How to set up WhatsApp Business

There is no single WhatsApp Business setup. There are three, and choosing the wrong one costs you either money you did not need to spend or a migration you did not need to do. Start with the checklist, pick your path, then work down the steps.

Last updated August 3, 20267 min readmarv.Inbox team, Product and support team, marv.Inbox

A before-you-start checklist, so you do not get halfway and stop
Three separate paths: solo, team on Coexistence, dedicated Cloud API number
Every step has an expected result, so you can tell it worked
The common failure states, and what each one actually means

Short answer

If one person answers, install the WhatsApp Business app and you are done in about ten minutes. If a team shares the number and you want to keep the app, use Coexistence. If you want everything routed and measured with nothing bypassing it, set up a dedicated Cloud API number.

The rest of this page is the steps for each, including what to check when one does not work.

Before anything: which path are you on

Do this first. Every step below is path-specific, and the most expensive mistake on this page is starting the wrong one.

Choosing a setup path
Your situation	Path	Roughly how long
One person answering, or a couple who never overlap	WhatsApp Business app	Ten minutes
Up to ten people who just need the work divided	App plus a Meta subscription	Ten minutes plus the subscription
A team sharing one queue, keeping the app and the history	Coexistence with a team inbox	Under an hour, plus a sync window
An operation that needs routing, SLA and reporting with no bypass	Dedicated Cloud API number	Under an hour, plus business verification if you need volume

Before you start, have these ready

Gathering these first is the difference between one sitting and three.

▲The phone number you intend to use, with the SIM reachable for a verification code.
▲A decision about whether this number will ever need to be used by more than one person. Changing your mind later is possible but not free.
▲For the app paths: the primary phone physically with you.
▲For Coexistence: the WhatsApp Business app already on the number at version 2.24.17 or higher.
▲For any Cloud API path: access to the Meta business account that owns or will own the number, and the person who can approve a Facebook login on its behalf.
▲For volume: your business details ready for verification. A new business portfolio starts limited to 250 unique users.

Path A: the WhatsApp Business app

Free, fastest, and genuinely enough for a lot of businesses. Start here unless you know you need more.

01
Install and register the number
Install the WhatsApp Business app and register the business number. If the number already runs personal WhatsApp, the app offers to move that account across.
The app opens on an inbox with your business number registered to it.
02
Fill in the business profile
Set the business name, category, description, address, hours and a website. This is what customers see before they decide whether to trust the chat.
Your profile shows a complete business card rather than a bare phone number.
03
Link the other devices
From the primary phone, link the computers or phones your colleagues will use. You get four linked devices plus the phone.
Each linked device shows the same chat list without needing the phone online.
04
Decide whether you need multi-agent
If you need more than four devices, or you need chats assigned to named people, that comes from a Meta Verified or Meta One subscription, which raises the ceiling to ten devices.
Either you have concluded four devices is enough, or you know exactly what the subscription buys you.

Path B: Coexistence, keeping the app

The usual answer for a team that already runs on WhatsApp and does not want to stop. Do path A first if the number is not on the app yet.

01
Update the app first
Check the WhatsApp Business app version on the number and update it if it is below 2.24.17.
The version is 2.24.17 or higher. Below that, the connection cannot be started at all.
02
Start the connection from the inbox, choosing Coexistence
In marv.Inbox, start the WhatsApp connection and pick the Coexistence path rather than a full Cloud API takeover. These launch two different Meta dialogs and only one runs per attempt.
The Meta dialog that opens is the WhatsApp Business app onboarding flow.
03
Sign in and select the number
Complete Meta’s login, then select the business and the phone number already running the app.
The dialog closes and the number appears as connected in your workspace.
04
Let history synchronize
Meta allows 24 hours to synchronize messaging history. Leave it to finish rather than restarting the flow.
Recent conversations appear as existing threads. Expect the most recent six months, without group chat messages.
05
Send one message each way
Message the business number from a personal phone, answer it from the inbox, then answer a second one from the WhatsApp Business app.
Both replies reach the customer and both appear on both surfaces. If one direction is missing, the mirror is not working and the troubleshooting guide is the next stop.

