Enable WhatsApp and messaging

The WhatsApp skill connects a WhatsApp Business number to the bot for written conversations.

Connect a number

1. Enable the WhatsApp skill.
2. Click Connect my WhatsApp.
3. Sign in through the secure Meta window.
4. In Meta, choose your WhatsApp Business account on your phone or the flow to select an account and add a number. Select the business and number you want.
5. Confirm the number when requested by Meta.
6. Return to BeAI and check that the connection is active.

BeAI configures the technical integration. The customer organisation remains the owner of its WhatsApp Business account and Meta billing.

The same button connects a Cloud API number or a WhatsApp Business account on your phone: choose in the Meta window, without technical setup in BeAI. Choosing your phone account requests coexistence between the mobile app and BeAI. Keep WhatsApp Business up to date and follow the confirmation on your phone. Do not delete your account or uninstall the app to try to make the number eligible. If Meta says the number cannot be shared with this application, send support the screenshot, attempt time and Meta session ID. The refusal occurs before BeAI connects the number.

A newly activated WhatsApp Business account may be refused: Meta says additional activity in the app may be needed to determine eligibility. Use the account normally with your contacts, then retry coexistence. Meta provides no guaranteed waiting period or message threshold. An existing connection to Meta Business Suite alone does not identify the cause; support must check the specific reason before disconnecting anything. Meta's documented signup errors.

If Meta says the phone number cannot be registered or migrated (3441034), also keep the session reference following the code. This message alone does not establish insufficient activity or a Business Suite conflict. Send those details to BeAI support for diagnosis; do not delete the mobile account or its connection based only on this refusal.

Integrations can use the same flow through GET /api/v1/bots/{id}/skills/whatsapp/onboarding: pass signup.launch_extras.business_app as the extras of FB.login to enable Meta's native choice between API and phone accounts, then use the shared onboarding/discover and onboarding/complete operations. signup.launch_extras.cloud_api remains available for existing integrations that only use API numbers. A client-supplied flag cannot bypass Meta's number verification.

Administrative access and bot operation

BeAI uses the Meta authorisation granted for your own business to configure the number, send messages and manage calls. You do not need to assign a Beone system user to your account manually.

This authorisation is independent of your portal login session. If Meta sets an expiry date or access is revoked, use Connect my WhatsApp to renew access to the same account and number. Do not delete your WhatsApp account to reconnect BeAI.

Monitor conversations

WhatsApp conversations appear alongside calls in history and live views. The channel distinguishes them, while filters help find a bot or period.

Before customer rollout

Follow Meta's rules for consent, message templates and conversation windows. Validate the complete journey with a test number before using a commercial number.

Incoming calls

When reconnecting, BeAI checks whether the number is already active on WhatsApp Cloud API. If it is, BeAI restores access and incoming events without registering the number again or changing its two-step verification PIN. This also applies after disconnecting in BeAI. New numbers still need to complete Meta registration.

When connecting a number, BeAI asks Meta to enable incoming calls and the call icon. Incoming calls displays the result; Refresh checks it again. Messaging remains available if Meta refuses calling activation, with a separate error. After resolving the Meta restriction, reconnect the same number to retry.

Meta currently requires a messaging limit of at least 2,000 recipients. External SIP routing must be disabled in Meta for calls to reach BeAI. Open the contact information in WhatsApp to refresh a missing call icon after activation.

A Meta configuration with no token expiry avoids periodic 60-day reconnection. Revoked or invalidated authorisations still require reconnection. The public WhatsApp API exposes calling_status (unknown, enabled, disabled, unavailable) and calling_error, without exposing Meta tokens.

Human takeover

Configure the shared Chat human handover skill for WhatsApp, Messenger and Website chat. Search for colleagues in its tag field, set instructions and inactivity before returning to the bot, then save. Standard requests arrive in the BeAI inbox with browser notifications. The WhatsApp skill no longer contains handover settings.

Reply from WhatsApp Business

If your number shares the WhatsApp Business app and BeAI, replying directly from the business app stops the current AI session for that customer. BeAI records the same human handover as its inbox and retains incoming messages and human replies provided by Meta. Other customers keep using the bot.

Each new customer message or human reply extends Inactivity before returning to the bot, configured in the shared skill between 1 and 10,080 minutes. Duplicates, historical messages and receipts do not extend it. Expiry sends no automatic message: the next fresh customer message opens a new bot session. You can also claim the conversation in BeAI, transfer it to a colleague, return it to the bot or close it.

Detecting a reply from the phone requires a number compatible with WhatsApp Business sharing and the events provided by Meta. It does not revoke native access already granted to the WhatsApp Business account. A Cloud API connection alone does not guarantee sharing.

One configuration and one shared inbox

WhatsApp Business alerts with Accept/Decline buttons, their Meta templates and their specific tests are removed. Configure colleagues and browser notifications in Chat human handover, then use BeAI’s handover menu to assign conversations. Historical handover records remain available; integrations must use the shared operations.

Public configuration uses PATCH /api/v1/bots/{id}/skills/chat-human-takeover. The queue and its actions use /api/v1/chat-inbox, with the same permissions and organisation scope as the interface. The old WhatsApp skill’s human_takeover and whatsapp_compatibility settings are no longer accepted; use the shared skill. Meta tokens are never exposed. The Chat human handover guide covers assignment, notifications, returning to the bot and closing a chat.

Message reactions

Incoming WhatsApp reactions appear below stored messages in BeAI history, just like Messenger. Replacements and removals update the display. During an active AI session, a contact’s reaction is immediately sent to the AI with the text of the referenced message so it can interpret the feedback and respond in context. This uses normal AI pricing and resets the inactivity timer without extending Meta’s 24-hour reply window. After closure or human takeover, a reaction remains in history without restarting AI or generating charges. Meta does not deliver reactions to messages older than 30 days. Conversation detail API and text exports show the same state as the interface.