What’s WhatsApp Business Coexistence? A detailed guide
WhatsApp Business Coexistence lets you keep using the app on your phone while connecting the same number to a third-party platform through the Cloud API.
TLDR
- WhatsApp Business Coexistence lets you keep using the WhatsApp Business app while connecting the same number to a third-party platform through the Cloud API.
- Supported individual messages sync in both directions. During setup, you can also choose to share contacts and up to six months of individual chat history if your provider supports it.
- Some app features do not carry over to the connected platform, including group chats, voice calls, video calls, disappearing messages, view-once media, and live location sharing.
- Messages sent directly from the app remain free. Messages sent through the Cloud API follow Meta’s pricing rules and the 24-hour customer service window.
In the past, if you wanted to connect your WhatsApp Business number to a third-party provider to manage your conversations, there was only one way to connect: directly through the WhatsApp Business API.
The challenge with that approach was that you’d lose access to the WhatsApp Business app on your phone and would have to use only the third-party platform.
This was particularly challenging when starting a conversation with a new contact. If you use the WhatsApp Business app on your phone, you can just send a new message to a contact. But if you use the WhatsApp API, you have to use a template to send a new message.
The good news is that Meta now allows businesses to connect a WhatsApp Business app directly to a third-party provider. This is referred to as Coexistence. In simple terms, it means you can use your WhatsApp Business app and the third-party solution at the same time, instead of having to use the third-party solution without access to the app on your phone.
What happens to my old conversations?
Once the number is connected, supported individual messages are shared between the WhatsApp Business app and the Cloud API. An incoming customer message can reach both your phone and the connected third-party platform.
When someone on your team replies from the app, Meta sends the integration a copy through what it calls an “echo” event. The platform needs to process that event so the reply appears in its conversation history. Messages sent through the API also show up in the WhatsApp Business app.
You can also choose to share your contacts and up to six months of individual chat history during onboarding. Your provider needs to support and complete that synchronization.
Meta’s Coexistence documentation goes over the details.
Are all WhatsApp Business app features available via Coexistence?
The short answer is no. If you connect your WhatsApp Business app to the API, you’ll continue seeing all the features in your app. But on the connected platform, you won’t see group chats, voice calls, or video calls.
For individual chats, disappearing messages, view-once media, and live location sharing are disabled. Existing broadcast lists become read-only, and you can’t create new ones. Meta currently lists message editing and revoking as supported.
Check your team’s linked devices, too. Meta says onboarding unlinks existing companion devices, after which supported devices can be linked again. Arrange time to restore staff access as part of the setup.
How do I connect an existing WhatsApp Business number to the Cloud API via Coexistence?
First, make sure the platform you’re using supports Coexistence. For instance, Visito offers full support for Coexistence connections.
To get started, you’ll need access to the Meta Business Portfolio. You may see the abbreviation WABA, which means WhatsApp Business Account. That’s the Meta account used to manage your business’s WhatsApp assets.
The screens vary by provider, but the process generally follows these steps:
- Open your platform’s WhatsApp connection settings and choose the option for an existing WhatsApp Business app number.
- Sign in to Meta using the account with access to the appropriate Business Portfolio.
- Follow the prompts to select or create the business assets needed for the connection.
- Enter the number you currently use in the app and complete the authorization steps from the official Facebook Business message on your phone.
- Review the contact and chat-history sharing options, then finish setup.
Keep the app open while your provider synchronizes the data. Once the connection is live, send a test message from another number to test it.
For more on choosing an agentic platform for WhatsApp, see our guide to setting up a WhatsApp Business AI agent. You can also read our guide to the Visito API, which explains how agents can use your business data and trigger custom messages using custom AI actions.
What’s the pricing and how does the 24-hour window work?
Messages sent through the WhatsApp Business app continue to be free under Meta’s Coexistence setup. Messages sent through the Cloud API follow the platform’s pricing rules. Your provider may charge for its software and AI agents as well. Meta made significant changes to the WhatsApp API pricing model in mid-2026. We’ve covered all the changes extensively here.
Meta’s WhatsApp pricing depends on the message category and the recipient’s market. Use the official pricing page when estimating costs, since rates and billing rules can change.
The API’s customer service window lasts for 24 hours after the customer’s latest message. During that window, you can send a reply without a template. Once it closes, messages sent through the API require an approved template.
Replies from the WhatsApp Business app don’t extend this 24-hour window. If someone answers from their phone and the platform needs to send a follow-up later, that follow-up may require an approved template.
To summarize, even if you have your WhatsApp Business app connected to a provider using Coexistence, you technically use the WhatsApp API to send messages through the provider.
Is WhatsApp Business Coexistence a good fit for my business?
Coexistence is useful when the WhatsApp Business app still has a place in your daily workflow. In our experience, most small businesses with a physical location benefit from a Coexistence connection. Businesses that need to initiate new conversations with customers also benefit, since they can use the WhatsApp Business app to send a new message without having to use a template.
For a business that already handles every conversation in a central inbox, a full API migration may be easier to manage.
Visito can help you automate customer support and sales on your website and major messaging channels. If you use WhatsApp Business to manage customer conversations and are looking for a better way to handle support, start with Visito for free to set up AI agents for your business.
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