WhatsApp setup
Connect WhatsApp Cloud API to Enscale, collect opt-in consent, and prepare your first templates.
WhatsApp is the channel most of Enscale is built around — the inbox, automations, review requests, and campaigns all assume it.
It takes longest to set up, because Meta Business verification and template approval both involve waiting on Meta. Start it early.
What you need
- A Meta Business account.
- A phone number not currently registered to a WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app account. This is the most common blocker — a number already in use on the WhatsApp app must be deleted from it first.
- Admin access to the Meta Business account.
You connect your own Meta Business account. Meta bills you directly for WhatsApp messaging; Enscale doesn't resell or mark it up.
Connect
Start the connection
In Enscale, go to Integrations and choose WhatsApp.
Authorise with Meta
Sign in and select the WhatsApp Business Account to use. If you don't have one, Meta's flow creates it.
Connect a phone number
Add and verify the number. Meta sends a verification code by SMS or call.
Test inbound
Message your business number from a personal phone. It should appear in your inbox within seconds.
Test outbound
Reply from Enscale and confirm it arrives. If both directions work, the channel is connected.
Submit your first templates
Submit the templates you'll need before you need them. See Message templates.
Collect opt-in first
WhatsApp outbound requires explicit consent, and Enscale enforces it — contacts without opt-in are skipped, in campaigns and automations alike.
Decide how you'll collect it before you build anything outbound:
| Source | How it works |
|---|---|
| Coupon popup | A storefront popup offering a discount for a number plus consent. The highest-converting option. See Coupon popups. |
| Checkout consent field | A consent checkbox at checkout. |
| Keyword reply | The customer messages you first, or replies START. |
| Back-in-stock signup | Joining a waitlist. Scoped to that product. |
| Staff or AI capture | Recorded during a conversation. |
| CSV import | Consent collected elsewhere, imported with the list. |
Enscale records the source and time of every opt-in, so you can evidence it. See Contacts.
Don't import a list of people who never agreed to hear from you on WhatsApp. It's the fastest route to a restricted number, and the restriction affects every customer trying to reach you, not just the ones you messaged.
Opt-outs are automatic. STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, and OPT OUT all opt a contact out immediately and exclude them from everything outbound.
The 24-hour service window
You can send free-form messages only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Outside it, you must use a Meta-approved template.
This shapes every automation you build — a flow triggered by a Shopify order can't open with a free-form message, because no customer message opened a window.
Templates
Approved templates are required for campaigns and for most automated messages. Submit early — approval is usually minutes but can take a day.
See Message templates for categories, rejection reasons, and quality rating.
Multiple numbers
You can connect more than one WhatsApp number — separate numbers for support and marketing, or per region. Each counts towards your plan's channel limit.
Campaigns let you choose which number sends.
Quality rating
Meta scores each number on how customers respond. Blocks and reports lower it; a low rating reduces your messaging limits and makes template pauses more likely.
Protect it: only message people who opted in, categorise templates honestly, keep marketing frequency reasonable, and make opting out easy.
Testing checklist
- Inbound message creates or matches a contact.
- The conversation appears in the inbox.
- Manual reply sends and arrives.
- A test automation checks opt-in before sending.
- A test campaign correctly skips a contact you've opted out.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Number rejected during setup | It's registered to a WhatsApp app account. Delete it there first. |
| Inbound messages missing | Reconnect the channel — the Meta subscription may not have completed. |
| Reply fails | Check the 24-hour window, the recipient's number format, and channel status. |
| Template unavailable | Must be Approved, in the right language, on the right account. |
| Campaign skipped most contacts | Opt-in and unsubscribe status. Expected behaviour. |
| Channel status shows Error | Token expired or permissions revoked. Reconnect. |
FAQ
Next steps
- Message templates
- Coupon popups — building your opted-in list.
- Broadcasts