Path C: a dedicated Cloud API number

Choose this when nothing should be able to bypass the workflow. There is no app on this number afterwards.

01
Use a number that is not on WhatsApp
A dedicated line, not the phone in someone’s pocket. If the number currently runs the app and you want to keep that, you want path B instead.
You have a number you are willing to hand over to the platform entirely.
02
Connect it, choosing the full Cloud API path
Start the WhatsApp connection in marv.Inbox and pick the full Cloud API option. Complete Meta’s login and number selection.
The number shows as connected. There is no history to sync, so the inbox starts empty.
03
Verify the business if you need volume
A new business portfolio is limited to 250 unique users. Business verification raises that to 2,000, and above that the limit scales automatically when you keep template quality high and use at least half your current limit in seven days.
Your messaging limit reflects the tier you expected before you plan a campaign around it.
04
Create the templates you will actually need
Outside the 24 hour customer service window, templates are the only message type you can send, and they need approval in advance. Write the two or three you know you will need before you need them.
You have approved templates ready, rather than discovering the rule when a conversation has gone cold.
05
Set up the team side before you go live
Create the teams, routing and an SLA policy, and invite the agents, so the first real customer message lands in a workflow rather than an empty inbox.
A test message routes to the right team, shows an owner, and starts an SLA clock.

When a step does not do what it says

The four ways this goes wrong most often, and what each one actually means.

The Coexistence connection will not start

Check the WhatsApp Business app version on the number.
Confirm the account you signed in with can act for the Meta business that owns the number.
Confirm you chose Coexistence and not the full Cloud API path.

App version 2.24.17 or higher and the Coexistence dialog opening. Below that version the flow cannot begin.

The connection completed but no history arrived

Give the sync its full window before concluding anything.
Check whether the conversations you are looking for are older than six months.
Check whether they are group chats.

The most recent six months of one-to-one messages. Group chat messages are never included, and older threads stay on the phone.

Messages arrive but replies do not reach the customer

Check whether the last customer message was more than 24 hours ago.
If it was, check whether you are trying to send a normal message rather than a template.
Check the connection status on the channel.

Inside 24 hours any message type sends. Outside it, only approved templates. This is a rule, not a fault.

Sending works for a while, then stops

Check your messaging limit tier and how many unique users you have started conversations with.
Check the quality rating on the templates you have been sending.

A new portfolio caps at 250 unique users. Limits rise through verification or through delivering high quality templates, not by asking.

What to do in the first week

Set working hours and an away message before your first weekend, so a Saturday message gets an answer rather than silence.

Watch the queue rather than the chats. If conversations are sitting without an owner, the routing is wrong, not the team.

Write the templates you keep wishing you had. Every time somebody says "I wish I could just message them back", that is a template you have not created yet.

If messages stop arriving, work the troubleshooting guide rather than reconnecting the number. Reconnecting is rarely the fix and sometimes makes the diagnosis harder.

Setup questions

Can I use my existing personal WhatsApp number?+

The WhatsApp Business app can move an existing account across during registration. What you cannot do is have the same number on personal WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business at once.

Do I need business verification to start?+

Not to start. You need it for volume: a new business portfolio is limited to 250 unique users, and verification raises that to 2,000.

How long does the Coexistence sync take?+

Meta allows the connecting partner 24 hours to synchronize messaging history. A connection that does not finish in that window has to be offboarded and started again.

Can I switch paths later?+

Coexistence and a full Cloud API connection are two different Meta login flows chosen at connect time, so switching is a new connection rather than a setting. Decide deliberately before you start.

What if I set this up and it turns out I did not need it?+

That is a real outcome and worth saying out loud. If one person answers and nothing waits, the free app was the right answer and you can stop after path A.

Sources, checked June 2026

Sources

App version requirement, sync scope, the 24 hour deadline, device counts and messaging limits are stated by Meta and WhatsApp. The in-product steps describe the shipped marv.Inbox flow.

Checked on 2026-08-03

Who wrote this

marv.Inbox team

Product and support team, marv.Inbox

We build marv.Inbox and we run our own customer conversations inside it, on the same WhatsApp number the buttons on this page open.

See this working on your own use case

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