Overview
The WhatsApp Web channel connects a WhatsApp number without using Meta's official API: you pair the number by scanning a QR code with the phone app, exactly like you do with WhatsApp Web in the browser. It's the fastest way to start handling WhatsApp, ideal for personal numbers or small operations that don't yet have an official account (Cloud API).
Once paired, every incoming and outgoing message starts appearing in the platform's conversations, with media, delivery/read receipts and real-time replies.
Prerequisites
- An administrator role to create the inbox.
- A phone with WhatsApp installed and the number you want to connect.
- The WhatsApp Web channel depends on a connection service enabled for your account (provisioned by the operator). If you don't see this channel type, talk to whoever runs the operation.
- The phone needs internet to keep the session alive (just like WhatsApp Web in the browser).
Step by step
- In Settings → Inboxes, create a new inbox and choose WhatsApp.
- Select the WhatsApp Web provider (QR pairing).
- Give the inbox a name (e.g. "WhatsApp Sales").
- The platform shows a QR code on the setup screen.
- On the phone, open WhatsApp → Linked devices → Link a device and point the camera at the QR.
- Wait for the pairing confirmation — the real number is detected automatically and the inbox moves to the connected state.
- Assign agents/teams and finish. Send a test message to validate.
Settings & options
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Connection choice during creation: select No proxy (direct connection), Managed connection proxy, or Use my phone. Direct routing is available without providers; proxy routing requires capacity and phone routing requires a configured device. If a selected proxy becomes unavailable, creation reports the failure and does not switch to direct routing.
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Features before and after creation: the wizard and Features tab expose the same controls for groups, channels, receiving and publishing Status, presence, history and media, contacts, and call rejection. Receiving Status and publishing Status are independent choices. Initial values use platform defaults; the visible choices apply to the new inbox. Restore platform defaults resets wizard edits. Changes in the Features tab require Save changes and remain after a page reload.
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Replies and reactions to your Status: when a contact replies or reacts to a Status you published — from the composer, a Hub broadcast or the phone itself — the message appears in the contact's conversation with the You · Status card, showing the caption and thumbnail of the original Status even when WhatsApp does not send the thumbnail along with the reply. Published Statuses are recorded per inbox with the media that was sent and remain available after the 24 hours WhatsApp displays them. No contact or conversation is created for the Status itself.
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Disconnect: pauses the connection and keeps the device linked. You can cancel the confirmation without changing the session and reconnect later. If the request fails, the screen shows the error and lets you retry.
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Connection states: the inbox shows the session's current state:
- Waiting to pair: the QR has been generated and is waiting to be scanned.
- Connected: the session is active and the number handles messages normally.
- Disconnected: the session dropped temporarily (e.g. no internet on the phone); it reconnects on its own when possible.
- Logged out: the session was terminated. The inbox reports the cause — logged out from another device (the normal case when Coexistence is activated on that number), primary device was logged out (phone switch or a number ban) or logged out for unknown reason. In all three the fix is the same: pair again by scanning a new QR on the inbox's connection screen — and nothing is lost.
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Re-pair: generate a new QR when the Connection screen confirms that a new pairing is required. A missing, stale, or invalid state observation does not prove that the session expired or dropped. A reconnection request can fail, and only a new connected confirmation shows that the session returned.
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Optional exit routes: managed proxy and your own device appear on the Connection tab only when the matching account feature is enabled. If neither is enabled, the inbox uses the server exit and the screen does not show inactive route controls.
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Real-time activity: the panel shows when the contact is typing or recording audio. In groups, it shows the participant performing the action.
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Media: images, videos, audio, documents and other files can be up to 100 MB on WhatsApp Web. This device-connection limit does not change WhatsApp Cloud limits. Private notes continue to follow the installation's general attachment limit.
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History sync: after pairing or reconnecting, large batches are imported incrementally in the background. Your team can keep handling conversations while history appears.
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Group contacts (Features tab): two independent options control this — Sync contacts (imports the member list; off by default) and Create contacts for group/community senders (on by default). To keep no participant in your contact list, turn both off. Details — plus the per-inbox ignore list — in Ignore list and contact sync.
Session status in the conversation
When you open or refresh a conversation for this Web inbox — including when it is the Web member of a hybrid pair — the platform reads the latest available observation. The notice appears on that opening or refresh; it does not promise an immediate alert from a probe or continuous monitoring of a tab that is already open.
Only a fresh observation confirming that the session is offline shows “WhatsApp Web has had no active session since {date and time}”, in the account time zone. If the episode started on a different day, the date accompanies the time. While the outage is confirmed, messages that require Web will not be sent. This does not report earlier delivery, resend a message, or confirm fallback or retry through another transport.
A missing, stale, invalid, or unavailable observation is an unknown state, not a disconnection. The person handling the conversation sees the context and contacts an administrator; do not recreate the inbox, delete history, or log out to resolve that state. When authorized, the administrator opens the inbox's existing Connection. Requesting reconnection can fail; only a new connected confirmation removes the notice.
An administrative email, when sent about a known outage, does not prove recovery, message delivery, or an update to the conversation that is already open.
Use cases
- Start handling WhatsApp in minutes, with no Meta approval process.
- Connect a personal or small-team number that isn't an official account yet.
- Operate while the official account (Cloud API) is still being verified.
Tips, limits & best practices
- Anti-ban: respect WhatsApp's limits. Avoiding mass sends, repeated identical messages and adding many new contacts at once lowers the risk of being blocked. The platform applies a send control (throttle) per number to smooth out spikes.
- Keep the phone connected to the internet; if it stays offline too long, the session drops.
- Advanced interactive features (buttons, lists) may require a specific license from the connection service.
- For high volume and the official green badge, consider migrating to WhatsApp Cloud.
Troubleshooting
- “No WhatsApp Web service is available”: there is no active online connection instance available to create the inbox. This is not caused by the number or proxy choice; ask the platform operator to check the gateways and try again later.
- “The WhatsApp Web service credentials are invalid”: the gateway rejected its operational credential. The platform operator must correct it; the account administrator should not change the number or recreate the inbox to work around the error.
- The QR won't scan: generate a new QR (it expires) and try again with good lighting.
- Dropped to "disconnected": check the phone's internet; the session should come back on its own.
- "Logged out" state: the device was removed on the phone — pair again.
- It went to "logged out" right after activating Coexistence (Cloud) on that number: this is the expected behavior — activating Coexistence unlinks every companion device from WhatsApp Business. Generate a new QR on the inbox's connection screen and pair again. Nothing is lost: the same inbox is reused — phone number, conversations, contacts and history all stay.
- The inbox paired but nothing arrives: the number may be stuck on a pending placeholder because another inbox already holds that number — in the same account (same provider) or in another account. The pairing screen shows the reason. Release or remove the inbox holding the number, then pair again.
- Messages don't arrive: confirm the inbox is connected and the number wasn't blocked by WhatsApp.
- History is still incomplete after reconnecting: allow the background import to finish; busy accounts can arrive in several batches. Do not re-pair during the import.
Products, orders and payments in the conversation
WhatsApp commerce messages show their card type, available items, quantities and amounts. Order and payment updates have separate statuses. “Reported payment” displays what the sender stated in the message; it does not transfer funds or reconcile a charge.
Use View details to inspect the reference, adjustments and instructions included in that message. An update without an amount does not inherit an assumed total from another message. Quoted replies identify the order or payment request, and compact thumbnails avoid enlarging low-resolution images.