WhatsApp Business on the phone and on the official API at the same time: how coexistence works

Until recently, anyone who wanted to take the company's WhatsApp to a customer service platform had to make a hard choice: either the number stayed in the WhatsApp Business app on the phone, or it went to the official API. Never both. Moving to the API meant taking the number off the phone, losing the way the team already served customers and, often, starting conversations from scratch.

Meta changed that with coexistence. Now the same number can work in the WhatsApp Business app and on the official API at the same time. This article explains what it is, what you gain, what changes on the phone and who it makes sense for.

What coexistence is

It's the ability to connect the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app to the official WhatsApp API, without taking it off the phone.

Once connected, the number works in two places:

• On the phone, as always: the team keeps serving customers through the app (and through the WhatsApp Web linked to it).
• On the platform, through the official API: conversations arrive in a customer service dashboard, can be answered by several people and by AI agents, and are integrated with the CRM.

In Meta's words, the messages sent and received are mirrored between the API and the app. What you answer on the phone shows up on the platform, and what is answered on the platform shows up on the phone.

Why it matters

For many companies, the WhatsApp on the phone is the sales channel. The number is on the business card, the website, the ads. Taking that number out of the app to put it on the API was a risk many people didn't want to take.

With coexistence:

• The number stays the same. No new SIM card and no need to tell customers.
• Nobody has to change the way they work all at once. Those who like the phone stay on the phone; those who need a dashboard, reports and automation use the platform.
• Old conversations come along. When you connect, Meta shares the history of the last 6 months and the app's contacts.

What you gain

One number, two places. Answer on the phone or on the platform, whichever is more practical at each moment.

Up to 6 months of history. The conversations that already existed in the app are sent by Meta right after the connection, with their original dates. Group messages are left out.

An AI agent that doesn't run over the team. Since the platform also receives what is answered on the phone, the agent can be paused automatically when a human takes over the conversation.

Messages from the phone remain free. What is sent from the app doesn't go through the API and isn't charged as an API message. What goes out from the platform follows Meta's per-message billing.

What changes on the phone

Under Meta's rules, after you connect, some app features stop working:

It's worth weighing this before connecting, especially if your operation depends on broadcast lists.

Things worth knowing

It only works with the WhatsApp Business app. Regular (personal) WhatsApp won't do. If your number is on regular WhatsApp, the way forward is to install WhatsApp Business on the same phone and agree to bring over the number and the conversations.

Open the app every now and then. If WhatsApp Business goes about 14 days without being opened on the phone, Meta disconnects the number from the API. Just open the app from time to time.

Lower throughput than a dedicated number. A coexistence number sends up to 20 messages per second through the API. For customer service that's more than enough; for mass campaigns, the ideal is a number dedicated only to the API.

A number that is already API-only doesn't become a coexistence number directly. Coexistence starts from the app: a number that is currently only on the API first has to go back to WhatsApp Business on the phone and only then be connected.

The connection is made by scanning a QR code. Meta recognizes that the number is in the app and asks WhatsApp Business on the phone to scan a QR code. If instead it asks for a code by SMS or phone call, stop: that is the new-number path, which takes the number off the phone.

Coexistence or a dedicated number?

How to connect in Xbase

In Xbase, coexistence is the default path: there's no separate button.

1. Open Integrations → WhatsApp (Official Meta) and click Connect Integration.
2. In the Meta window, type the number exactly as it appears in WhatsApp Business. Meta recognizes on its own that it's in the app.
3. Choose your company's business portfolio.
4. Scan the QR code with WhatsApp Business on the phone and authorize sharing the history.
5. Finish. The number shows up in the integrations, the old conversations start arriving in the Chatcenter and you choose which AI agent will serve customers. In WhatsApp API → Numbers, it carries the Also on the phone badge.

The full step-by-step guide, with the most common problems, is in the tutorial How to connect the WhatsApp Business on your phone to XBASE. The rules and limits are in WhatsApp coexistence: rules and limits.

To disconnect, use the phone itself: WhatsApp Business → Settings → Account → Business platform → Disconnect. The conversations that were already in Xbase stay there.

Frequently asked questions

Will I lose the conversations on the phone? No. They stay in the app, and those from the last 6 months also start showing up on the platform.

Will my customers notice any difference? No. The number, the name and the photo stay the same.

Can I keep using WhatsApp Web? Yes. What gets disconnected are the Windows and watch apps.

What if I change my mind? Just disconnect from the phone. The number goes back to working only in the app.

Sources

• Meta — Onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (coexistence) — official documentation, the basis of this article
• Meta — Embedded Signup v4