🤝 Connecting WhatsApp Coexistence: without deleting the app!

Coexistence is Meta's new official way to connect your WhatsApp Business to WazzaBee without deleting the app from your phone and without losing your number. It's the best option for a business that has worked on the same number for years and doesn't want to break anything.

What Coexistence is, in plain words

Imagine you've been running WhatsApp Business on your phone for several years. Every customer knows you by that number, and it holds thousands of conversations and contacts. Now you want to connect a CRM, run broadcasts and work with chats on a computer, but you're afraid you'll “have to break everything”.

Coexistence solves exactly that. The very same number now works at the same time:

📱 On your phone: as usual, in the WhatsApp Business app
💻 In WazzaBee: all customer chats, broadcasts, CRM, Meta templates

Customer messages arrive in both places at once: nothing gets lost. You or your agent can reply from either side.

How Coexistence differs from regular WABA

	Regular WABA	Coexistence (new!)
App on the phone	❌ Must be deleted	✅ Keeps working as before
Phone number	⚠️ Must be freed up (3 minutes)	✅ The same number, no interruptions
Chat history	❌ Not transferred	✅ Up to 6 months of one-to-one chats (optional)
Broadcasts and Meta templates	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Connection to Bitrix24/amoCRM	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Who it suits	A new number for the business	A number already in use, with history

Who needs Coexistence most

👨‍🍳 Small businesses: cafés, salons, shops, whose customers have been writing to “that number” for years
🏪 Retail outlets: where a salesperson replies from the phone in person, and you want to see everything on a computer in parallel
📦 Delivery and service companies: where the number is printed on packaging, receipts and business cards, and changing it is expensive
👥 Teams: where one agent still works from the phone while the others want to work in the CRM

How to get Coexistence enabled

Coexistence is enabled on request through support, not on your own from the dashboard. If you don't see this option when connecting WhatsApp, access hasn't been opened for you yet.

Here's how it goes:

Write to our support team and say you want to connect a number through Coexistence.
We check your number together against the requirements below to see whether it qualifies.
You pay for the setup, and we enable the option in your dashboard.
After that, a second option appears when you connect WhatsApp: “Keep WhatsApp Business on the phone”.

Why it isn't just a button: Coexistence is a complex setup involving both your phone and Meta. It needs support from our side, so we handle every such connection by hand and agree the terms in advance. That way you're never left alone with an error halfway through.

What you need for Coexistence

Coexistence works in every country and is no longer a beta feature. For the setup to go through, your WhatsApp Business account must meet the requirements below. Check them BEFORE you start.

Requirement	How to check
WhatsApp Business App version: 2.24.17 or higher	On your phone: WhatsApp Business → Settings → Help → App info. If it's lower, update it in Google Play / the App Store
The number runs in the WhatsApp Business app	The WhatsApp Business app specifically, not regular WhatsApp. Keep the phone at hand: the connection is confirmed in the app itself
The number is not connected to another WhatsApp API provider	If the number already lives in another official API service, disconnect it there first
A Facebook account	Needed to sign in to Meta Business Manager (a personal account works fine)

⚠️ Important: if even one requirement isn't met, the Coexistence setup will fail and Meta will return an error. It's better to check everything in advance.

🔄 Your number already runs in Coexistence with another provider

If your number currently works both in the WhatsApp Business app and through another provider, you can move to WazzaBee. Meta does not support the regular number transfer between providers for Coexistence, so the move works like this:

Back up your chats in WhatsApp Business: Settings → Chats → Chat backup.
Disconnect the number from your previous provider right in the app: Settings → Account → Business Platform → disconnect account. The app on your phone keeps working as usual.
Connect the number to WazzaBee through Coexistence following the steps below. During the connection you can transfer up to 6 months of personal chats, as with any Coexistence connection.

Before you switch, contact our support: Coexistence is enabled on request, and we will help you pick a good moment so the number is not left idle.

