Connect WhatsApp Business

Step-by-step: connecting a WhatsApp Business number through Meta's Embedded Signup

WhatsApp connects through Meta's Embedded Signup, a guided flow that opens inside Arolead and creates or links a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) under your own Meta Business Portfolio. The account stays yours: Meta bills you for messages directly, and you can manage it in Meta's WhatsApp Manager at any time.

WhatsApp is available on the Pro and Agency plans. See plans and limits.

Requirements

  • A Meta Business Portfolio (formerly Business Manager). The flow creates one if you have none.
  • A phone number that can receive an SMS or a call for verification, and that is not currently registered on the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. A number in use on the app must be deleted from the app first, and Meta warns that this cannot be undone.
  • A display name for the business. Meta reviews it against your business name.
  • A payment method added in Meta's Billing Hub before you send templates. Replies inside the 24-hour window are free, but nothing outside it will deliver until billing is set up.

Steps

  1. Go to Accounts, open the WhatsApp tab and click Connect WhatsApp.
  2. Log in to Facebook with an account that administers your Business Portfolio.
  3. Follow Meta's steps: choose or create the portfolio, choose or create the WhatsApp Business Account, enter the phone number and verify it.
  4. Approve the permissions. The window closes and the number appears in your Accounts list.
  5. Arolead syncs your existing message templates from Meta, so anything already approved is ready to use.

After connecting

  • Inbound messages appear in the inbox and create leads like any other channel.
  • Build a WhatsApp keyword automation to reply automatically. See how automations work.
  • Create and submit templates from Templates. See WhatsApp templates.
  • Add a payment method in Meta's Billing Hub, and if you are in India, make sure the account is billed in rupees. Meta requires every India-eligible account to migrate to INR by 31 December 2026. See what WhatsApp costs.

If verification fails: the most common cause is a number still registered on the WhatsApp app. Remove it from the app, wait a few minutes, and retry the flow.