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Coexistence mode connects your existing WhatsApp number to VGraple CRM while the WhatsApp Business app keeps working on your phone exactly as before. It is the right starting point if your team still relies on the phone app day to day, since it imports your existing chat history and contacts automatically instead of asking you to give the app up first.
Coexistence mode: first 5 of 6 steps
- 1Open WhatsApp channel settings and choose coexistence
- 2Complete Meta's popup and scan the QR
- 3Approve history sharing when asked
- 4VGraple CRM requests both syncs automatically
- 5Watch history import over the next few
Before you start
- Your phone must run WhatsApp Business app version 2.24.17 or later. Check for updates in the Play Store if you are not sure.
- You need a Facebook account with access to the business, the same requirement as standard Embedded Signup.
- Coexistence works on the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app on your phone. If you want a brand-new number instead, use standard Embedded Signup rather than coexistence.
- Only a workspace member with organisation settings access (Owner, Admin, or a custom role with org settings) can connect a channel.
- Have your phone physically with you and unlocked; the connection step requires scanning a QR code from inside the WhatsApp Business app itself.
Steps
- Open WhatsApp channel settings and choose coexistence. Go to Settings, then Channels, then WhatsApp. If you have no channels yet, click Connect in coexistence mode, the secondary button beside standard Embedded Signup, described as "Number stays on WA Business App and Cloud API simultaneously." If you already have a number connected, use Coexistence mode from the "Add a WhatsApp number" panel instead.
Complete Meta's popup and scan the QR code. A Facebook popup opens for the coexistence flow. Follow the prompts until Meta shows a QR code, then open the WhatsApp Business app on your phone (Settings, then Linked Devices, or the in-app prompt Meta triggers) and scan it with your phone's camera.
Approve history sharing when asked. During the scan, WhatsApp asks whether to share your existing chat history with the connecting business. Approving this is what unlocks the 180-day history import; declining it means the sync fails with a specific error and the only recovery is disconnecting and redoing the flow with approval.
VGraple CRM requests both syncs automatically. The moment the channel is saved, VGraple CRM asks Meta for the contact sync and the history sync without any further action from you. A WhatsApp Business app chats panel appears on the channel card showing the status: Requested, Importing (with a percentage), Imported, Declined on phone, or Failed.
Watch history import over the next few minutes. Chunks of chat history stream in over several minutes: a thread active in the last 24 hours opens as an active conversation, everything older imports as resolved, and every message is inserted safely so a redelivered chunk never creates duplicates. Use Refresh status on the panel to check progress, or Retry import if it shows Failed.
Keep using your phone normally. From this point, replies sent from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone mirror into the VGraple CRM inbox in real time, and every new customer message reaches both places. Nothing about how you use the phone app changes.
What you will see
The channel card shows a Coexistence badge under the connection-method row, plus the WhatsApp Business app chats panel with live status and, once complete, the total messages and contacts imported. Your inbox fills with imported conversations over the following minutes, and any reply you send from your phone appears in VGraple CRM within seconds.
Settings and options
| Setting or field | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| History sync status | Tracks the one-time chat history import: requested, receiving, completed, declined or failed | Requested automatically the moment the channel connects |
| Import now / Retry import | Manually re-triggers the sync request if it failed or was never started | Available until the sync completes |
| Refresh status | Re-checks the current sync state without waiting for the page to reload | Manual, click any time |
| Connection method badge | Shows "Coexistence" so the number's lower sending speed and sync limits are visible at a glance | Set automatically when connected through this flow |
| Broadcast pacing | Coexistence numbers are automatically paced slower than API-only numbers to stay under Meta's lower throughput ceiling | 4 messages a second |
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| History import shows "Declined on phone" | Chat history sharing was declined during the QR scan | Disconnect the number and reconnect through coexistence again, approving history sharing this time |
| Import request fails immediately | More than 24 hours have passed since the number was connected, since Meta only allows the sync once in that window | Disconnect and reconnect the number to open a fresh 24-hour window |
| Old photos and videos show as a placeholder, not the real file | Media is only imported for messages sent within 14 days of connecting; Meta does not include the media ID for older messages | Expected behaviour; there is no way to retrieve older media through this sync |
| QR code will not scan | The phone is running WhatsApp Business app older than 2.24.17 | Update the app from the Play Store, then retry the connection |
| Replies from my phone are not appearing in the inbox | The coexistence webhook subscription was not confirmed, or the phone app was updated and needs re-linking | Use Refresh on the channel card; if it persists, disconnect and reconnect through coexistence |
| Broadcasts feel slow on this number | Coexistence numbers are capped at 4 messages a second by Meta, well under the 50/s an API-only number gets | Expected while on coexistence; move to API-only from the same Settings screen once the team no longer needs the phone app |
Related reading
If your team is ready to give up the phone app entirely, moving to a number connected the standard way sends faster and removes the phone as a dependency. If you are still deciding between the two, WhatsApp Business app vs API account covers exactly what moves and what does not. Not ready to touch a real number at all yet? Try the sandbox first.