WhatsApp via Chatlane

Want a WhatsApp Business presence without bringing a phone number or a Twilio account? WhatsApp via Chatlane gives you both halves in one flow: Chatlane provides the phone number and registers it with Meta for you. You sign in with Meta once to create (or choose) your WhatsApp Business Account — everything else, including the phone-number ownership verification that normally involves OTP codes, happens automatically.

Once live, the channel behaves like any other WhatsApp channel in Chatlane: messages thread into conversations, templates work, and customers can even call your WhatsApp number — see WhatsApp calling.

Chatlane offers three ways to connect WhatsApp. Use WhatsApp (Meta) to connect a number you already own directly through Meta — including numbers already in the WhatsApp Business app (Coexistence). Use WhatsApp (Twilio) if you run your own Twilio account with WhatsApp senders. Use WhatsApp via Chatlane — this article — when you want Chatlane to provide and manage the number end-to-end. Not sure which? See which WhatsApp option is right for you.

What you'll need

• A Facebook account to sign in with during the Meta step.
• Access to your company's Meta Business Portfolio, or the ability to create one during signup (takes a minute).
• A display name for your business that follows Meta's display name guidelines — Meta reviews it after registration.

You do not need a phone number, a Twilio account, or a pre-existing WhatsApp Business Account — though if you have a number you'd like to keep, you can bring it (see Step 2).

Step 1 — Add the channel

1. Open Inbox Settings → Channels and, under the Business Messaging category, choose WhatsApp — via Chatlane.
2. The number picker opens.

In your list of connected channels, this channel is labelled “WhatsApp · via Chatlane.”

Step 2 — Choose your number

If your team already holds Chatlane numbers, eligible ones are offered first under Use an existing Chatlane number — your existing Phone Call or SMS number can double as your WhatsApp number without buying anything new (see one number, many channels). Otherwise search for a fresh one:

• Country — pick United States or United Kingdom (UK numbers are mobile numbers, provided under Chatlane's own UK registration — no paperwork).
• Area code (US) / Contains digits — narrow the search the same way as the other Chatlane number pickers.

After you pick a number, Chatlane verifies it with Meta in the background — this usually takes 1–3 minutes, and the connect button unlocks as soon as it's done. You don't need to wait around: close the window if you like and we'll email you when the number is ready, with a link back to the setup. Thanks to that pre-verification, the number arrives in Meta's window already verified: you'll never be asked for an OTP code.

Or use a number you already own. Under the picker, enter your existing business number in international format (e.g. +44 7700 900000). The number stays with your current provider — only its WhatsApp presence moves to Chatlane, and you still get full voice calling. Because Chatlane can't receive codes on your behalf for a number it doesn't host, Meta verifies ownership during the signup: you'll enter the number in the Meta window and type in the code it sends you by SMS or phone call. The number must be able to receive that code (no IVR-only lines).

A number can only be on WhatsApp once. If a number is already registered with WhatsApp elsewhere (including in the WhatsApp mobile apps or a WhatsApp (Meta) channel), it must be deregistered there first — bringing a number from the WhatsApp Business app means giving the app up for that number. Chatlane-provided numbers are fresh, so this mainly matters for numbers you bring.

Step 3 — Connect your WhatsApp Business Account

1. With your number chosen, click Connect WhatsApp Business.
2. A Meta window opens. Sign in with Facebook, then:
   • Create or select your Meta Business Portfolio (your business details pre-fill if it exists).
   • Create or select your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) and business profile, including your display name.
   • On the phone-number step, your Chatlane number appears pre-selected in the dropdown, marked Verified — just confirm it and continue. No code to type.
3. Finish the Meta flow and return to Chatlane — registration starts immediately.

One WhatsApp Business Account per team. Your first registration binds your team's Chatlane account to the WABA you chose. Any later WhatsApp numbers you add through Chatlane must use that same WABA — Meta's window will show it; just select it again. Choosing a different one is rejected with a clear message.

Step 4 — Wait for the sender to come online

Registration is asynchronous on Meta's side and usually takes a minute or two. The setup dialog polls the status live and the channel flips active the moment the number is ONLINE. You can also close the dialog — Chatlane keeps checking in the background and the channel activates itself.

While the display name review is pending, Meta may limit the number to a small volume of business-initiated messages; the limit lifts automatically once the name is approved.

After setup

• Incoming WhatsApp messages create conversations in this inbox, matched to contacts automatically.
• Replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message send freely; outside that window WhatsApp requires an approved template.
• WhatsApp calling — customers can call your WhatsApp number and agents can call back, in the browser. Configure it on the channel's Calling tab; see WhatsApp calling.
• Scale limits — new WhatsApp senders start with Meta's standard messaging tiers, which grow with usage and business verification in Meta Business Manager.

See all your team's numbers

Every Chatlane-provided number your team holds is listed under Team Settings → Phone Numbers (admins only). Each number shows the channels it currently serves — WhatsApp, SMS, Phone — with a link straight to each channel's settings. Numbers marked Not connected aren't serving any channel (for example, a number bought during a signup you didn't finish): reuse one the next time you add a channel, or click Release to return it to the carrier and stop paying for it. Releasing is permanent — the number can't be recovered.

Removing the channel

Deleting the channel deregisters the number from WhatsApp. The number itself is released too — unless it's shared with other Chatlane channels (Phone Call or SMS), in which case those keep working and the number is only released when the last channel using it goes. Your WhatsApp Business Account remains yours in Meta Business Manager (the number may still be listed there as offline until you remove it in WhatsApp Manager).

Billing

Billing for Chatlane-provided numbers is coming shortly. Chatlane provisions and manages the number under its own account; pricing and usage details will be announced in a forthcoming billing update. Meta's per-conversation WhatsApp fees are separate from the number itself.

Tips & troubleshooting

• “…already connected to a different WhatsApp Business Account.” Your team's first registration fixed the WABA for the account. Re-run the Meta signup and pick that existing WABA instead of creating a new one.
• The registration stays in CREATING for a long time. Give it a few minutes — Meta's review occasionally takes longer. If it never comes online, remove the channel and try again, and check that the display name follows Meta's guidelines.
• My display name was rejected. Update it in Meta Business Manager → WhatsApp Manager to match the guidelines; limits lift once approved.
• A number I own isn't offered for reuse. Only SMS-capable Chatlane numbers can be registered automatically, and a number already carrying a WhatsApp registration isn't offered again.
• The "Connect WhatsApp Business" button is disabled. The Meta signup integration hasn't been enabled on your deployment yet — contact support, or use WhatsApp (Meta) with your own number in the meantime.

Related

• WhatsApp (Meta) onboarding — connect a number you already own, including Coexistence with the WhatsApp Business app.
• WhatsApp calling — voice calls over your WhatsApp number.
• SMS via Chatlane — put the same Chatlane number on SMS.
• Phone calls via Chatlane — and on voice.