Autobot
What is the WhatsApp API for business?
The WhatsApp API is Meta's official way for software to send and receive WhatsApp messages for a business. Meta calls it the WhatsApp Business Platform, and the version you use today is the Cloud API. It has no app screen of its own, so you reach it through software such as a team inbox, a chatbot or an assistant like Autobot.
People say "WhatsApp API" and "WhatsApp Business API" for the same thing. Meta charges for each message it delivers [3][11]. You connect either through a developer who calls Meta's APIs and sets up webhooks, or through a partner who handles the setup [11].
Can you use the WhatsApp API and the WhatsApp Business app on the same number?
Yes. Meta started letting partners connect app numbers on 11 February 2025 and opened it to Indian numbers on 5 May 2025 [2]. Before that, a number lived in the app or on the API, never both. To use the API, you first had to delete the WhatsApp account on that number [8].
WhatsApp Business's own guide says you keep the app, your number and your chat history, and add the Platform's features on top [12]. The three setups compare like this:
| WhatsApp Business app | API on a new number | API with coexistence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The number | Your own number, on your phone | A number with no WhatsApp account. Delete the account first if it has one [8] | The number already on your WhatsApp Business app [1] |
| The phone app | Yes | No, the number leaves the app | Yes, with a few features off [1] |
| Old chats | On your phone | Not copied | Contacts and the last 6 months of chats copy once [1] |
| Who can reply | You, plus up to 4 linked devices [12] | Software only | You in the app, software, or both [1] |
| Cost of a message | Free [11] | Meta charges per delivered message [3] | App messages stay free. API messages are charged [1][3] |
Who can connect a WhatsApp Business app number to the API?
Any business whose number is on the WhatsApp Business app, version 2.24.17 or newer, in a country Meta supports. Indian numbers have been supported since 5 May 2025 [1][2].
Check these before you start:
- The number is on the WhatsApp Business app. A number that is only on the regular WhatsApp app is not eligible [1][13].
- The number has seen real use. Meta's coexistence page names no minimum [1]. Some Meta partners tell users to use the number in the app for at least 7 days first. With too little activity, Meta says the number is not eligible and more activity is needed [13][14].
- You can open the app on your phone at least every 2 weeks. Meta disconnects the API after about 14 days without use [1].
Meta's page for this setup is written for Solution Partners and Tech Providers, so in practice you connect through one [1]. Convogenie Technologies, which makes Autobot, is a Meta Business Partner.
What copies over from the WhatsApp Business app?
Your contacts and the last 6 months of one-to-one chats copy over once. Group chats do not copy. You choose on your phone whether to share chat history, and the partner has 24 hours after you connect to ask for it [1].
If you decline to share history, your chats are not copied. Contacts and history can each be copied only once per connection [1].
Autobot asks for both copies as soon as you finish the signup. The copied contacts and chats are stored on your own Autobot computer, and Autobot reads them when you ask about a customer.
What keeps working on your phone, and what changes?
Most of the app keeps working. Meta turns off a few features in one-to-one chats, makes broadcast lists read-only and unlinks your linked devices once, so you can add them again [1].
| Feature | In the WhatsApp Business app after you connect | On the API side |
|---|---|---|
| Group chats | No change | Not copied and not supported |
| Disappearing messages, view once messages and live location | Turned off in one-to-one chats | Not supported |
| Broadcast lists | Disabled. You cannot create new lists, and existing lists become read-only | Not supported |
| Linked devices | All are unlinked when you connect. You can link up to four again, except WhatsApp for Windows and WearOS | Not applicable |
| Calls, catalog, orders, status, greeting and away messages, quick replies, labels, business profile and Channels | No change | Not supported |
On the API side, "not supported" means software cannot use the feature. Autobot cannot reply in a group, answer a WhatsApp call or edit your catalog. You still can, in the app.
How do messages show up in the app and through the API?
