# Connect WhatsApp to the official API (Meta) _Step by step to migrate your shop's WhatsApp to Meta's official API (official WhatsApp Business): prerequisites, Facebook login, Coexistence, diagnostic and activation, with more deliverability, a verified badge and no ban risk._ > **๐Ÿ’ก Tip** > > Before clicking **Connect now**, get the 5 prerequisites ready, so the connection won't stall halfway. And prefer **Coexistence**: you connect the **same number** your shop already uses, without losing contacts or history. tecpet talks to your clients on WhatsApp in two ways: the **unofficial QR Code** connection (the old one, where you scan a QR Code with your phone) and **Meta's official API**: the **official WhatsApp Business**, with a verified account and no spam-ban risk. This screen, under **Settings โ†’ System โ†’ WhatsApp**, is where you choose which connection sends the messages and where you **migrate to the official API** through a guided wizard that takes a few minutes. The chosen connection is the one that replies to clients and fires your [automatic notifications](/en/configuracao/geral/notificacoes-automaticas/) and your [chatbot and AI](/en/configuracao/chatbot/chatbot-e-ia/). ## What if your shop's WhatsApp gets banned tomorrow? ![An unofficial WhatsApp can be blocked any time, and your whole schedule stops with it.](https://help.tec.pet/_md-assets/conectar-whatsapp-api-oficial__comercial.jpg) **A banned number is a silent shop** **An unofficial WhatsApp can be blocked any time, and your whole schedule stops with it.** > When you speak through Meta's official channel, you stop living in fear of losing your number. Your entire schedule comes in through WhatsApp. When the number is unofficial (scanned by QR Code), a single spike of messages can get it flagged as spam and taken down, then the phone goes silent, clients can't book, and no one warns you it fell. With Meta's official API your shop becomes a verified account: messages land straight in the client's main inbox, you get the official badge, and the number stops risking a spam ban. And with Coexistence you don't even change numbers, your contacts, chats and history stay on the same WhatsApp, with automated service running on top of the official channel. - **5 min**: to connect, on Meta's guided path - **100% oficial**: a verified Meta account, without the unofficial number's ban risk - **0 QR Code**: forget reconnecting and a phone on all day at the shop > โš ๏ธ **O custo de nรฃo usar:** Every day on the unofficial channel is a day your shop's number can drop without warning, and every message that never arrives is a booking that never happens. ๐Ÿ‘‰ [I want my WhatsApp official and safe](#_top) _Follow the steps below, the wizard connects in a few minutes, without changing the number your shop already uses._ ## Step 1: Open the WhatsApp settings In the **Settings** menu, open **System โ†’ WhatsApp** (the system may ask for your administrator password). At the top, the **Which connection sends the messages?** block shows two cards: **WhatsApp QR Code** (the unofficial connection) and **Official WhatsApp** (Meta's API). Just below, when the Official WhatsApp isn't connected yet, the invite **Activate the Official WhatsApp and sell more** appears, with the button **Connect now, takes 5 minutes**. ![WhatsApp screen under Settings โ†’ System: the connection selector (QR Code ร— Official) and the invite "Activate the Official WhatsApp and sell more".](https://help.tec.pet/_md-assets/conectar-whatsapp-api-oficial__painel.png) ## Step 2: Start the connection wizard Click **Connect now, takes 5 minutes** (or the **Official WhatsApp** card). The **connection wizard** opens, with a 5-step bar at the top. The first screen, **Let's connect your WhatsApp**, sums up the path: you confirm some prerequisites, log in to Meta and the system tests the connection. Click **Let's start**. ![First wizard step: "Let's connect your WhatsApp", with the 3-phase summary and the "Let's start" button.](https://help.tec.pet/_md-assets/conectar-whatsapp-api-oficial__assistente-boas-vindas.png) ## Step 3: Confirm the prerequisites The step **Before we start, let's confirm 5 things** lists what Meta requires, if one is missing, the connection stalls halfway. Check all 5 items (each has a **See how โ†’** link with the step by step) and click **Continue**. The button only enables with all 5 checked. ![Prerequisites step: the 5 items with checkboxes, "See how" links and the "Continue" button.](https://help.tec.pet/_md-assets/conectar-whatsapp-api-oficial__pre-requisitos.png) ## What each prerequisite means - **I have a Meta Business Suite account**: use the same e-mail/Facebook you'll use to log in on the next step (different accounts = Meta won't find your business and it stalls). - **I have the shop's phone, with WhatsApp Business at hand**: you'll scan a QR Code with it during the connection (on the Coexistence path). It's **WhatsApp Business** (green icon with a "B"), not the regular WhatsApp. - **I added a credit card on Meta**: it's only a prerequisite; **client-initiated** messages are free (Meta charges for conversations **you** start, per conversation, not per message). - **I enabled two-step verification on my Facebook**: protection required by Meta; it takes a moment. - **My business is verified on Meta**: without it, the limit stays at **250 conversations/day**; Meta's review can take a few business days. ## Step 4: Connect with Meta (Facebook login) The step **Connect your Meta account** explains, in 6 points, what will appear **inside Meta's window**. Read it calmly and click **Connect with