WhatsApp Cloud API Quick Start

Facebook announced the release of WhatsApp Cloud API on 20th May, and it’s available to any business of any size, big and small to communicate with customers using the official WhatsApp API.

Connecting WhatsApp Cloud API

To chat with your customers over WhatsApp Cloud API, connect a WhatsApp Business Profile and Facebook Business account.

Step 1: Navigate to Channel Settings

From Settings module, navigate to the menu item, Channels.

Step 2: Add Channel

Click Add Channel and choose WhatsApp Cloud API. Click Next and the Connecting WhatsApp Cloud API dialog should open up.

Step 3: Connect with Facebook

Click the Connect With Facebook button.

Step 4: Sign in with a Facebook Account

Sign in using the Facebook account with admin access to the Facebook App and Facebook Business Account.

Step 5: Select the WhatsApp Number

You will be provided options on which number together with the WABA name you would like to connect. Select the number.

Step 6: Add the Callback URL

Head back to the WhatsApp section in Facebook Developer App. Navigate to the Configuration subsection and set up the Callback URL. Add the generated Callback URL and verify the token from respond.io to the corresponding fields at the webhook dialog.

Step 7: Verify and Save changes

On the Facebook App, verify and save changes to the app.

Step 8: Subscribe to the webhook event

On your Facebook App, select the Webhooks tab under the Products panel and select WhatsApp Business Account in the dropdown list. Click on subscribe messages event.

Step 9: Toggle the app mode from development to live mode

Click the toggle at the top of the page to turn on live mode.

Step 10: Complete the setup at respond.io

Click Done to complete the setup.

Channel Configuration

Step 1: Navigate to Channel Settings

From Settings module, navigate to the menu item, Channels.

Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Cloud API channel

Once you've located the WhatsApp Cloud API channel, click Configure.

Step 3: Make the necessary configuration

You can configure the following:

• Channel Name - Name used internally to identify the account.

Step 4: Update the configuration

Click Done to update the channel configuration.

Metadata Received by Channel

Different channels provide different set of Contact’s metadata to respond.io platform. Here’s the list of Contact’s data you’ll be able to obtain from this channel:

• Phone number
• Phone number ID
• Profile name
• Whatsapp ID

Managing WhatsApp Business API Profile

Step 1: Navigate to Channel Settings

From Settings module, navigate to the menu item, Channels.

Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Cloud API channel

Once you've located the WhatsApp Cloud API channel, click Profile.

Step 3: Sync Profile

If the profile hasn't been synced, click Sync Profile to obtain the latest WhatsApp Business Profile information from WhatsApp.

Step 4: Make necessary changes

You may edit the information as needed.

Step 5: Save changes

Review the information and click Save when it's ready.

Managing WhatsApp Message Templates

Submitting Message Templates

Step 1: Navigate to Channel Settings

From Settings module, navigate to the menu item, Channels.

Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Cloud API channel

Once you have located the WhatsApp Cloud API channel, click Templates.

Step 3: Submit Template

Click Submit Template to submit a Message Template for approval.

Step 4: Fill in the required information

Fill in the information needed to create a template.

Step 5: Start building the message

Build the message by filling in the necessary components, then review the message in the preview section.

Step 6: Provide sample value

This is only applicable if you have included any parameters in your message template content.

Important Links

• Message guidelines by WhatsApp

Syncing Message Templates

Step 1: Navigate to Channel Settings

From Settings module, navigate to the menu item, Channels.

Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Cloud API channel

Once you've located the WhatsApp Cloud API channel, click Templates.

Step 3: Sync Templates

Click Sync Templates to begin the syncing process.

Step 4: Syncing Completed

When the synchronization has been completed, the message templates will be listed with their corresponding status and the last synced date time will be updated. The rejection reason will be displayed underneath the rejected message template.

Troubleshooting

Inability to Send Messages

Make sure that the number you connected to the platform is a WhatsApp Cloud API number.

Messages Are Not Arriving

Step 1: Navigate to the Facebook App Webhook page

Open the Facebook App and navigate to the Webhooks page.

Step 2: Verify the subscribed event

Select Whatsapp Business Account and verify if the messages event is subscribed.

Step 3: Send a test message

Send a test message to the WhatsApp phone number and check if it arrived.