Both sides see every message. Meta mirrors messages between the app and the API. A reply you type in the app is passed to the API side, and a message sent through the API appears in the same chat on your phone [1].
Your customer sees one chat with one number, but the rules behind it differ:
- Messages you type in the app are free and have no 24-hour reply window [1].
- Messages sent through the API follow the window: free text for 24 hours after the customer writes, and after that only a template, a message format Meta approves in advance [3].
- A customer who wrote just before you connected has no open window, so the API can answer only with a template. You can still reply by typing in the app [1].
- Customers who write from WhatsApp for Windows or a WearOS watch do not reach the API side, so software does not get those messages [1].
What does the WhatsApp API cost in India?
Meta charges only for messages it delivers. To an Indian number that is ₹0.8631 for a marketing template and ₹0.115 for a utility or authentication template, on the rate card effective 1 October 2026. Your free-text replies inside the 24-hour window are service messages: ₹0.115 each after the first 1,000 a month per number. Messages you type in the app cost nothing [1][3][4].
Say 300 customers who agreed to offers get one marketing template. At ₹0.8631 each that is ₹258.93, or ₹305.54 with 18% GST, and at 250 people a day the send takes 2 days. If your AI sends 3,000 free-text replies in a month, the first 1,000 are free and the other 2,000 cost ₹230 before GST.
Add a payment method in Meta's Billing Hub. Without one, Meta delivers service messages only until the free 1,000 are used [3]. Marketing messages are also moving. Meta ends Cloud API support for them on 13 October 2027 and shifts them to its Marketing Messages API [15].
For the full rate card and sample templates, read our guide to marketing messages on WhatsApp. For your own numbers, use the WhatsApp Business API cost calculator.
What are the messaging limits, and do you need business verification?
A new business portfolio can message 250 different people in any 24 hours with templates. You do not need business verification to start, but verification is one way to reach 2,000. Replies inside the 24-hour window do not count against the limit [5].
- To reach 2,000, verify your business with Meta, or deliver 2,000 template messages to different numbers within 30 days. Meta reviews your message quality before it raises the limit [5].
- After 2,000 the limit climbs to 10,000, then 100,000, then unlimited. Each step comes within 6 hours once you use half your limit in 7 days with high-quality messages [5].
- You set a display name when a number is registered. Meta reviews it when your limit goes up. It rejects names that carry a person's name or an employee ID, another business's name, an odd format, or a name that does not fit your branding [6].
What makes Meta disconnect the API from your number?
Mostly a phone that sits unused. If you do not open the WhatsApp Business app for about 14 days, Meta disconnects the number from the API [1].
Meta's list of reasons also includes these [1]:
- You register the app on a new phone, or re-register it.
- You change your phone number.
- You delete your WhatsApp account.
- You register the number with the regular WhatsApp app.
- You tap Disconnect Account in the app, under Settings, Account, Business Platform.
When any of these happens, Autobot's Settings shows Reconnect and you run the signup again.
How do you connect your WhatsApp Business app number with Autobot?
Ask Autobot to connect WhatsApp, tap the card it shows and follow Meta's window. Autobot uses Meta's official Cloud API through Convogenie's Meta app. The signup is Meta's own, and your WhatsApp Business app stays on your phone. We connected our own WhatsApp Business app number this way and kept using the app.
- Update the WhatsApp Business app to version 2.24.17 or newer. Keep it open on the phone that holds the number until the connection finishes [1].
- Tell Autobot "connect my WhatsApp". Tap the Connect WhatsApp card it shows, then Continue with Facebook.
- In Meta's window, sign in, pick or create your business portfolio, choose to connect your existing WhatsApp Business app number and enter it [1][7].
- Meta shows a code. Copy it. On your phone, open the message from the official Facebook Business Account and tap Connect, then Connect to the Business Platform [1].
- Tap Confirm to choose whether to share your chat history. Paste the code and finish the remaining screens [1].