Meta**: a Meta window opens in a new tab. There you: (1) **log in to the owner's Facebook**; (2) pick the **business**; (3) choose **how to connect the number** (see below); (4) confirm on the **WhatsApp Business phone**: a message arrives from the official Facebook Business account with a **Connect** button; open the **Business Platform** screen and **scan the QR Code** (or use the 8-digit **access code**); (5) verify the number by SMS/call (only when creating a brand-new number); (6) **keep all permissions checked** and click continue. When you finish, the window closes by itself and you return to the wizard. ![Step "Connect your Meta account": the 6-point tutorial of what appears in Meta's window and the "Connect with Meta" button.](https://help.tec.pet/_md-assets/conectar-whatsapp-api-oficial__conectar-meta.png) ## Choosing how to connect the number Inside Meta's window, you choose between two options: - **Connect a WhatsApp Business app** *(recommended, Coexistence)*, you keep using the **same number** from the WhatsApp Business on your phone; automated service runs on top, at the same time. **No account migration, no losing contacts or history.** - **Create a WhatsApp Business account**: only for a **brand-new number** (one that's never been on any WhatsApp), dedicated to automated service. When in doubt, choose **Coexistence**: it's the path that doesn't touch the number your shop already uses. ## Step 5: Automatic diagnostic After login, the wizard runs a **diagnostic** ("Checking that everything is ready") with several automatic checks, grouped into **Your Meta account** (account data, admin, payment, two-step, verified business), **Technical connection** (token, permissions, tecpet authorized), **Your WhatsApp number** (number free, registered, display name) and **Ready to send** (number quality, **notification templates created** and a test message). This is when your automatic notifications become **Meta templates**: that can take a few minutes. To finish, you can type **your phone** and click **Send test**: you get a "Hi!" and confirm everything works end to end. With everything passing, click **Continue**. ## Step 6: Done! Activate and go back to the panel The last step, **Done! Your WhatsApp is connected**, shows the connected number with the **VERIFIED** badge. If templates are still under Meta's review, your automatic notifications stay paused until approval, but messages your **client** starts work normally right away. Click **Back to the panel**: the system asks you to **log in again** to apply the new setting. From then on, the official connection is the one sending messages and the **WhatsApp QR Code** goes on **standby** (your old settings are kept safe). ## How to switch the connection or go back to QR Code later You can switch the active connection any time on the WhatsApp screen itself, by clicking the card of the connection you want: - **Activate the Official WhatsApp** (when it's already connected) opens a window that runs a quick diagnostic; with everything fine, just **Confirm activation**. - **Go back to WhatsApp QR Code** pauses sending via Meta and returns to the QR Code, automatic notifications via Meta stay paused until you reactivate, but clients keep messaging normally and your Meta connection is kept. With any switch, the system asks you to **log in again** to apply the change. ## When something stalls - **The number is already with another provider**: if the chosen number is already linked to another connection (another provider or an old connection), Meta asks you to **release/disconnect** it there first and try again. - **The diagnostic found an error**: activation only completes with the diagnostic **error-free**; resolve the pending item on Meta (payment, permissions, quality) and try again. - **Missing permissions**: if a permission was unchecked in Meta's window, redo the login keeping **all** of them checked. - **Business not verified**: the limit stays at **250 conversations/day** until Meta verifies your business. In every case, the wizard shows the error and the buttons **Try again** / **Talk to support**. > **โš ๏ธ Heads up** > > If the number you want to use is **already connected to another provider** (or an old connection), Meta asks you to release it first, otherwise the connection stalls. And without your **business verified** on Meta, the limit stays at **250 conversations/day**. > **๐Ÿšซ Caution** > > When you activate the **Official WhatsApp**, the old **QR Code** connection stops sending messages (it goes on standby). If your shop is the **head office** of a network, the switch applies to **all stores**. And once finished, you need to **log in again** to apply the change. ## Head office, branch or single store ### Single store In a **single store**, you control your own connection right from this screen: connect, switch and disconnect whenever you want. ### Head office (network) If your shop is the **head office** of a network, **only it** can switch the active connection, and activating the Official WhatsApp applies the change to **all stores** in the network at once. See [how the network works](/en/configuracao/rede/como-funciona-a-rede/). ### Branch In a **branch**, the connection is **managed by the head office** (a lock ๐Ÿ”’ appears: "Managed by the head office"). The branch uses the connection set by the master store and can't switch on its own, to change it, talk to the head office. --- _feature: whatsapp-meta-cloud-migration ยท atualizado em 2026-06-30 ยท fonte: https://help.tec.pet/en/configuracao/chatbot/conectar-whatsapp-api-oficial/ ยท tecpet Central de Ajuda_