Yes, you can use the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business API at the same time, on the same number. Connect your WhatsApp Business app number to an API platform like Mywa through Meta's signup, confirm with a tap on your phone, and every one-to-one chat then shows in both places. You keep replying from the app while your team uses a shared inbox, campaigns and automation on the API. It works for WhatsApp Business app numbers only, not personal WhatsApp, and has been available in India since May 2025.
This guide covers how it works, who can use it, every setup step in Mywa, what changes in the app, what it costs and how to fix common problems.
At a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can the app and the API run on one number together? | Yes, since 11 February 2025 (India since 5 May 2025) |
| Which numbers work? | Numbers on the WhatsApp Business app. Not personal WhatsApp |
| App version needed | WhatsApp Business 2.24.17 or newer |
| How you connect | Through a Meta partner such as Mywa, then confirm in the app |
| Chat history moved to the API | One-to-one chats from the last 6 months, if you agree |
| Media in the history | Only from the last 14 days |
| Group chats | Stay on the phone, never synced |
| Messages sent from the app | Free |
| Messages sent through the API | Meta's per-message rates, billed by Meta |
| Sending speed | Fixed at 20 messages per second |
| Mywa price | ₹999/month + GST, zero markup on Meta's charges |
How does using both at the same time work?
Normally a phone number can live in only one place: the WhatsApp app on a phone, or the WhatsApp Business API on a server. In February 2025 Meta added a way for one number to be in both, which Meta calls coexistence. Once connected:
- Customers see nothing different. Same number, same business name, same chat.
- Every message is mirrored. Messages customers send arrive in the app and in Mywa. Replies sent from either side appear in the other.
- The app stays your mobile tool. You keep chatting, calling and using groups and the catalog on your phone.
- The API adds the business tools. A shared team inbox, campaigns, automation and integrations run on the same number through Mywa.
Before this, Meta required a number to be deleted from WhatsApp before it could join the API, and you lost the app. Many older articles still say that. For the full feature-by-feature list, see WhatsApp Business app and API on one number, explained.
Why use the app and the API together?
- Keep the number customers already know. No reprinting boards, cards or ads, and no "please save our new number" messages.
- Let the owner reply from the phone while staff handle the volume from a computer.
- Replace broadcast lists with real campaigns. Send approved templates to opted-in customers and see who received, read and replied.
- Answer every ad lead in seconds. Mywa's automations reply to click-to-WhatsApp ad leads instantly, even at night.
- Keep your history. Your contacts and recent chats move into the team inbox, so nobody starts from zero.
Can you use them together? Requirements checklist
| Requirement | What you need | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Business app | The number is on WhatsApp Business, not personal WhatsApp | The app is called WhatsApp Business and its icon shows a "B" |
| App version | 2.24.17 or newer | Update from the Play Store or App Store |
| Country | A country code Meta supports. India is supported | Signup won't offer to keep the app if your country isn't supported |
| Facebook access | A Facebook login that manages your business portfolio, or can create one | Check you can open your business at business.facebook.com |
| Your phone | The phone with the app, online and in your hand | You'll confirm on it during signup |
| Free number | Not already connected to another WhatsApp API platform | If it is, disconnect it there first |
Before you start
- Check your business profile in the app: name, address and hours. Customers keep seeing it.
- Note your greeting and away messages. You'll switch them off after connecting, so customers don't get an app auto-reply and a Mywa automation at the same time.
- Expect linked devices to log out. WhatsApp Web and other linked devices are unlinked when you connect. Link up to four again afterwards (WhatsApp for Windows and Wear OS aren't supported).
How to use the WhatsApp Business app and API at the same time with Mywa (step by step)
Do the signup on a computer, with your phone next to you.
Step 1: Start in Mywa
- Create a Mywa account at app.mywa.net.
- Choose "Use my WhatsApp Business app number" in onboarding, or later under Settings → WhatsApp. The other option is for a new number and won't keep the app.
- Log in with Facebook in the window that opens. It's Meta's own signup, inside Mywa. Pick your business portfolio or create one.
Step 2: Confirm on your phone
- Enter your WhatsApp Business number. Meta shows a code on screen; leave the window open.
- Open the WhatsApp Business app. A message arrives from Facebook's official business account. Tap Connect, then Connect to the Business Platform.
- Choose whether to share chat history. Tap Confirm to bring your past chats into Mywa. You can only do this now, during signup.
- Paste the code from step 4 on the computer and finish the remaining screens.
Step 3: Finish setup in Mywa
- Keep the app open for a few minutes while Mywa imports your contacts and chats. Meta allows this one-time sync only in the first 24 hours.
- Check Settings → WhatsApp. Mywa shows the number is also used in the WhatsApp Business app, and whether your history was imported, is still importing or wasn't shared.
