Glossary
What is WhatsApp coexistence? Using the Business app and the API on one number
How coexistence keeps a number live in the WhatsApp Business app while connecting it to the Cloud API: app version, history sync, disabled features, 20 mps and the 14-day rule.
By Broadchat teamPublished 3 min read
Definition
Coexistence: Coexistence is a WhatsApp Business Platform feature that connects a number already used in the WhatsApp Business app to the Cloud API without removing it from the app. The owner keeps chatting from the phone, while software sends templates, campaigns and bot replies through the API. Contacts and up to six months of chat history sync. It has been available in India since 5 May 2025.
Also called: WhatsApp Business app coexistence, Business app onboarding, Hybrid number
How WhatsApp coexistence works
Before coexistence, moving a number to the API meant deleting it from the WhatsApp Business app first. That advice is now out of date in India and other supported countries. With coexistence, the business onboards through a Solution Partner's or Tech Provider's Embedded Signup, confirms the link from the app, and the number becomes active on the Cloud API while staying active in the app.
Requirements and rules, as Meta documents them:
- WhatsApp Business app version 2.24.17 or later.
- Supported country: India since 5 May 2025; Australia, Japan, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, the EEA/EU and UK since 23 Oct 2025; Nigeria and South Africa since 15 Apr 2026.
- All contacts and up to 6 months (180 days) of one-to-one chat history sync, in three phases. Media syncs only for the last 14 days. Group chats are not synced. The partner must run the sync within 24 hours of onboarding.
- Throughput is fixed at 20 messages per second.
- Up to 4 companion devices can stay linked (not WhatsApp for Windows or WearOS); existing companions are unlinked at onboarding.
What changes in the app
| Feature | Under coexistence |
|---|---|
| Disappearing messages, view-once, live location | Turned off for one-to-one chats |
| Broadcast lists | Disabled; existing lists become read-only |
| Editing and deleting messages | Still supported |
| Groups API | Not available on these numbers |
| Calls, catalog and orders, status, labels, quick replies, away and greeting messages, business profile, Channels | Not supported through the API |
Billing is split. Messages typed in the app stay free. Messages sent through the API are charged at Cloud API rates, see WhatsApp API pricing. A message sent from the app does not open the API's customer service window.
Keep the primary phone in use: Meta can disconnect the number when the primary device has been inactive for about 14 days. Open the app at least every two weeks. To leave coexistence, the owner disconnects from the app: Settings → Account → Business Platform → Disconnect.
Example: a boutique that did not want to change phones
Meera runs a saree boutique in Jaipur and answers regulars from her phone. She wanted festive campaigns and an order bot but would not give up the app. With coexistence she kept chatting as before. Her Diwali offer went out as a marketing template through the API, the bot answered "price?" questions at night, and her past chats appeared in the shared inbox so her assistant had context. Her old broadcast lists became read-only, so she rebuilt the audience as opted-in contacts with tags.
Coexistence in Broadchat
Broadchat supports coexistence since 10 Oct 2026. Connect the number under Channels → All Channels using the WhatsApp Business app (coexistence) flow of Embedded Signup. The channel card shows a coexistence badge, synced contacts and history land in CRM → Live Chat, and messages sent from the phone appear there too and are not billed by Broadchat. If the owner disconnects from the app, the panel marks the channel accordingly. Compare both routes in WhatsApp Business app vs API.
Sources
- Onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (coexistence) — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- WhatsApp Business Platform changelog — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- Throughput — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I have to delete my number from the WhatsApp Business app to use the API?
Not in India or other supported countries. With coexistence the number stays in the Business app (version 2.24.17 or later) and is connected to the Cloud API at the same time.
Can I send campaigns faster with coexistence?
No. Coexistence numbers are fixed at 20 messages per second, below the default throughput of a number used only on the API. For very large campaigns an API-only number is the better fit.
Will my WhatsApp groups move to the API?
No. Group chats are not synced, and the Groups API is not available on coexistence numbers. Your groups keep working in the app.
What happens if I stop opening the app?
Meta can disconnect the number if the primary phone is inactive for about 14 days. Open the WhatsApp Business app at least every two weeks.