Can I use the WhatsApp Business app and the API on the same number?
Yes. Meta's coexistence lets a number already on the WhatsApp Business app connect to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) and keep working on the phone. Here is exactly what syncs, what changes and what it costs — taken from Meta's own documentation.
Updated October 2026
Yes — one number can be on the Business app and the API at the same time
On 11 February 2025, Meta added the ability for solution providers to onboard WhatsApp Business app users through Embedded Signup — the feature Meta itself calls "coexistence". A business connects its existing WhatsApp Business app number to the Cloud API through a provider, and the same number keeps working in the app on the phone.
Meta's documentation describes the result plainly: the business can send high volumes of messages through the API, keep using the WhatsApp Business app for one-to-one chats, and messages sent and received are mirrored between the two. Numbers with an India country code have been supported since 5 May 2025.
Many articles still say "no" because, before coexistence, it was true: Meta's rule for registering a number on the Cloud API is that numbers already in use with WhatsApp must be deleted first. That rule still applies to the standard signup — coexistence is the separate route Meta built for numbers that are on the WhatsApp Business app.
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Works for numbers on the WhatsApp Business app — not personal WhatsApp (WhatsApp Messenger).
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One-to-one chats are mirrored both ways. replies sent from the API show in the app, and messages sent from the app reach the API side.
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You keep the same number and the same customers — nobody has to save a new contact.
What syncs, what stays on the app and what switches off
Meta lists each WhatsApp Business app feature, what changes in the app once you connect, and whether the Cloud API supports it.
| Feature | In the WhatsApp Business app after connecting | On the API side (e.g. in Mywa) |
|---|---|---|
| One-to-one chats | Keep working; message edit and delete-for-everyone are supported | Supported — sent and received messages are mirrored both ways |
| Chat history | Stays in the app | One-to-one chats from the last 6 months (180 days) can be synced, if the business agrees to share history |
| Contacts | No change | Supported — all contacts with a WhatsApp number can be synced |
| Group chats | No change | Not supported — groups are not synced |
| Broadcast lists | Disabled — no new lists; existing lists become read-only | Not supported |
| Disappearing messages | Turned off for all one-to-one chats | Not supported |
| View-once messages | Disabled for all one-to-one chats | Not supported |
| Live location | Disabled for all one-to-one chats | Not supported |
| Voice and video calls | No change | Not supported |
| Catalog, orders, status | No change | Not supported |
| Greeting and away messages, quick replies, labels | No change | Not supported |
| Business profile (name, address, website) | No change | Not supported |
| Channels | No change | Not supported |
"No change" means the feature keeps working in the app as before; "Not supported" means it is not available through the API. Meta sends media IDs in synced history only for media from the 14 days before connecting.
Requirements for WhatsApp coexistence
Meta sets the requirements below. Everything on the provider's side — Embedded Signup, webhooks, syncing — is handled by your provider, so as a business you only need the first few.
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The number must be on the WhatsApp Business app, version 2.24.17 or higher. Update the app first.
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You connect through a Meta Solution Partner or Tech Provider using Embedded Signup — you cannot switch it on from the app alone.
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A Facebook login that manages (or can create) your business portfolio, and the phone with the WhatsApp Business app to hand during signup.
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Keep the app open while contacts and history sync. Meta gives the provider 24 hours after connecting to run the sync, and each sync runs only once.
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Linked devices are unlinked when you connect; you can re-link up to four companions afterwards. WhatsApp for Windows and WhatsApp for Wear OS are not supported as companions.
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Keep using the phone. Meta lists the primary device being inactive for about 14 days as one of the reasons a coexistence connection is disconnected.
Throughput, pricing and the 24-hour window on a coexistence number
| Topic | What Meta's documentation says |
|---|---|
| Throughput | A number in use with both the WhatsApp Business app and the Cloud API has a fixed throughput of 20 messages per second |
| Messages sent from the app | Stay free, and don't create, extend or affect Cloud API conversation windows or pricing |
| Messages sent through the API | Billed at Cloud API pricing — Meta's per-message rates |
| Customer service window | Opens only when a customer messages a number that is already connected. If someone messaged just before you connected, the API can reply only with a template — the app can still reply as normal |
| Disconnecting | From the app: Settings → Account → Business Platform → Disconnect Account. Meta's Deregister API can't be used on a coexistence number |
Mywa charges a flat ₹999/month (+18% GST) for the software and adds zero markup to Meta's message charges.
How to connect your WhatsApp Business app number to Mywa
Meta's signup works best on a computer, with your phone next to you.
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Update the WhatsApp Business app
Make sure the app on your phone is version 2.24.17 or later, and that it is the WhatsApp Business app — not personal WhatsApp.