- Turn off the app's greeting and away messages, and rebuild them as a Mywa automation with quiet hours and follow-ups.
- Invite your team to the shared inbox and send a first campaign to opted-in customers.
Your number stays online the whole time. For every signup screen and error message, see how to connect a number to the WhatsApp Business API.
What happens to your chats and contacts?
- Contacts: every app contact with a WhatsApp number comes into Mywa. New contacts and name changes keep syncing. Deleting a contact in the app doesn't delete it in Mywa.
- Chat history: if you shared it, one-to-one chats from the last 6 months appear in the Mywa inbox with their original dates. They don't trigger notifications or automations.
- Photos and files: Meta passes on media from the last 14 days only. In Mywa, media from the phone shows as its caption or a labelled placeholder; open the chat on the phone to see the file.
- Groups: stay on the phone.
- New messages: show in both places, live. Edits and delete-for-everyone made in the app update in Mywa too.
Which WhatsApp Business app features stop working?
| Feature | After connecting |
|---|---|
| One-to-one chats, contacts | Work in the app and in Mywa |
| Groups, voice and video calls | Keep working in the app only |
| Catalog, status, labels, quick replies | Keep working in the app only |
| Greeting and away messages | Keep working in the app, so switch them off if Mywa automations do the same job |
| Broadcast lists | Switched off; existing lists become read-only. Use Mywa campaigns instead |
| Disappearing messages, view-once, live location | Switched off for one-to-one chats |
Who should reply from where?
| Job | Best place | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New enquiries and ad leads | Mywa | Instant replies, chat assignment, nobody misses a lead |
| Offers and announcements | Mywa campaigns | Delivered, read and reply tracking; broadcast lists are off |
| Regular customers you know | The app | Quick replies on the go; your team still sees them |
| Groups, calls, catalog, status | The app | They stay on the phone |
| Order updates, payment reminders | Mywa automations | Sent automatically with approved templates |
Good to know: Mywa stops an automation when a team member replies from the Mywa inbox, but not when you reply from the phone app. Before you take over a chat on your phone, pause automation for that contact in Mywa.
How much does it cost to use the WhatsApp Business app and API together?
There's no fee for using both. Your costs:
| Cost | Who charges | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Messages sent from the WhatsApp Business app | Nobody | Free, as before |
| Messages sent through the API (campaigns, automations, inbox replies) | Meta, directly to your own WhatsApp Business Account | Meta's official rate by message type and country |
| Mywa software | Mywa | ₹999/month or ₹9,999/year, plus GST |
Meta's India rates, before GST: ₹0.8631 per marketing message and ₹0.115 per utility or authentication message. Since 1 October 2026, replies inside the 24-hour customer service window cost ₹0.115 after 1,000 free replies per number each month. Chats that start from a click-to-WhatsApp ad are free for up to 7 days once you reply. See WhatsApp Business API pricing in India or try the pricing calculator.
You add your card in Meta's Billing Hub and Meta bills messages at its official rates. Mywa doesn't resell messages or add a markup, so you're never billed twice for the same message.
Common problems and fixes
The option to keep the app is missing, or signup fails. Update the WhatsApp Business app and try again. Check the number is on WhatsApp Business, not personal WhatsApp, and isn't connected to another API platform.
No message arrived in the app. Check the phone is online and the app is on the same number you entered. Keep the signup window open while you wait.
I skipped chat history and want it now. History can only be shared during signup. Disconnect the number and connect it again, sharing history this time. New messages reach Mywa either way.
Messages sent from WhatsApp for Windows don't appear in Mywa. WhatsApp for Windows and Wear OS aren't supported here, so their messages aren't passed on. Use the phone, WhatsApp Web or the Mac app.
The number was disconnected. Meta can disconnect the setup if the app on the main phone isn't used for about 14 days, and logs out linked devices after about 30 days. Open the app regularly, and go through signup again to reconnect.
I want to stop using the API. In the WhatsApp Business app, go to Settings → Account → Business Platform → Disconnect Account. The number carries on in the app.
When should you use a separate number instead?
One shared number suits most businesses already on the app. Choose a second number on the API alone if:
- Your team should take WhatsApp calls in the browser. Calls stay on the phone with a shared number, so Mywa's WhatsApp calling needs an API-only number.
- You rely on broadcast lists, view-once or disappearing messages.
- You need to send faster than 20 messages per second.
Start using both with Mywa
Create your Mywa account, choose Use my WhatsApp Business app number and confirm on your phone. Your number stays live, your app keeps working, and your team gets a shared inbox, campaigns and automation on the same number. Still deciding? Compare the WhatsApp Business app vs API.
Sources: Meta: Onboard WhatsApp Business app users · Meta: WhatsApp changelog · Meta: WhatsApp pricing. Checked 23 October 2026.