anywhere from 5 to 20 business days, depending on your region and company type. If you have not heard back from Meta in more than 10 business days, open a support ticket.

Onboarding additional numbers

To onboard additional numbers, you need to repeat this process, while taking care to select the same Meta Business Portfolio account and WhatsApp Business Account. The Meta Business Portfolio (formerly called Business Manager) and WhatsApp Business Account currently linked to your Twilio account are shown in the Twilio Console.

Please note that until you complete Meta Business Verification, some numbers may stay in a pending status and cannot be used to send messages. After completing Meta Business Verification, you may need to delete the WhatsApp senders and go through the process again to onboard them completely.