WhatsApp Business

What it does

WhatsApp is an inbox-only channel in Nimply, connected through the WhatsApp Business Platform (Meta's Cloud API):

• Inbox: every customer chat becomes a thread. Text, photos, videos, voice notes, documents and stickers arrive as sent; reactions attach to the message they refer to; replies you send show delivered and read status. Assignment, internal notes, saved replies, tags, SLA policies and AI triage work as on every other channel.
• Replies support text plus one attachment (image, video, document or audio). WhatsApp allows free-form replies only within 24 hours of the customer's last message; the composer shows the remaining window and tells you in plain language when it has closed.
• Agents & automations: the Customer Support, Sales Lead and Personal DM agents bind to a WhatsApp channel (draft-first by default, auto mode per agent); inbox-triggered automations run on WhatsApp conversations.
• Identity: threads are keyed on Meta's business-scoped user ID, so a customer stays one conversation whether they show a phone number or a WhatsApp username.

Not available, by platform design: publishing or scheduling (WhatsApp Status and Channels have no official API — channels report capabilities.publish: false and are rejected by the post endpoints with CHANNEL_NOT_PUBLISHABLE), template or broadcast messages, messaging people who never wrote to you, and WhatsApp analytics.

Requirements

• OWNER or ADMIN role in the workspace, and a paid plan (Creator: 1 number, Growth: 3, Agency: 10).
• A Facebook account that manages, or can create, your Meta business portfolio.
• A phone number that can receive an SMS or voice call and is not currently registered in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. A number already in use there has to be moved to the platform first — Meta's signup popup walks you through it.

Nimply is a Tech Provider on Meta's platform: your WhatsApp Business Account and phone number stay in your own business portfolio, Meta bills your account directly for delivery, and you can revoke Nimply's access from Meta Business settings at any time.

Connect a number

1. In Nimply go to Channels → Connect → WhatsApp Business and click Connect.
2. Meta's Embedded Signup opens in a popup. Sign in with the Facebook account that manages your business.
3. Choose or create your business portfolio and WhatsApp Business Account, add the phone number, and verify it with the SMS or voice code.
4. Confirm the permissions Meta shows (whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management, both reviewed and approved for Nimply).
5. Back in Nimply the number appears as a channel with its inbox switched on. Nimply registers the number with the Cloud API and subscribes to message webhooks for you.

Send yourself a message from any phone to see the first thread. If the channel shows Number not registered with WhatsApp yet, reconnect it once — registration can lag Meta's own setup by a minute.

Costs

Two separate things, both shown honestly in the product:

Agent runs use AI credits as on every other channel.

Troubleshooting

• "It's been more than 24 hours since this customer's last message" — WhatsApp's customer service window has closed. The customer's next message reopens it; Nimply does not send template messages to reopen conversations.
• "WhatsApp rejected the recipient: a test number can only message phone numbers on its allowed list" — you connected a Meta test number. Add the recipient in Meta's API Setup, or connect a real business number.
• "Your WhatsApp connection has expired or lost access" — the token was revoked or the permissions changed. Reconnect the number from Channels.
• "Your WhatsApp Business Account is restricted or disabled by Meta" — check WhatsApp Manager; Nimply cannot lift Meta restrictions.
• Messages don't arrive — the channel page shows an inbox webhook error if Meta's subscription failed; reconnecting re-subscribes.