Inability To Receive Read Receipts

Step 1: Navigate to Channel Settings

From Settings module, navigate to the menu item, Channels.

Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Cloud API channel

Once you've located the WhatsApp Cloud API Messenger channel, click Troubleshoot.

Step 3: Refresh Permission

Click Refresh Permission to refresh WhatsApp permissions.

Step 4: Send a test message

Send a test message to the WhatsApp phone number and check if it arrived.

Unable To Send Outbound Messages: Validating Access Token Error

To solve this error, you must refresh your WhatsApp Cloud API channel permissions and send a test message again.

Contact Not Receiving Messages

If your contacts cannot receive messages from your WhatsApp Cloud API number, make sure that they have agreed to the latest WhatsApp terms and privacy policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the considerations of the phone number that's allowed to be added to WhatsApp Cloud API?

• If the number is already being used in the WhatsApp customer or business app, you will have to delete your account on the WhatsApp customer or business app.
• The Phone number used for WhatsApp Cloud API can’t be used in the WhatsApp customer or business app.
• You can still use the number for everyday purposes, such as calling and receiving messages after registering it on the WhatsApp Business Platform.
• Once you use a phone for WhatsApp Cloud API you can no longer use that number on the WhatsApp Business App.

Is Business verification needed to start using Cloud API?

It isn’t mandatory to complete Facebook business verification to start sending messages on WhatsApp. Without business verification, your business will still be able to:

• Respond to unlimited user-initiated conversations.
• Send business-initiated conversations (template messages) to 50 unique customers in a rolling 24-hour period. You will need to complete business verification if you want to initiate more than 50 business-initiated conversations in a rolling 24-hour period.

Businesses can initiate Business Verification (BV) only when they are ready to scale business-initiated conversations or want to become an Official Business Account.

Can I view my conversation insights for my WhatsApp Business Account?

Yes, you can monitor your messaging and spending analytics in real-time for your WhatsApp business account in the Insights tab of your Meta WhatsApp Manager. Read more here.

What are WhatsApp messaging limits?

Messaging limits determine the maximum number of business-initiated conversations each phone number can start in a rolling 24-hour period. These limits do not apply to user-initiated conversations. A business-initiated conversation starts when the first message is delivered to a customer and ends 24 hours later. Read more here.

How do I add a payment method to my WhatsApp Business Account?

Your first 1,000 conversations each month are free. If you want to exceed the free tier of 1,000 conversations per month, you need to add a payment method to your WhatsApp Business account in Business Manager. You can learn more here.

Why did my message fail to send with an error "Business eligibility payment issue"?

This is most likely due to you exceeding the monthly free tier threshold without a valid payment method. To resolve this issue, add a valid payment method.

What is WhatsApp Cloud API pricing?

WhatsApp Business Platform conversations fall into two categories that are priced differently:

• User-initiated: A conversation that initiates in response to a user message. Whenever a business replies to a user within the 24-hour customer service window, that message will be associated with a user-initiated conversation. Businesses can send free-form messages within this 24-hour customer service window.
• Business-initiated: A conversation that initiates from a business sending a user a message outside the 24-hour customer service window. Messages that initiate a business-initiated conversation will require a message template.

All conversations are measured in fixed 24-hour sessions. A conversation starts when the first business message in a conversation is delivered, either initiated by the business or in reply to a user message. Businesses and users can exchange any number of messages, including template messages, within a 24-hour conversation session without incurring additional charges. Each 24-hour conversation session results in a single charge.

Charges for conversations are based on the user’s country code. A user here is defined as the customer that your business is communicating with. Rates for business-initiated and user-initiated conversations vary by country or region. Read more here.

How do I delete a phone number from a business account?

There are a few requirements and steps needed to delete a phone number, read more here.

Can I use respond.io to send a WhatsApp Cloud API broadcast with the Meta test number?

You can send a test broadcast from the platform using the Meta test number. However, a broadcast using the test number is limited to five recipients. You must first add these five recipients to the phone number list in the Meta Developer tools.

If you do not add recipients to this list or if you attempt to send a broadcast to recipients not on this list, you will receive this error message:

Can I delete the Meta test number from my connected Cloud API account?

No, this number is automatically provided to all accounts to use for sending test messages and cannot be deleted. Just be careful to note that this is a test number not to be used for other purposes.