Glossary
What is a phone number ID on WhatsApp, and where do you find it?
The numeric identifier Meta assigns to each business phone number on the Cloud API, how it differs from the number itself and the account ID, and where developers use it.
By Broadchat teamPublished Updated 3 min read
Definition
Phone number ID: A phone number ID is the unique numeric identifier Meta assigns to a business phone number registered on the WhatsApp Cloud API. Developers use it, not the phone number itself, in API calls such as sending a message to /{phone-number-id}/messages. It is different from the WhatsApp Business account (WABA) ID, which identifies the account that owns the number and its templates.
Also called: phone_number_id, Phone ID, Sender ID
How the WhatsApp phone number ID works
On the Cloud API, every resource has an ID in Meta's Graph API. Your business number (for example +91 98765 43210) is shown to customers, but the API refers to it by a long number like 106540352242922. Three identifiers are easy to mix up:
| Identifier | Identifies | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Phone number | What customers see and dial | Shown in chats, printed on packaging |
| Phone number ID | One business number in the API | Sending messages, reading number status, registration |
| WhatsApp Business account ID | The account that owns numbers and templates | Creating and listing templates, account settings |
Incoming webhooks also carry the phone number ID in their metadata, which tells your system which of your numbers a customer wrote to.
Worked example
Arjun builds an order system for a Bengaluru bakery and wants to send a confirmation from code. He calls the messages endpoint of the bakery's number, authenticated with a system user access token:
POST https://graph.facebook.com/{version}/{phone-number-id}/messages
Authorization: Bearer <access token>
{ "messaging_product": "whatsapp", "to": "919812345678", "type": "template",
"template": { "name": "order_confirmed", "language": { "code": "en" } } }His first attempt used the WABA ID in the URL and failed, because messages are sent from a number, not from an account. Swapping in the phone number ID fixed it.
Where to find it
You can find the phone number ID in four places:
- App Dashboard: open your Meta app, then WhatsApp → API Setup. The ID is listed under the sending number, next to the WhatsApp Business account ID.
- WhatsApp Manager: open the phone numbers list of your WhatsApp Business account and select the number to see its ID.
- The API: a GET request to
/{waba-id}/phone_numberswith your access token returns each number with itsid, which is the phone number ID. - Webhooks: every incoming message carries
metadata.phone_number_id, telling you which of your numbers the customer wrote to.
The ID does not change when you rename the display name. If the number is moved to a different account, check the ID again rather than assuming it carried over.
Phone number ID in Broadchat
You never need the ID to chat, run campaigns or build bots in a Broadchat panel; Channels → All Channels handles it for you. Developers who want to call the API directly can use the channel's access token with Broadchat's Graph-compatible proxy, which accepts paths in the form /api/meta/{version}/{phone-number-id}/… or /api/meta/{version}/{waba-id}/…, and bills template sends to the channel wallet. Broadchat is built on the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta. The WhatsApp Business API overview explains how these pieces fit together.
Related terms
Sources
- Business phone numbers — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- WhatsApp Cloud API documentation — 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
Is the phone number ID the same as my WhatsApp number?
No. The phone number is what customers see, such as +91 98765 43210. The phone number ID is Meta's internal identifier for that number in the API, a separate long number used in API calls.
Is the phone number ID secret?
It is not a password; it only identifies the number. The access token is what grants permission to send. Keep tokens private and rotate them if they leak.
Do I use the phone number ID or the WABA ID to create templates?
Templates belong to the WhatsApp Business account, so template management uses the WABA ID. Sending messages and checking a number's status use the phone number ID.