- 2
Choose "Use my WhatsApp Business app number"
In Mywa, during onboarding or under Settings → WhatsApp, pick the WhatsApp Business app option instead of a new number. This opens Meta's Embedded Signup in its WhatsApp Business app mode.
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Confirm on your phone
Log in with Facebook and enter your number. A message arrives in the WhatsApp Business app: tap Connect, then Connect to the Business Platform, choose whether to share your chat history, and enter the code Meta shows you to finish.
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Let contacts and chats import
Mywa requests your contacts and chat history as soon as the number connects. Your contacts and recent chats appear in the Mywa inbox over the next few minutes; Settings shows whether the import is in progress, done or not shared.
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Work from both
Invite your team to the Mywa inbox and send campaigns, while you keep replying from the app whenever you like. Messages from either side land in the same conversation.
How Mywa handles a coexistence number
A number already on the WhatsApp Business app can stay on the app while connected to Mywa. Here is what happens inside Mywa once it is connected:
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Contacts from the app are added to Mywa, and later additions or name changes in the app keep syncing. A contact you delete in the app is not deleted from Mywa.
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Up to 180 days of past one-to-one chats are imported with their original dates, so each customer's history is in the inbox. Imported chats don't trigger notifications or automations, and don't reopen the 24-hour window.
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Messages you send from the phone app show up in the Mywa inbox in the same conversation, live — so your team sees what you already told the customer. Edits and delete-for-everyone from the app update the message in Mywa too.
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Photos and files sent from the phone, or in imported history, appear in Mywa as their caption or a labelled placeholder rather than the file itself.
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If you chose not to share chat history on the phone, Mywa shows that past chats weren't imported; new messages still arrive as normal.
Before February 2025 vs now
The old rule (still in many articles)
- A number already on WhatsApp had to be deleted from WhatsApp before it could be registered on the API
- Moving to the API meant giving up the WhatsApp Business app on that number
- Contacts and chat history stayed behind on the phone
- Meta's standard Cloud API signup still works this way today — coexistence is a separate route
Now, with coexistence
- 11 Feb 2025: Meta lets providers onboard WhatsApp Business app numbers (coexistence)
- 5 May 2025: numbers with an India country code supported
- 23 Oct 2025: added Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, the EEA, EU and UK
- 25 Nov 2025: message edit and delete webhooks added for coexistence
Should you use coexistence or a separate API-only number?
Coexistence is the easy route for a business that already lives on the WhatsApp Business app. A few needs are better served by a number on the API alone.
Coexistence fits if…
- Your number
- Customers already know your WhatsApp Business app number and you don't want to change it
- How you work
- The owner still wants to reply from the phone while a team uses a shared inbox
- App features you rely on
- You can live without broadcast lists, view-once and disappearing messages on this number
- Calls
- Voice and video calls can stay on the phone
- Volume
- 20 messages per second is enough for your campaigns
Consider an API-only number if…
- Your number
- You're starting fresh, or the number is on personal WhatsApp
- How you work
- Everyone will work from the inbox and nobody needs the phone app
- App features you rely on
- You depend on those app-only features and would rather keep them on a separate number
- Calls
- You want WhatsApp calls answered by the team in the browser — Meta lists calls as not supported on the API side of a coexistence number
- Volume
- You need to send faster than a coexistence number's fixed 20 messages per second
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Since 11 February 2025, Meta's coexistence feature lets a number on the WhatsApp Business app connect to the Cloud API through a provider's Embedded Signup while it keeps working in the app. One-to-one messages are mirrored between the app and the API. It does not work for personal WhatsApp numbers.
Yes. Meta added support for WhatsApp Business app numbers with an India country code on 5 May 2025. You need WhatsApp Business app version 2.24.17 or higher and a provider that supports Meta's WhatsApp Business app onboarding, such as Mywa.
If you agree to share history during signup, Meta can sync your one-to-one chats from the last 6 months (180 days) and all contacts with a WhatsApp number. Group chats are not synced. In Mywa, imported chats appear in the inbox with their original dates; photos and files show as a caption or placeholder.
Broadcast lists are disabled — you can't create new ones and existing ones become read-only. Disappearing messages, view-once messages and live location are turned off for one-to-one chats. Groups, calls, catalog, status, labels, quick replies and greeting or away messages keep working in the app but are not available through the API.
No. Meta says messages sent from the WhatsApp Business app stay free and don't affect Cloud API conversation windows or pricing. Messages sent through the API are billed at Meta's Cloud API rates. Mywa charges ₹999/month for the software and adds zero markup on Meta's charges.
Disconnect from the WhatsApp Business app: go to Settings → Account → Business Platform and tap Disconnect Account. Meta's Deregister API can't be used on a number that is on both the app and the Cloud API.
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