Connect your WhatsApp to WAIA Connect (Coexistence)
The connection, screen by screen: what you will see in the panel and in Meta's window, how to scan the QR code, and what to do with each error. Your number keeps working on your phone.
Before you start
Set aside 10 to 20 uninterrupted minutes. Have these ready:
- A computer (PC or Mac) with Chrome, and pop-ups allowed.
- The phone with the number: Meta sends a code by text message or by phone call.
- The number on WhatsApp Business (not regular WhatsApp), version 2.24.17 or later.
- A free slot in Linked devices: WhatsApp allows 4. If all 4 are taken, unlink one first.
- Your Facebook user, the one that manages the business.
- A Meta business portfolio is not a requirement: if you already have one, use it; if not, it is created in Meta's window.
- The number free of other providers: not connected to another API provider.
- A card to add in Meta. It is optional during the process, but without it you will not be able to start conversations.
One rule for the whole process: always wait, and do not close any window. Some screens take a while; if you close one early, the connection does not finish.
The names you will see
Three names appear along the way. All three are WAIA Connect, so you can go ahead with confidence.
| Name | What it is | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| WAIA Connect | The product and its panel | On our site, before and after Meta's window |
| Consulta Automatica | The company behind WAIA Connect, registered with Meta as a provider | “Easily connect your account with Consulta Automatica”, “Your account is connected to Consulta Automatica” |
| IAutoresponder | The name of our app inside Meta | The permissions screen (“Review what you'll share with IAutoresponder”) and the footer of every screen |
Part 1: in the WAIA Connect panel
Five short screens get the connection ready.
- Home → “Connect your number”.
- “Before you connect: there are two payments here”. The WAIA Connect plan is paid per connected number. Messages are paid to Meta, with your own card. Tick the box and continue.
- Choose the connection type. Coexistence: the number stays on your phone and also works through the API. Cloud API: the number becomes API-only.
- Do you want the history? It brings up to 6 months of conversations. You choose now: Meta shares it only once.
- Final checklist → “Open Meta's window”. A Facebook window opens on top of the panel.
Part 2: in Meta's window, step by step
There are nine screens. On the left, Meta shows your progress with circles. The titles are Meta's own and may vary slightly with the language.
- “Easily connect your account with Consulta Automatica”. Accept Meta's terms → Continue.
- “Add your WhatsApp phone number”. Choose Enter a new number, then the country and the number. Choose Text message or Phone call and enter the code you receive. Request the code once and wait: requesting it many times locks the number for a while.
- “Check your account details”. Meta recognizes that the number is on WhatsApp Business and shows its profile: photo, name, category and website. If it is yours → Next.
- “Select business assets”. If you already have a business portfolio, pick it; if not, create it right there (see Paths that change).
- “Import contacts and chat history”. A QR code appears. You scan it from your phone: see Scanning the QR code. Once scanned, the window moves on by itself.
- “Confirm or edit your WhatsApp Business account”. The name cannot be changed. Choose the time zone → Next.
- “Review what you'll share with IAutoresponder”. This is the permissions summary → Confirm.
- “Connecting your account”. It can take a while. Wait without touching anything.
- “Your account is connected to Consulta Automatica”. Two buttons: Add payment method (recommended) or Finish. Then the window closes and the panel shows “Number connected!”.
Scanning the QR code
You scan it the same way you link WhatsApp Web: from Linked devices. You may need to scan twice, and that is normal.
- On the phone, open WhatsApp Business → menu (⋮ or Settings) → Linked devices → Link a device.
- Scan the QR code in Meta's window.
- If WhatsApp opens another scanning screen, scan the same QR code again from that screen. That second scan is the one that connects.
- When the app asks, agree to share the history (if you chose to receive it).
Another way to the same place: a message from the official Facebook Business account, “Connect to the Business Platform”, arrives in your chats. Tapping Connect opens the same scanning screen.
If it won't let you link: WhatsApp allows 4 devices. Unlink one (for example, a computer you no longer use) and scan again.
Paths that change from case to case
The screens above are one real path. Depending on your case, some of them change:
| Your case | What changes |
|---|---|
| You have no business portfolio in Meta | In step 4 choose Create a business portfolio and enter the name, country and website. The portfolio stays fixed: use the business's real name. |
| You already have a portfolio | Pick yours in step 4. If the number already sits there in another WhatsApp Business account or with another provider, free it first. |
| You add the card at the end | Add payment method in step 9. You are ready to start conversations with templates. |
| You don't add the card (Finish) | The number is connected and receives messages. The first 1,000 service messages per number per month are free; without a card, Meta does not deliver the replies past that allowance. Starting conversations requires an approved template and the card. You can add it later in your Meta account's billing. |
| You chose not to receive the history | You still scan the QR code, but the history is not shared. It cannot be requested later. |
| You chose Cloud API (not Coexistence) | There is no QR code and no app profile. After the code you pick or create the WhatsApp Business account and enter a display name (Meta reviews it) and a category. The number stops working on the phone. |
| The number belongs to one of your customers | From the panel, use Send a link to a customer: your customer goes through these steps with their own Facebook. |
If something fails
These messages come from Meta. If one appears, do not retry several times in a row: check the point below and write to us.
| Message or symptom | Step | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “Doesn't meet the requirements” (number greyed out) | 2–3 | Update WhatsApp Business (2.24.17 or later). Meta requires real use of the number in the app; if it was registered recently, give it a few days of use. |
| “Selected business CoEx gate evaluation is missing” | 4 | It is a Meta check on the portfolio you picked, and Meta does not give the reason. Try another portfolio (ideally an older one) or wait a few hours and retry. If it persists, send us the session_id the panel shows next to the error. |
| The code doesn't arrive, or it says “too many attempts” | 2 | Wait a few hours before requesting it again. Try Phone call. |
| The QR code won't link | 5 | Free a slot in Linked devices (4 at most) and scan again; it may ask for a second scan. |
| It stays on “Connecting your account” | 8 | Wait. If several minutes go by, use Try again in the same window; do not close it. |
| Connected, but you can't start conversations | After | Starting one needs a template approved by Meta and the card added in Meta (if it is missing, Meta flags it with code 141006). Add it in your Meta account's billing. |
When you finish
The panel shows “Number connected!”. It may take a few minutes to become active.
- Replying: each message from your customer opens a 24 h window to answer them. The first 1,000 service messages per number per month are free; after that Meta charges for each reply and, without a card added in Meta, does not deliver it.
- Starting conversations: you need a template approved by Meta and the card added in Meta.
- If you asked for the history, it has 7 days to arrive.
- Keep using WhatsApp Business on your phone as usual.
What Meta charges is separate from WAIA Connect: what Meta charges and what WAIA Connect charges.
Sources
- A real WAIA Connect Coexistence signup (screenshots from October 8, 2026).
- Meta: Embedded Signup v4
- Meta: onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (Coexistence)
- Meta: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing (service allowance per number)
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