Migrate your WhatsApp API number to Whapi and keep the same number

Which move applies to you

The steps depend on how your number is connected today. Check this first, because the two common setups move in opposite orders.

Not sure which one you have? Open the WhatsApp Business app on the phone and go to Settings > Account > Business Platform. If a platform is listed there, your number uses coexistence. If the number isn’t in any WhatsApp app and your provider still sends messages from it, it runs on the API only.

Why WhatsApp API numbers no longer migrate between providers

WhatsApp API numbers no longer migrate because Meta split the old WhatsApp Business account in two. Meta began rolling out its new account model on September 23, 2026 and said it would reach all businesses by mid-October 2026, migrating them in stages.

• The WhatsApp account holds your phone number, business profile and display name. You own it, and you can share it with more than one provider.
• The Messaging account holds templates, billing and webhooks. Each provider gets its own, so templates and charges stay separate.

Meta’s documentation says phone number migration between partners isn’t supported under this model. A business that wants a new provider shares its existing WhatsApp account instead, so the number stays where it is and existing conversations carry on. Sharing is additive: whether you keep or remove your old provider afterwards is your choice.

While two providers are on the same number, they share its throughput and your business portfolio’s messaging limit, and each one bills its own Messaging account.

What carries over when you migrate your WhatsApp API number

Everything tied to the phone number or your business portfolio stays. Everything tied to the old provider’s Messaging account or inbox stays behind.

How to move an API-only WhatsApp number to Whapi

For a number that runs only on the API, connect Whapi first and remove the old provider last. That order keeps messages going to your customers while Meta reviews your new templates.

1. 1

   Write down what your old provider sends

   List the automations and templates that are live today, such as order confirmations, abandoned cart reminders and shipping updates, and copy the wording of each template. Export any contacts or chats you want to keep.
2. 2

   Install Whapi and click Connect WhatsApp

   Install Whapi from the Shopify App Store, open it in your Shopify admin and click Connect WhatsApp on a computer with popups allowed. Meta’s signup window opens.
3. 3

   Choose your existing business and phone number

   In Meta’s signup, select the business portfolio that owns the number, then your existing WhatsApp account and phone number. Do not add a new number. Review what you share with Whapi and confirm.
4. 4

   Add a payment method to the new Messaging account

   Meta creates a separate Messaging account for Whapi with its own billing. Add a card to it in WhatsApp Manager so Meta can bill the messages Whapi sends. The payment method guide shows each screen.
5. 5

   Set up your automations and wait for template approval

   Turn on the automations you need in Whapi and paste in your template wording. Whapi submits each template to Meta, and Meta reviews it and assigns a category. When a template is approved, send a test message to your own phone.
6. 6

   Switch off the same automations at your old provider

   Once Whapi’s templates are approved and tested, turn off the matching automations at your old provider so customers don’t get the same message twice.
7. 7

   Remove the old provider and cancel its plan

   In Meta Business Suite, go to Settings > Accounts > WhatsApp Accounts, select the account that holds your number and remove the old provider’s access. Check the Messaging Accounts tab too and remove the old provider from any Messaging account you own. Then cancel the old subscription.

How to move a WhatsApp Business app number (coexistence)

A WhatsApp Business app number connects to one provider at a time in Meta’s coexistence flow, so disconnect the old one first. If you skip this, Meta stops the signup with error 2655093, “The business is already sharing this WhatsApp Business account with a partner.”

1. 1

   Back up your chats

   Back up the WhatsApp Business app on your phone before you change its connection, as Meta recommends.
2. 2

   Copy your template wording and pause automations

   Copy the text of the templates your old provider sends, then pause its automations. They stop anyway once you disconnect.
3. 3

   Disconnect the old platform in the WhatsApp Business app

   In the WhatsApp Business app, go to Settings > Account > Business Platform. Select the connected platform and tap Disconnect.
4. 4

   Wait 15 minutes

   Meta asks you to wait 15 minutes after disconnecting before you connect the number to a new platform.
5. 5

   Connect the number to Whapi

   In Whapi, click Connect WhatsApp and choose Connect a WhatsApp Business App. Enter your number, then follow the prompts in the app: a message arrives from Facebook, tap Connect and choose whether to share your chat history.
6. 6

   Check the payment method, set up automations and test

   Make sure the Messaging account shared with Whapi has a payment method in WhatsApp Manager, turn on your automations in Whapi with the template wording you copied, wait for Meta to approve the templates and send a test message.

Your WhatsApp Business app keeps working on the phone throughout, so you can still answer customers by hand. Only automations pause. If Meta shows an error about a previous partner’s credit line, Meta’s fix is to back up your messages, disconnect from the WhatsApp Business app, reconnect, and run the coexistence signup again. More fixes are in WhatsApp coexistence not working.

How long the switch takes

Connecting your number takes a few minutes. Most of the wait is the review of your new templates, which Meta says can take up to 24 hours. Because Meta controls signup and template review, Whapi can’t promise a switch with zero downtime.

• API-only numbers: the old provider keeps sending until you remove it, so customers can keep getting messages. Avoid running the same automation on both for long, or customers get duplicates.
• WhatsApp Business app numbers: automations stop when you disconnect the old provider and restart once your Whapi templates are approved. Switch at a quiet time of day, and have your template wording ready to paste.

The WhatsApp message templates for order confirmations, shipping updates and cart recovery are ready to copy if you want to start from a tested wording instead of your old one.

Leaving Wati, Zoko, AiSensy or Interakt

Meta’s steps are the same whichever provider you leave. The provider-specific part is getting your data out and ending the plan:

• Copy the wording of every approved template, because templates don’t move between Messaging accounts.
• Export contacts, opt-in lists and chat history you want to keep from the provider’s dashboard.
• Cancel the plan where you pay for it: in the provider’s dashboard, or in your Shopify admin if you subscribed through the Shopify App Store.
• Remove the provider from your Messaging account and WhatsApp account in Meta Business Suite.

Comparing before you switch? See Whapi vs Wati, Zoko, AiSensy and Interakt.

Getting help with the move

Email info@usewhapi.com or message us on WhatsApp before you disconnect anything. Tell us which provider you are leaving and whether the number is on the WhatsApp Business app, and we will confirm which steps apply. Whapi has a 7-day free trial, so you can set up and test your automations before you cancel the old plan.