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To connect, you need to apply for registration of a WhatsApp Business API account. The connection is carried out through the official provider 360dialog, via the integration module “WhatsApp Business”.
A phone number can be connected in two ways:
- Standard connection — use the number with the WhatsApp Business Platform without keeping it active in the WhatsApp Business App.
- WhatsApp Coexistence — connect an existing WhatsApp Business App number to Simla while continuing to use the same number in the mobile app.
Coexistence applies to numbers already registered in the WhatsApp Business App. An existing WhatsApp Business Platform (API) number cannot be enabled in the app through this onboarding flow.
Note
Connecting the integration module
Go to Settings → Marketplace → Messengers and Chats, click on the “WhatsApp Business” module and then on the “Connect” button.
Next, you will go to the module settings. Click on the “Add account” button.
In the window that appears, fill in the registration data.
Next, you need to verify your email. An email with a code will be sent to the address specified above. Copy and paste the code.
Choose the connection scenario for the number. For Coexistence, keep the number registered in WhatsApp Business App and select Yes, Business App during signup. For standard connection, the number must be available for registration with the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Then start the embedded signup process by clicking Start Embedded Signup .
Embedded signup
Follow the standard connection instructions below if the mobile app is not required. To keep using WhatsApp Business App, follow the Coexistence instructions in this section.
Important!
Standard connection
After accepting the terms, you will be redirected to the Facebook Business Account connection page. To start connecting, click Continue → Continue as… → Start.
A window with connection settings will open in front of you. You will need to follow a few steps:
- provide information about your company, duplicating the information from your Facebook Business Portfolio;
- create a WhatsApp account;
When creating a profile, you will need to specify a display name, as well as a business category and description.
- add a phone number;
You can use a phone number that is already registered in the versions of WhatsApp for Android, iPhone, or Business. However, to register this phone number in the WhatsApp Business API, you will need to delete the WhatsApp account associated with this phone number or use a different phone number that is not associated with the WhatsApp app.
Important!
If you delete your account, do not forget to make a backup copy of the dialogs from the app on your phone. Let’s clarify right away that a backup copy of the dialogs is needed just in case. It is impossible to upload these dialogs to the system. The backup copy is relevant for the Android OS. In the case of iOS, the backup copy is deleted from iCloud along with the WhatsApp account.
Please also note that after deleting the account and connecting the phone number to the official WhatsApp, it will be impossible to return to using the app with the same number.
Once the account deletion is complete, you can proceed to register the number. You will receive an SMS with a 6-digit code or a voice call to verify the number.
Connecting via WhatsApp Coexistence
Before connecting
- The number must already be used in WhatsApp Business App. The app must have been used for at least 7 days before onboarding.
- Install the latest version of WhatsApp Business App on a smartphone with a camera.
- Make sure the number meets Meta’s regional eligibility requirements for Coexistence.
- Use a Facebook account with administrator access to the company’s Meta Business Portfolio. Choose the portfolio carefully: it cannot be changed after registration.
Connection steps
- Start Embedded Signup from the WhatsApp Business module in Simla as described above. Enter the phone number and select Yes, Business App to keep using the mobile app.
- Click Open Meta Signup and sign in to Facebook. Select or create the company’s Meta Business Portfolio and the WhatsApp Business Account.
- Select Connect a WhatsApp Business App. Enter and verify the phone number if prompted.
- Open WhatsApp Business App on the phone and open the new message from WhatsApp about connecting to the Business Platform.
- Follow the instructions in the message: scan the QR code displayed during registration or enter the access code if this option is offered.
- On the Connect to the Business Platform screen, choose whether to share chat history and contacts. Sharing is optional; declining history sharing does not prevent connection.
- Confirm the WhatsApp Business Account details, including its name and time zone, and complete signup.
- Return to Simla and complete the account connection as described in the section below.
If history sharing is enabled, previous messages from WhatsApp Business App are imported into Simla. Incoming and outgoing messages retain their original dates and times. History synchronization runs in the background and may take several minutes. If history sharing is declined, the account connects without importing previous messages.
Contact synchronization updates names and mappings for existing contacts; it does not create all contacts from the phone as new CRM customers.