🔄 Your number runs only through WhatsApp API with another provider

If your number is currently connected to WhatsApp API with another provider, without the app on a phone, and you want it to work both in the WhatsApp Business app and in WazzaBee, you don't need a number transfer. The number is connected again through Coexistence, in this order:

Contact our support before you start: Coexistence is enabled on request, and it must be enabled in your account by the last step.
Disconnect the number at your previous provider. The chats already there stay with that provider.
Delete the number from your WhatsApp Business account in Meta: WhatsApp Manager → Phone numbers. If the previous provider created that account, ask them to delete the number. If the number has two-step verification (PIN), find out the PIN or ask the previous provider to turn it off: the app may ask for it during registration.
Install WhatsApp Business version 2.24.17 or newer and register this number in it. Request the verification code once and wait: Meta sometimes sends it with a delay, and WhatsApp temporarily blocks frequent requests.
Connect the number to WazzaBee through Coexistence following the steps below.

⚠️ Important: while the number is deleted from the API and not yet registered in the app, customer messages do not reach it. Go through all the steps in one go and at a quiet time, for example in the evening.

Chats held through the API do not move to the app or to WazzaBee. Such a number has no history of its own in the app, so there is nothing to transfer during the connection. New messages start arriving both on the phone and in your account right after the connection.

Step-by-step Coexistence setup

Step 1: Open “Channels”

Log in to WazzaBee → the “Channels” section
Click the “+ Add channel” button
Choose “WhatsApp”
Choose “WABA (Official API)”

Step 2: Choose the connection mode

You'll see two options:

🆕 “New number”: regular WABA, the number has to be freed up from the phone
🤝 “Keep WhatsApp Business on the phone (Coexistence)” ← this is the one we pick

Click the “Keep WhatsApp Business on the phone (Coexistence)” option. A green dot appears next to it.

Step 3: Confirm the requirements (pre-flight checklist)

A yellow box appears: “Before you connect, make sure:” with the list of requirements. Read every point carefully:

WhatsApp Business App version 2.24.17 or higher
The number runs in the WhatsApp Business app (not in regular WhatsApp)
The number is not connected to another WhatsApp API provider
You have a Facebook account with access to the business portfolio, and your phone with WhatsApp Business is at hand
Linked devices (WhatsApp Web, tablet, computer) will be unlinked during connection. You can link them again afterwards, except WhatsApp for Windows and WearOS watches
WhatsApp Business on the phone must be opened at least once every 14 days

If everything is fine, tick “I confirm that I meet all the requirements” at the bottom of the box. Only then does the “Next” button become active.

Step 4: Decide whether to transfer the chat history

This is an important choice you have to make BEFORE connecting. Meta hands over the history only during the first 24 hours after connection. Then the window closes and the history can no longer be transferred.

Option	What happens
Don't transfer the history (default)	WazzaBee starts with a clean slate. The old chats stay on the phone only. New messages will arrive both there and in WazzaBee.
Transfer up to 6 months of history	WazzaBee asks Meta to transfer your last 6 months of one-to-one chats (only the customers who wrote to you during that period). During connection, WhatsApp Business on your phone will ask you to allow the history transfer: confirm it there. If you decline in the app, the history won't be transferred even if you chose it here.

💡 Tip: if you want to see all your customer conversations in WazzaBee “just like on the phone”, choose to transfer the history. If you'd rather start fresh (so old conversations don't get in the way), leave it on “don't transfer”.

Step 5: Sign in with Facebook

Click the “Sign in with Facebook” button
A new Facebook tab opens
Sign in to your Facebook account (if you aren't signed in yet)
Choose your WhatsApp Business Account (the one your number currently runs on)
Choose to connect an existing WhatsApp Business number and enter that number: this is the Coexistence activation
Take your phone and confirm the connection in the WhatsApp Business app, following Meta's prompts. If you chose to transfer the history, allow it there too
Finish the registration and go back to the WazzaBee tab
Click the “Done” button

⚠️ Go through the connection once, all the way to the end. Do not close the Facebook window halfway and do not start the connection again until the current one is finished. If Meta shows an error, do not retry right away: write to us and wait for a reply. A repeated attempt may link the number only partially: the app on your phone will say the number is connected, but it will not reach your account, and Meta will mark it “Unavailable”. Fixing that takes longer than connecting calmly the first time.

Step 6: Pick the number and finish

A green check mark appears ✅ “Authorisation successful!”
Find your existing WhatsApp Business number in the list
Click it
Wait 5-10 seconds: the system sets up the link and subscribes to your messages
You'll see the message: “Coexistence channel created!”