- Autobot asks Meta to copy your contacts and chats, then shows that WhatsApp is connected. Settings lists your number, and you can disconnect it there any time.
- Tell Autobot about your business, test it from your own number, then ask it to start replying.
Meta is rolling out a flow that asks for your phone number first [2], so the order of screens can differ. Follow what your phone shows.
What does Autobot do on your number once it is connected?
It answers customers from what you told it, hands chats to you when it is unsure, and stays out of any chat where you just replied. It sends templates and broadcasts only after you see the cost and say yes.
Autobot answers only from what you give it: instructions (what you sell, prices, hours, delivery, what it must never promise), files you approve such as a price list, and Google Sheet items you share read-only. A voice note becomes text first, Hindi included, and by default the reply matches the customer's language. It sees nothing else in your Autobot, not your Gmail, your other files or your other apps. A button menu such as 1 Price list, 2 Order status, 3 Speak to the owner runs without the AI.
When the AI is unsure, it tells the customer you will reply and sends you the person's name, number and a one-line summary in Autobot. It stays quiet in that chat until you answer. Meta's policy says automated replies must come with a prompt, clear and direct way to reach a person [10], and this hand-over is that way. A reply you type in the app also pauses the AI in that chat for 12 hours.
Templates and broadcasts go out only after a preview and your yes. The preview shows the template text, how many people get it and how many are skipped as opted out. It also shows the days needed at your daily limit and Meta's cost. Meta bills you at its own rate, and Autobot adds no markup.
A follow-up rule, such as a reminder to people who have not replied in 2 days, is approved once and then runs on a schedule. A customer who writes STOP is skipped in every later broadcast until they write START. Copied chats and synced contacts are not permission to send offers: Meta's policy asks for each person's opt-in [10], so Autobot asks you to confirm your list agreed first.
Say you reply to Ramesh from your phone at 3 PM. The AI stays out of his chat until 3 AM, so anything he sends before then waits for you.
What are the limits of Autobot on WhatsApp?
Replies start switched off, run from 9 AM to 9 PM India time and cover one number per business.
- Replies start switched off. After you connect, the AI answers nobody, not even the button menu, until you tell Autobot to start. Test it with your own number first.
- AI replies run from 9 AM to 9 PM India time, and nothing changes those hours. A message that arrives later waits for 9 AM. A message that arrives while replies are off or paused is not answered later.
- One WhatsApp number per business.
- A new business portfolio starts at 250 people a day for templates. Autobot spreads a bigger list over more days and follows the limit Meta reports as it rises [5].
- The AI stays on your business. Meta's terms bar AI providers, such as makers of general-purpose assistants, from using the platform to offer their AI as the main product [9]. So the AI on your number does not do open chat.
- Templates cannot carry a PDF header yet. A PDF goes out as a file in a normal reply, inside the 24-hour window.
FAQ
Can I use the WhatsApp API and the WhatsApp Business app on the same number?
Yes, if the number is on the WhatsApp Business app, version 2.24.17 or newer. Meta's partner documents call this coexistence, and Indian numbers have been supported since 5 May 2025 [1][2].
Will I lose my chats if I connect the API?
No. Your chats stay on your phone. Meta also copies your contacts and the last 6 months of one-to-one chats to your partner once, but not group chats [1].
Which WhatsApp Business app features stop after I connect?
In one-to-one chats, disappearing messages, view once and live location turn off. Broadcast lists become read-only, and linked devices are unlinked until you add them again [1].
Why would Meta disconnect my number from the API?
The usual cause is not opening the WhatsApp Business app for about 14 days. Moving the app to a new phone, changing your number, deleting the account or registering the number in the regular WhatsApp app also disconnect it [1].
How much does it cost to use the WhatsApp API in India?
