Business Phone Numbers
This document outlines the requirements and features of business phone numbers, how to register them, and how to manage registered numbers.
Last updated
This document outlines the requirements and features of business phone numbers, how to register them, and how to manage registered numbers.
Last updated
A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) requires a valid, dedicated business phone number.
To be eligible for registration, business phone numbers must:
Be owned by you.
Include a country and area code (short codes are not supported).
Be capable of receiving voice calls or SMS (a message will be sent to verify ownership).
Registered numbers can still be used for everyday purposes, such as making calls and sending text messages.
The display name for a business phone number is the name that appears in WhatsApp Manager. It can also be shown in WhatsApp chat thread headers, chat lists, and the business profile if the following conditions are met:
The business that owns the WhatsApp Business Account associated with the phone number has completed .
The phone number's name_status is set to APPROVED.
Once these conditions are satisfied, the phone number's verified_name (display name in WhatsApp Manager) will be displayed.
Please note that if a WhatsApp user has edited the business’s profile name within the app, the edited name will be displayed instead.
You can set a display name when adding a business phone number in the App Dashboard under WhatsApp > API Setup, or in the WhatsApp Manager under Account tools > Phone numbers, provided you haven't reached your phone number limit.
If your business portfolio is submitted for verification and becomes verified, Meta will take one of the following actions regarding your display name:
Approve your display name.
Reject your display name.
Request more messaging activity.
In each case, you will be notified via the phone_number_name_update webhook and a notification in Meta Business Suite.
If approved, your business phone number's name_status will be set to APPROVED.
If rejected, the name_status will be set to DECLINED. In this case, it's recommended to re-review the display name guidelines, make necessary edits, and file an appeal via Developer Support or Enterprise Developer Support.
If more messaging activity is requested, it means there isn't enough API usage data to determine if your number warrants a display name. Continue using the API, monitor the quality of your phone number and messages, take actions to improve quality scores, and Meta will automatically re-review your display name at a later time.
You can register a business phone number through the App Dashboard while following the steps outlined in the Get Started document.
If you didn’t register a number during the initial setup, you can return to the App Dashboard, navigate to WhatsApp > API Setup, scroll down to Step 5: Add a phone number, click the "Add phone number" button, and complete the registration process.
As part of this process, Meta will send a voice or SMS message containing a verification code to your phone number to confirm ownership.
You can also register a number using the WhatsApp Manager. For detailed instructions, refer to the "How to connect your phone number to your WhatsApp Business Account" help center article.
Limitations:
Only an admin of the business portfolio can delete its business phone numbers.
A number cannot be deleted if it has been used to send paid messages within the last 30 days.
If the number has been used for paid messages within the last 30 days, you'll be redirected to the Insights page, showing the date of the last paid message. The number can be deleted 30 days after that date.
To delete a registered business phone number:
Load your business portfolio in the WhatsApp Manager.
If the Phone numbers panel doesn’t load automatically, navigate to Account tools (the toolbox icon) > Phone numbers.
Click the trash can icon next to the phone number and complete the deletion process.
If the phone number has a Connected status, you may be prompted to enter your password.
If you wish to register a 1-800 or other toll-free number on the platform, note that these numbers are often managed by an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, which a WhatsApp registration call cannot navigate. However, phone numbers behind an IVR system can still be registered, provided they can accept calls from international numbers and redirect WhatsApp's SMS message or voice call to a real person.
To register a phone number behind an IVR system:
WhatsApp will share 1 or 2 phone numbers from which the registration call will originate.
Create an allow list for these numbers. If creating an allow list is not possible, add the phone number to your WABA and open a Direct Support ticket requesting the registration call phone numbers. Include the phone number you are trying to register in the ticket.
Redirect the registration call to an employee or a mailbox to capture the registration code.
Note that phone numbers behind an IVR system that cannot receive registration calls are not supported.
Business phone numbers can only be registered with one API at a time: either the Cloud API or the On-Premises API.
Initially, business portfolios are limited to 2 registered business phone numbers, but this limit can be increased to as many as 20.
If your business has been verified, or if you initiate 1,000 or more business conversations within a 30-day period using templates with high-quality ratings, Meta will assess whether your API usage justifies an increase in your phone number limit.
If an increase is warranted, your limit will be automatically raised, and you will be notified via the business_capability_update webhook and a notification in Meta Business Suite.
If an increase is not warranted, your limit will remain at 2. If more than a week has passed since your business was verified and your limit is still 2, ensure you are monitoring phone number and message quality, and take steps to improve your quality scores. After improving your quality scores, Meta will reassess your account, and if warranted, will automatically increase your limit and notify you via webhook and Meta Business Suite notification.
If you need to increase your limit beyond 20 and have access to Enterprise Support, you can open a Direct Support Ticket with the following selections, explaining why you need more than 20 numbers:
WABiz: Account & WABA > Request type > Increase Phone Number Limits
Business phone numbers have a status that reflects the number's quality rating and current messaging limit usage. When a business phone number reaches its messaging limit, its status will change accordingly.
The status of your business phone number is displayed in the Status field under WhatsApp Manager > Account tools > Phone numbers. You can also retrieve its status by using the GET /<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID> endpoint.
You can migrate phone numbers between different WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs) or between the On-Premises API and Cloud API (and vice versa).
To change the two-step verification PIN for your business phone number:
Open the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) associated with the phone number in WhatsApp Manager. If you manage multiple portfolios or WABAs, ensure you select the correct one.
Hover over the menu on the left and navigate to Account tools > Phone numbers.
If needed, use the dropdown menu in the top-right corner to select the WABA associated with the phone number.
Click the settings (gear) icon next to the phone number.
Select Two-step verification.
Click Change PIN and follow the prompts to complete the process.
To disable two-step verification, follow the steps outlined for changing your PIN, but instead of changing it, click the Turn off two-step verification button at the final step. An email with a link will be sent to the email address associated with your business portfolio. Use the link to disable two-step verification. Once it’s disabled, you can re-enable it by setting a new PIN.
You can enable interactive message UI components to make it easier for WhatsApp users to engage with your business. For more details, refer to the section on Conversational Components.
If you are registering a 1-800 or toll-free number, refer to the guide for additional information.
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