Frequently Asked Questions about WhatsApp for Business

Showcase your products and services in a mobile storefront and group similar items into collections to simplify the shopping experience for your customers.

A: The WhatsApp Business API is specific to messaging with your customers on WhatsApp. Messages sent on the Messenger Platform cannot reach customers on their WhatsApp numbers. You can learn more about the Messenger Platform here.

A: The WhatsApp Business app ​​is for small businesses to communicate with customers from a single device through a free-to-download app. The Business app enables businesses to reach hundreds of customers, is free to use and offers limited customization and integration with other tools.

The WhatsApp Business Platform enables medium and large businesses to chat with customers at scale through programmatic access to WhatsApp. Businesses also get access to rich messaging features on the platform such as the ability to send media with messages and add quick reply buttons. The Platform enables businesses to reach millions of customers at a time, and integrate with the rest of their technology stack. Businesses pay per conversation they have with their customers and the first 1,000 conversations per month are free.

A: Business can choose from:

1. Directly accessing the WhatsApp Business Platform by signing up here. You must be a developer in order to do so as this requires being able to call our APIs and set up webhooks.
2. Accessing the Platform by working with one of our approved Business Solution Providers.

A: Businesses with in-house developers who can directly call our APIs may be interested in signing up directly. If you are not a developer, or would like to connect WhatsApp to the rest of your technology stack, such as an omnichannel inbox, customer support software, or a bot platform, you may prefer to work with one of our partners.

A: At this time, developers can access our APIs on behalf of their own business only. If you are interested in offering API access to other businesses, or becoming a partner, please join our waitlist.

A: If you are interested in an on-premises option, please work with one of our partners. We are not enabling direct access to the on-premises API.

A: All businesses and developers directly accessing our platform have access to our Direct Support portal where you can submit questions. If you are working with a partner, they can submit tickets on your behalf.

A:

• We charge based on the number of conversations. Charges will be per 24 hour conversation session, with different rates for business-initiated and user-initiated conversations. A session initiates on delivery of a business-initiated message, or delivery of a business reply to a user-initiated message. A conversation session ends 24 hours after delivery of the first business message in the conversation.
• The first 1,000 conversations each month are free so businesses can start to build experiences their customers will love. When they’re ready to expand beyond 1,000 conversations per month, our conversation pricing applies. Learn more and see our rate card.
• There is no additional fee to access our platform directly. Partners may charge additional fees based on value-added services or technologies they provide.

A: We have a few billing options available.

If you access our platform directly, you can pay via credit card, or Monthly Invoicing, which we recommend for businesses with an expected spend of over $10,000 USD per month. Learn more here.

If you work with one of our Business Solution Providers, we will bill them directly.

The applicable VAT, GST, sales tax or any other applicable tax will be included in your invoice.

A: In order to ensure safe, high-quality conversations, it’s important that all businesses and Business Solution Providers understand and adhere to both the WhatsApp Business and Commerce Policies. The Business Policy governs the acceptable use of WhatsApp Business products, and sets expectations for ensuring a quality customer experience. It helps us determine which business models and verticals we allow onto the platform. The Commerce Policy is used to govern whether businesses can sell their products and services within catalog, message threads, business profile, and message templates.