Messages you type in the app stay free. Through the API, Meta charges ₹0.8631 for a marketing message and ₹0.115 for a utility or authentication message to an Indian number. Free-text replies in the 24-hour window cost ₹0.115 each after the first 1,000 a month per number [1][3][4]. The cost calculator works out your own bill.
Can the AI on my WhatsApp number chat about anything?
No. Meta's terms bar AI providers, such as makers of general-purpose assistants, from using the platform to offer their AI as the main product. The AI Autobot runs on your number answers only about your business [9].
Sources
General information, not legal advice.
- Meta, Onboard WhatsApp Business app users (Embedded Signup for WhatsApp Business app numbers: app version 2.24.17, the partner requirement, signup steps, contacts and 6 months of chats copied once within 24 hours, features that change in the app, linked devices, mirrored messages, free app messages, disconnection reasons). The page shows no update date. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/embedded-signup/onboarding-business-app-users
- Meta, WhatsApp changelog (11 Feb 2025: coexistence added; 5 May 2025: numbers with an India country dialing code; 12 May 2026: Phone Number First flow in the Embedded Signup v4 preview). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/changelog
- Meta, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (charges only for delivered messages, 24-hour customer service window, 1,000 free service messages a month per number from 1 Oct 2026, no delivery after the free tier without a payment method, rate cards effective 1 Oct 2026, billing in Meta Business Suite). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing
- Meta, INR list rates effective 1 Oct 2026, linked from the "Rate cards and volume tiers" section of source 3. India: marketing 0.8631, utility 0.1150, authentication 0.1150, service 0.1150. These are the figures in our cost calculator. https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing#rate-cards-and-volume-tiers
- Meta, Messaging limits (portfolio-level limit, 250 for new portfolios, routes to 2,000, how fast limits rise, replies inside the customer service window). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messaging-limits
- Meta, Display names (required when you register a number, review when the limit rises) and the phone_number_name_update webhook reference (rejection reasons). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/display-names and https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/webhooks/reference/phone_number_name_update/
- Meta, Embedded Signup overview (sign in with Facebook, pick or create a business portfolio and WhatsApp account, enter the phone number and display name). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/embedded-signup/overview
- Meta, Business phone numbers ("Numbers already in use with WhatsApp cannot be registered unless they are deleted first"). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/business-phone-numbers/phone-numbers
- Meta Terms for WhatsApp Business Platform, last modified 23 Sep 2026, section 4.7 AI Providers. https://www.facebook.com/legal/Meta-Terms-for-WhatsApp-Business-Platform
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, last updated 23 Sep 2026 (opt-in; automation needs prompt, clear and direct escalation paths). https://whatsappbusiness.com/policy/
- WhatsApp Business, FAQ (the app is free; platform fees; the first 1,000 service messages a month; developer or partner setup) and the Business Platform page (partner or direct integration). https://whatsappbusiness.com/resources/faq/ and https://whatsappbusiness.com/products/business-platform/
- WhatsApp Business, "How to organize your inbox and scale your business on WhatsApp Business" (connect the app to the Platform on the same number and keep the app, number and chat history; up to 4 linked devices). https://whatsappbusiness.com/resources/resource-library/organize-whatsapp-inbox-meta-business-suite/
- Wati help centre, Troubleshooting WhatsApp coexistence signup (a Meta partner's guidance: at least 7 days of real use on the app, 30 to 60 recommended; the "not eligible" message). Not a Meta page. https://support.wati.io/en/articles/11875544-troubleshooting-whatsapp-coexistence-signup-process-common-issues-and-how-to-resolve-them
- Chakra help centre, Issues with WhatsApp coexistence onboarding (a Meta partner's guidance: at least 7 days of use on the app; the same "not eligible" message). Not a Meta page. https://chakrahq.com/article/issues-whatsapp-coexistence-onboarding-setup/
- Meta, Marketing Messages API for WhatsApp overview (Cloud API stops supporting marketing messages on 13 Oct 2027; the same billing model). https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/marketing-messages/overview