Important!
Using WhatsApp Business App after connection
After Coexistence is connected, the same number works in Simla and WhatsApp Business App. Messages sent from Simla appear in the mobile app, and new messages sent from the app appear in the corresponding Simla chat as outgoing messages.
Important!
Linked devices are disconnected during onboarding. Supported devices can be linked again afterwards. WhatsApp for Windows and WearOS are not supported for Coexistence synchronization; messages from unsupported devices may not appear in Simla.
Moving Coexistence from another provider
If the number already uses Coexistence with another Business Solution Provider (BSP), disconnect and reset the previous connection before onboarding with Simla/360dialog. Standard migration between WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs) does not apply to Coexistence numbers. Disabling two-factor authentication alone is not sufficient.
- Back up the WhatsApp Business App chats before starting the transfer.
- In WhatsApp Business App, open Settings → Account → Business Platform, select the previous BSP and tap Disconnect Account.
- Temporarily move the same number from WhatsApp Business App to the regular WhatsApp app, transferring or restoring the chats.
- Move the number back to WhatsApp Business App and transfer or restore the chats again. This resets the previous Coexistence/BSP connection and its associated credit-line metadata.
- Once the number is active in WhatsApp Business App, start a new Coexistence connection from Simla through 360dialog Embedded Signup, following the steps above.
Important!
Completing the module installation
Return to the Simla.com interface to the module settings to add the created account. Click the Add account button again.
In the window that opens, you need to enter the phone number that you registered above in 360dialog and click Authorize.
Adding Information to Business Manager
You need to add information about your business in the “Business Information” section in the Business Manager settings. You need to specify the legal name, address, website and phone number of the company that you are going to use for messaging.
Important!
You also need to send supporting documents to Facebook to verify your business account. Without verification of your business account, as well as its name (which will be displayed to customers instead of a phone number), the account will be in a sandbox status, under which a number of restrictions apply (more details at the link).
Adding an additional number
You cannot connect a new number while the account’s available payment limit is exhausted. Top up the account to restore the limit, then try connecting the number again. Existing channels of a paid module continue to receive incoming messages, but outgoing messages are unavailable until the limit is restored.
You can add another number to WhatsApp Business in two ways:
- via the 360dialog personal account, by clicking on the button “Add a new phone number”. A standard window will open for adding a number to the Business Manager.
- through the settings of the WhatsApp Business module, by clicking on the “Add account” button. An additional window will open where you need to specify your Facebook account details. Then click the “Add a new number” button.
Working with templates on the system side
Creating message templates provides users with a number of benefits and greatly simplifies the process of interacting with customers.
- Templates allow you to standardize text and media messages, which is especially useful when interacting with customers on a regular basis.
- Templates support the insertion of variables, allowing you to personalize messages, for example, to include the customer’s name or other individual data.
- Using templates helps maintain a unified style of communication with customers, which improves the experience of interaction with customers.
- Users can easily edit existing templates without leaving the system and make changes according to the requirements and feedback from the provider.
For instructions on creating WhatsApp templates for mailings, see the corresponding article.
Additional useful information
If 360dialog support asks to register the Callback URL (the URL to which 360dialog sends its requests) on the system side - keep in mind that the module automatically registers the correct URL when connecting an account. There is no need to perform any additional actions.
The following retry rule does not apply to mailing messages that failed because the available payment limit was insufficient. The logic of message status processing is as follows. Error status (non-delivery of the message) does not come instantly. The module will save the message that failed to send in order to try to resend it. Resending is performed 9 minutes 30 seconds after receiving information about the unsuccessful first attempt to send a message. If the second attempt to send a message is also unsuccessful, the non-delivery status of the message will be displayed in Chats.
Mailing messages that failed because the available payment limit was insufficient are not sent automatically after a top-up. To send them again, add the next mailing step with the required template and a condition selecting recipients whose message was not delivered, then start it after restoring the available balance.
Module settings
If necessary, after connecting, you can change the channel name to make working in chats more convenient. This will help you avoid confusion in the chat list and clearly identify which channel each dialog is associated with. This feature is especially useful if you actively use several channels on WhatsApp. To change the channel name just click on the “pencil” icon.