WhatsApp Self Sign-up with the Twilio Console
Twilio WhatsApp Self Sign-up, or "Embedded Sign-up", provides you with an easy way to register a WhatsApp Sender for your business / brand. This process is self-service and can be started from the Twilio Console.
Registering a WhatsApp Sender will allow you to send and receive WhatsApp messages from your company's brand using the Twilio APIs. Certain restrictions are enforced by Meta (the company that owns WhatsApp) and you will likely need to complete Meta Business Verification before moving your application into production or onboarding additional WhatsApp Senders (see below).
If you are an Independent Software Vendor (ISVs), you may only use WhatsApp Self Sign-up to register WhatsApp Senders for your own business / brand. To allow your clients to register WhatsApp Senders for their businesses / brands to use with your application, review the WhatsApp Tech Provider Program.
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Not sure if you are an ISV?
Review Am I a direct customer or an ISV? to understand what an ISV is.
Before you get started with this guide, you'll need:
- An upgraded Twilio Account. If you are new to Twilio, create a free account and upgrade it by linking a payment method .
-
A Twilio Phone Number. View instructions for purchasing a Twilio Phone Number here.
- You may alternatively choose to "Bring your own number" (BYON) instead of using a Twilio number. However, the number must be able to receive an SMS or phone call. If the number can only receive phone calls, it cannot be using an IVR.
During this process, you'll have the option to either create a new Meta Business Account or select an existing Meta Business Account. We recommend using an existing Meta Business Account if you know someone in your company has already created and verified it. If so, they will need to invite you as an administrator with full access, so that you can create your WhatsApp Business account. Otherwise, it is allowed to have more than one Meta Business Account, so you can create a new one when registering your first WhatsApp sender using this process.
Do not continue if your number is currently connected to WhatsApp
Please refer to Can I move my approved WhatsApp Number to Twilio? on how to migrate your number to Twilio to use the Twilio APIs. This process will not work if your number is already connected to WhatsApp.
Let's get started!
To create a WhatsApp Sender:
- Start by logging into the Twilio Console.
- Click here or navigate to Messaging > Senders > WhatsApp senders . This will take you to the WhatsApp Senders section of the console where you will create your WhatsApp sender.
- Review the information on this page and click "Get Started".
- View WhatsApp's Terms of Service and check the box if you agree to them. Then click Confirm .
- Next, select the phone number you wish to connect to WhatsApp's Business API. You may use your Twilio Number or your own phone number.
http://twimlets.com/voicemail?Email=[your email address]
. For example, your twimlet can look like this:
http://twimlets.com/voicemail?Email=support@example.com
.
Now, any incoming calls will be transcribed and sent to your email. Once you're done registering WhatsApp, simply remove the twimlet from the Webhook field and restore what you had it configured to previously.
Congrats! Your WhatsApp Business Account is now linked to your Twilio account. Twilio will then begin the process to register your number with WhatsApp. This process may take up to 2 minutes.
Upon successful registration, your number will be displayed. You may click Edit Sender to use a messaging service, set your inbound message webhooks and update the rest of your WhatsApp Business profile including your profile picture.