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Connecting your WhatsApp Business number gives VGraple CRM permission, through Meta's own Embedded Signup flow, to send and receive messages on that number. Most businesses complete it in under five minutes without leaving the browser, and Meta's conversation charges are billed directly to your own Meta account with no markup added by VGraple CRM.
Connect your number: first 5 of 6 steps
- 1Open the WhatsApp channel settings
- 2Choose Connect via Embedded Signup
- 3Complete Meta's popup in one sitting
- 4VGraple CRM exchanges and stores the connection
- 5Verify by SMS or voice
Before you start
- You need a Facebook account with access to the business, or the ability to create a new Facebook Business during the flow. A personal Facebook login is enough to start; Meta creates the Business Manager for you if none exists yet.
- The phone number must be able to receive an SMS or voice call for verification, and must not already be active on personal WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app, unless you plan to use coexistence mode instead (see connecting in coexistence mode).
- Only a workspace member with organisation settings access (Owner or Admin, or a custom role granted
settings:org) can connect a channel. Ask an Owner or Admin to do this, or to grant you access from Settings, then Team. - Have your business name and a website or social page ready; Meta asks for these during Embedded Signup as part of establishing the Business Manager.
Steps
- Open the WhatsApp channel settings. From the main navigation, go to Settings, then Channels, then WhatsApp. If this is your first number, you land straight on a Connect your WhatsApp number card.
Choose Connect via Embedded Signup. Click the primary button labelled Connect via Embedded Signup, described as working "for new numbers, test numbers, or numbers already on Cloud API." A Facebook popup opens.
Complete Meta's popup in one sitting. Log into the Facebook account with access to your business, confirm or create the Business Manager, then either select an existing WhatsApp Business Account and phone number or add a new one. Grant every permission Meta's popup requests; declining any of them causes the connection to fail with a specific error afterwards. Do not close the popup partway through, since the signup session expires and has to be restarted.
VGraple CRM exchanges and stores the connection. Once the popup closes successfully, VGraple CRM exchanges Meta's authorization code for a long-lived access token, fetches your number's display name, display number and profile picture from Meta, and subscribes to the webhooks that deliver incoming messages and status updates. This happens automatically; you do not need to copy any tokens by hand.
(New numbers only) Verify by SMS or voice. If the number is genuinely new to any WhatsApp Business API, VGraple CRM offers a second path from the same screen: Register new number. Enter the number, business display name, and whether Meta should send the verification code by SMS or voice call, then enter the 6-digit code and set a 6-digit security PIN for two-step verification. Keep the PIN safe; you need it again if you ever migrate the number elsewhere.
Confirm the number appears as connected. Back on Settings, then Channels, then WhatsApp, your number now shows as a channel card with its display name, phone number, quality rating and messaging tier. A newly registered number can take up to two hours to become fully active for sending, even though it shows as connected immediately.
What you will see
The channel card shows your business's verified name and number, a connection-method badge (Embedded signup, Registered via API, or Coexistence), a quality rating badge (starts as no rating until you send messages), and a messaging tier badge showing your current 24-hour messaging limit. Any inbound message to this number, including your own test message, now appears in your Inbox in real time.
Settings and options
| Setting or field | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Business display name (verified name) | The name customers see for this number; submitted to Meta for review during connection | The name entered during Embedded Signup or number registration |
| Connection method | Records how the number was connected: Embedded signup, Registered via API, Imported from Meta, or Coexistence | Set automatically based on the path you used |
| Default channel | Marks which connected number is used when a send does not specify one | The first number connected; changeable per channel with Set as default |
| Two-step verification PIN | A 6-digit PIN Meta requires for a newly registered number's security | Set during Register new number; changeable later (see two-step verification PIN) |
| Access token | The credential VGraple CRM uses to call the WhatsApp API on your behalf | Refreshed automatically; a Refresh button re-fetches current details from Meta |
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "The Meta signup session expired before we could finish" | The Embedded Signup popup sat open too long, or was reopened after being closed | Click Connect again and complete the popup without switching tabs or waiting between steps |
| "Meta did not grant the permissions we need" | A requested permission was declined in the popup | Click Connect again and approve every permission Meta's popup asks for |
| "Connected to Meta, but no WhatsApp number was found on the account" | The Facebook flow finished without a phone number actually attached to the WhatsApp Business Account | Go back into Meta's flow and finish adding a phone number, then click Connect again |
| Number shows as disconnected or "Disconnected from WhatsApp" | The WhatsApp Business Account was removed on Meta's side, or this app's access was revoked | Use Connect on the channel card to reconnect through Embedded Signup again |
| OTP for a new number never arrives | Wrong country code entered, or the number cannot receive SMS in that region | Re-check the number and country code, then try Voice call instead of SMS |
| "Meta reports a restriction on this Facebook or WhatsApp Business account" | A Meta-side restriction, not a VGraple CRM error | Message Support from the in-app chat bubble; a real person helps with the Meta appeal the same day |
Related reading
If your team already uses the WhatsApp Business app day to day, read connecting in coexistence mode instead of a full migration. If you are not ready to connect a real number yet, try the sandbox first, and once connected, move on to inviting your team.