Glossary
What is WhatsApp conversation routing between partners?
Meta's September 2026 feature for numbers served by several partner apps at once, with thread control deciding which app answers. What problem it solves and what to check before using it.
By Broadchat teamPublished 2 min read
Definition
Conversation routing: Conversation routing is a WhatsApp Business Platform feature, launched by Meta on 23 Sep 2026, that lets more than one partner app work on the same business phone number. Thread control decides which app currently owns a customer's conversation, so a chatbot vendor, a support desk and a commerce tool can each handle their part without answering over each other. Details and eligibility are in Meta's changelog and documentation.
Also called: Multi-app routing, Thread control
The problem it solves
Until recently, one business number on the Cloud API was effectively served by one partner app. Every incoming message went to that app's webhook. A business that wanted a specialist chatbot from one vendor and a support desk from another had to pick one, or connect the two systems itself and hope they did not both reply.
WhatsApp conversation routing changes that. Several partners can be connected to the same number, and thread control decides, conversation by conversation, which app is in charge right now. When the bot hands a customer to a human agent, control passes to the support tool; when the case is closed, it can pass back.
Illustrative example
Picture Rangoli Home using one vendor for its order-tracking bot and another for its customer support team. Priya messages "Where is my order?" The bot app owns the thread and answers with tracking details. She then writes "The cushion cover arrived torn." The bot hands control to the support app, and an agent replies with a replacement offer. The bot app stays quiet until the thread is handed back. Priya sees one smooth conversation with one business, never two systems competing.
Before you rely on it
Meta announced conversation routing in its WhatsApp Business Platform changelog on 23 Sep 2026. It is new, so check the current documentation for which partners and account types can use it, how control is passed, and how messages are billed when several apps are involved. Make sure every partner on the number agrees on who owns the opening message, who handles opt-out requests and who answers outside business hours. Without that agreement, customers can still receive confusing or duplicate replies.
Conversation routing and Broadchat
Conversation routing is not a Broadchat panel setting today. In a Broadchat panel, one connected number is handled in one place: chatbots, campaigns and the team inbox share the conversation, and a bot can hand a chat to a human agent inside the same panel. If you need that handover, see the WhatsApp chatbot builder and the team inbox. For how the platform fits together, read what the WhatsApp Business API is.
Sources
- WhatsApp Business Platform changelog — 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 need conversation routing to have a bot and human agents?
Not if both run in the same platform. Conversation routing matters when the bot and the support desk are separate partner apps from different vendors on one number.
Is conversation routing the same as assigning chats to agents?
No. Assigning chats to agents happens inside one app. Conversation routing decides which partner app, out of several connected to the number, controls a conversation.