Features
WhatsApp Coexistence: Use the WhatsApp Business App and API on the Same Number
Keep the WhatsApp Business app on your phone and add a team inbox, broadcasts and chatbots on the same number. What syncs, what changes, and what to check first.
By the wbm.link teamUpdated 11 September 2026 3 min read
For years, moving to the WhatsApp Business API came with a painful catch: the number had to leave the WhatsApp Business app. Owners who had built their business on that app — and whose customers knew that number — often decided it was not worth it. Coexistence removes the catch. Your number stays in the app on your phone and is connected to the API at the same time.
What coexistence is
Coexistence is a Meta feature that lets a number registered on the WhatsApp Business app also be used on the WhatsApp Business Platform (API). You connect through a provider that supports it, by scanning a QR code with the app. After that:
- You keep chatting from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone.
- Your team replies from the provider's shared inbox on the same number.
- Messages sent from either side show up on both.
- You can use API features — templates, broadcasts to opted-in customers, chatbots — on the number your customers already know.
What you need
- A number that is active on the WhatsApp Business app, updated to a recent version (2.24.17 or later).
- A provider that supports coexistence onboarding through Meta's official sign-up.
- A Facebook business account (Meta Business portfolio) to connect the number to.
- Your phone at hand, to scan the QR code from the app.
What comes across when you connect
| Item | Synced? |
|---|---|
| Contacts | Yes |
| One-to-one chat history | Yes — up to the last 180 days (about six months) |
| Group chats | No |
The history sync has to happen within 24 hours of connecting, so finish the process in one go rather than leaving it half done.
What changes in the WhatsApp Business app
Most of the app works as before, but a few features are switched off to keep both sides in step:
- Disappearing messages, view once and live location are turned off.
- Broadcast lists become read-only — send broadcasts from the API instead.
- Some companion devices, such as WhatsApp for Windows and Wear OS, are not supported alongside coexistence.
What the API side cannot do
Some things remain app-only. Through the API you cannot use groups, voice and video calls, Status, Channels, or catalogues and orders. If your business depends on those, keep using them in the app — that is exactly what coexistence allows.
Costs and limits
- Messages you send from the WhatsApp Business app stay free.
- Messages sent through the API follow Meta's normal per-message pricing — see our WhatsApp API pricing guide for India.
- API sending on a coexisting number is limited to 20 messages per second — plenty for most small and mid-sized businesses.
- Your business's normal messaging limit still applies to template messages. See how messaging limits work.
Coexistence, self-serve
On wbm.link you connect your existing WhatsApp Business number by scanning a QR code — no support ticket. Your contacts and recent chats arrive in the team inbox, and the app keeps working on your phone.
See how it worksConnecting, step by step
- Update the WhatsApp Business app on your phone.
- In your provider's panel, start the WhatsApp connection with Meta's official sign-up and log in with your Facebook business account.
- Choose to connect an existing WhatsApp Business app number.
- Scan the QR code shown on screen from the app on your phone.
- Wait for contacts and chat history to sync, then invite your team to the shared inbox.
Is coexistence right for you?
If your customers know your number and you still like answering some chats from your phone, coexistence is the easiest way to get the API. If you need groups, calls or the WhatsApp catalogue on the API side, it is not a replacement for the app — but you keep the app, so you lose nothing by connecting.