🎉 Done! Your number now works on the phone and in WazzaBee at the same time.

✅ What keeps working after you connect

The number stays a full WhatsApp Business number on your phone. Everything you are used to keeps working:

Feature	How it works
One-to-one chats	On the phone and in WazzaBee at the same time. Same conversation, no duplicates
Status (Stories)	Posted from the phone as usual. They do not show up in the dashboard: status lives only in the app and the official API does not carry it. Meta does not list status among the restrictions
WhatsApp calls	Can be made and received from the app on the phone
Chat history	Texts of one-to-one chats from the last 6 months are transferred if you chose to. Files from old conversations stay on the phone
Official template broadcasts	This one is new: the plain app cannot send them, the dashboard can

⛔ What stops working

These are Meta restrictions, the same for every service. Go through the list before connecting: some of them stay off for as long as the number is in Coexistence.

What turns off	Details
Disappearing messages	Turned off for all one-to-one chats
View once	Disabled for all one-to-one chats
Live location	Disabled for all one-to-one chats
Broadcast lists	New ones cannot be created, existing ones become read-only. Official template broadcasts from the dashboard replace them
Group chats	Not synchronised. Groups stay on the phone, but they will not appear in WazzaBee or in your CRM
Linked devices	All of them are unlinked at connection. After that the supported ones (web, tablet, second phone) can be linked again. WhatsApp for Windows and WearOS watches are not supported at all
Sending speed	Fixed at 20 messages per second. That is plenty for regular chats and broadcasts
Unofficial connections	Third-party services that work through unofficial access to the number stop working

Tip. If status or any of the features above matter to you, connect Coexistence on a second, less critical number first and check everything there. Move the main number once you are sure.

What matters AFTER connecting

Rule	Why
Open WhatsApp Business on the phone at least once every 14 days	This is Meta's requirement. If the app hasn't been opened for 14 days, the link with the Cloud API can break and you'll have to connect again
Use your linked devices too	If a linked device (WhatsApp Web, for example) hasn't been used for about 30 days, Meta unlinks it. You can link it again
Don't delete WhatsApp Business from the phone	In Coexistence mode the phone is the “lead” device. Delete it and Coexistence switches off
Don't change the number in the app	If you change the number in WhatsApp Business, the link with WazzaBee breaks. You'd have to connect the new number from scratch
You can reply both from the phone and from WazzaBee	A message sent from the phone also shows up in WazzaBee: it's marked with the note “📱 from phone”, so it's always clear who answered the customer and from where (more about chat signatures →). A message sent from WazzaBee reaches the customer as a normal WhatsApp message. There are no duplicates
Replies from the phone are visible in your CRM too	If Bitrix24 or amoCRM is connected, an agent's reply from the phone lands there as well: the conversation in the CRM stays complete. In a Bitrix24 Open Channel such a message is marked with the note “📱 Agent (from phone)”: that's how Bitrix24 works, it can only accept customer messages into the channel, so we mark the author with text. In amoCRM the message appears as a normal reply from your side
The first message from the dashboard to an existing customer is a template	The 24-hour window in the dashboard opens only with a customer message received after the connection. Conversations from before the connection don't open it, so you can message such a customer first from the dashboard only with a Meta template. From the phone you can write as usual
How to turn off Coexistence	In WhatsApp Business on the phone: Settings → Account → Business Platform → disconnect the account. The WazzaBee channel stops receiving messages, and the app on the phone keeps working as usual
Run broadcasts only through WazzaBee	Coexistence gives you Meta's HSM templates: official broadcasts through WazzaBee. You can't run broadcasts from the phone (it's against the WhatsApp Business rules)

History transfer: what exactly comes across

When to expect contacts and history. The import starts automatically a few minutes after the connection, not instantly: Meta needs time to prepare the data on its side. You don't have to click anything or keep the tab open. If Meta doesn't respond right then, we retry on our own. Meta allows 24 hours from the moment of connection for the whole import, so in rare cases the data arrives later in the day rather than straight away.

