> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cura.so/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect WhatsApp Business

> Connect your WhatsApp Business account so your team can manage conversations from Cura.

## Overview

WhatsApp Business integration allows your team to manage WhatsApp conversations directly in Cura. Messages flow into your shared Inbox so agents can collaborate, automate routing, and keep a single conversation history across channels.

Cura is a Meta **Verified Tech Provider**, so connecting is a single **Connect** button that opens Meta's official **Embedded Signup** popup. The popup sets up (or selects) your WhatsApp Business Account and number in one pass — you never copy access tokens, and no tokens ever touch the browser.

## What this channel supports

* Inbound and outbound WhatsApp conversations in your shared Inbox
* Team routing and workflow automation in Cura
* AI-assisted replies inside WhatsApp's 24-hour service window

## Requirements

Before setup, make sure you have:

* A Meta Business account with **Business Verification** completed (or in progress)
* **Admin** access to a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) and its business assets
* A phone number you can use for WhatsApp Business that is **not already live** on another WhatsApp tool, BSP, or the consumer WhatsApp app. Cura does not provision new numbers.
* Cura workspace admin permissions

<Note>
  If the number is still active on the **WhatsApp** or **WhatsApp Business** app, decide up front whether to keep the app (Coexistence) or free the number. See [WhatsApp connection issues](/faqs/whatsapp-connection-issues) for the exact path.
</Note>

## Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Add Channel → WhatsApp">
    In Cura, go to **Integrations → Channels**, click **Add Channel**, and choose **WhatsApp**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the requirements, then click Continue with Facebook">
    Cura shows the prerequisites checklist (Business Verification, WABA, active phone number, admin access). When they're met, click **Continue with Facebook** to open Meta's Embedded Signup popup.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete Meta's Embedded Signup popup">
    Sign in to Meta and follow the popup to select (or create) your WhatsApp Business Account and choose the phone number to connect. Because Cura is a Verified Tech Provider, Meta provisions the WABA and shares it with Cura inside this popup — there's no separate token or webhook step for you to do.

    The popup runs one of two paths:

    * **Coexistence** — the number stays on the **WhatsApp Business app** *and* connects to Cura. Nothing is migrated off the app.
    * **Cloud API number** — a fresh number that Cura registers for the WhatsApp Cloud API.

    <Warning>
      Keep the popup open until it finishes. Closing it early, or a blocked popup, cancels the connection and you'll need to start over.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Cura finishes the connection">
    When the popup closes, Cura completes everything server-side: it exchanges the authorization code for a scoped token (kept on Cura's side, never in your browser), subscribes the WABA webhooks, and registers the phone number where applicable. A new **WhatsApp Inbox** appears under **Integrations → Channels**.

    <Check>Send a test WhatsApp message from another phone — it lands in the Cura Inbox.</Check>
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  On the fresh Cloud API path, phone registration occasionally doesn't complete on the first try. Cura records the **phone-registration status** on the channel: the number can **receive** messages but can't **send** until it's registered. If you see that state, open the WhatsApp channel and use **Reconnect** to re-run registration. Coexistence numbers skip this step entirely — they're already active through the app.
</Note>

## Platform rules to know

WhatsApp policy is strict around business messaging, but Cura's footprint is deliberately narrow:

* Cura replies to inbound chats **inside Meta's 24-hour service window** (the customer messaged first).
* Cura does **not** send marketing templates or broadcasts, so you don't need template approval or higher messaging tiers just to answer customers.

For how the window opens, closes, and what happens after it lapses, see [Messaging windows by channel](/faqs/messaging-windows-by-channel).

## Troubleshooting

Most connection problems are Meta rules about the phone number itself, not something Cura controls. Common ones:

* **"This number is already registered"** — the number is still on the WhatsApp app or another provider. Free it or use Coexistence.
* **Connected, but no messages arrive** — the number is likely still live on another tool that's receiving the messages instead of Cura.
* **The channel goes quiet days later** — on Coexistence, the WhatsApp Business app must stay installed and be opened periodically.

For the exact WhatsApp (Meta) message, which side owns the fix, and step-by-step recovery, see [WhatsApp connection issues](/faqs/whatsapp-connection-issues).