What comes across from the old conversations: message texts, captions for photos and files, the date and time, and contact names from your phone book: instead of bare numbers, chats will show proper names. If you have already renamed a contact in WazzaBee by hand, your name stays and won't be overwritten.

What won't be there yet: the files from the old conversations (photos, videos, documents) aren't transferred: imported messages keep only the captions and a note about the attachment type. All the files are still available in the app on your phone. This doesn't apply to new messages: they arrive in WazzaBee with their attachments as usual.

Deleted a contact on the phone? It stays in WazzaBee along with the whole conversation: we don't delete conversations because of changes in your phone book.

If you chose to transfer up to 6 months of history, WazzaBee will show:

✅ Text messages (incoming and outgoing)
✅ Names and numbers of the customers you talked to
❌ Files from old conversations (photos, videos, documents, voice messages): stay on the phone, only their captions come across
❌ Group chats: not transferred (one-to-one conversations only)

Important: Meta sends the history in parts, so old messages appear in the chats gradually. The whole transfer has 24 hours after connection.

What can go wrong

Problem	Solution
“Coexistence could not be activated”	Check all the requirements from the checklist. Most often it's an old version of WhatsApp Business or the number is already connected to another WhatsApp API provider
The number you need isn't in the list at step 6	Go back to the Facebook tab and make sure you picked the WhatsApp Business Account your number belongs to. If you have several businesses, check each one
The chat history hasn't appeared	The history arrives in parts within 24 hours of connecting. Make sure you allowed the transfer in the app on your phone: without that Meta won't hand it over. If there's still no history after 24 hours, contact support
Messages have stopped arriving on the phone	Open WhatsApp Business on the phone. If the app hasn't been opened for more than 14 days, the link has broken. Connect Coexistence again through WazzaBee
Messages arrive in WazzaBee but not on the phone	Check the phone's internet connection. Open WhatsApp Business: messages usually load once it's open. If they don't, contact support. Don't delete the app: that turns Coexistence off
“This feature isn't available in your country”	The mode is available in every country. Update WhatsApp Business to the latest version and try again. If the error keeps showing, contact support

💰 Coexistence charges: what your balance pays for

There's no extra fee for Coexistence mode itself. Your balance is spent only on messages that go through the official WhatsApp Cloud API. Here's a breakdown of every scenario, so there are no surprises.

What happened	Is your balance charged
A customer wrote to you (incoming message)	✅ Yes, a small technical fee for processing the message through the API. Meta itself doesn't charge for incoming messages
You replied from WazzaBee within 24 hours of the customer's message	✅ Yes, the technical fee only. Meta's charge for such replies is currently zero (service messages inside the 24-hour window are free)
You replied from the phone, in the WhatsApp Business app	❌ No. Such messages don't go through the API, so nothing is taken from your balance
You message a customer first from WazzaBee after the 24-hour window has closed (a Meta template)	✅ Yes, here you pay both for the message itself at Meta's rate (depending on the template category) and the technical fee
You message a customer first from the phone after the 24-hour window has closed	❌ No. That's an ordinary message from the app: it's free and needs no Meta template
A customer came from a “Message on WhatsApp” ad	✅ The technical fee only: Meta doesn't charge for the conversation itself

In short: everything you do from the phone is free. You only pay for what goes through the API: incoming messages in WazzaBee and your replies or broadcasts from WazzaBee.

Why the balance can go negative

Charges happen in real time, message by message. With an active conversation flow, several hundred messages a day, say, the balance runs down noticeably faster than you'd expect.

We never block incoming messages: you won't lose a customer even if your balance is already at zero. But they're charged too, so the balance can dip slightly below zero
Outgoing messages are blocked once the negative balance passes the allowed technical limit. Sending resumes as soon as you top up
A subscription (plan) and a message balance are different things. The subscription gives you access to the platform; the balance pays for message traffic. A paid plan or demo access doesn't cover the cost of messages

💡 Tip: if you get a lot of enquiries, keep a buffer on your balance and top it up in advance. The current balance is always visible in Activation → the “Balance” column, and the itemised charges are in the channel settings.

Useful links

WazzaBee is one of the first platforms in Kazakhstan to support Coexistence. If something goes wrong or you have questions, message us in the support chat on the website and we'll help you connect your channel.