Choosing the Right Setup for Your Number

Before you begin, decide which of the following describes the phone number you want to use. Choosing the right path up front avoids losing data and saves setup time.

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• A dedicated number in your WhatsApp Business Account (recommended): You want a number used exclusively for lead capture. Use the Standard Connection Guide below.
• A number your firm actively uses in the WhatsApp Business App on a mobile device: You want an Intaker AI Agent to capture leads on an existing number you use in the WhatsApp Business App. Use the WhatsApp Business App Onboarding Guide below. Your app, chat history, and contacts are unaffected.
• A number currently connected to another messaging provider: See Moving A Number From Another Provider below.

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Important — do not use the Standard Connection for a number that is active in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. Moving such a number to a Standard Connection requires deleting its account in the app first, which permanently erases its chat history, backups, and group memberships (phone contacts are unaffected). If you must go this route, export any chats you want to keep beforehand — see WhatsApp's guide on how to backup your chat history. To keep the app working, use the WhatsApp Business App Onboarding Guide instead.

Moving A Number From Another Provider

A phone number can only be connected to one WhatsApp provider at a time. To bring a number to Intaker from another platform:

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1. Release the number on the other provider's side. In Meta Business Suite, open Settings > Accounts > WhatsApp accounts, select the WhatsApp Business Account that holds the number, open WhatsApp Manager, and remove the number. (If the number was connected there through its Business app, use the account's Partners tab to remove the provider's access instead, and disconnect the partner in the app under Settings > Account > Business platform.)
2. Have the number's two-step verification PIN ready — registering the number with Intaker will require it. See Two-Step Verification PIN below.
3. Follow the Standard Connection steps, selecting the number during setup.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, please ensure you have the following:

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• A verified Facebook Business Manager account (business.facebook.com): This is the central hub for managing your Facebook Pages, ad accounts, and other business assets.
• Administrator access to your Facebook Business Manager: This is necessary to configure the app and link your WABA.
• The Business Manager must belong to your firm. If a marketing agency or consultant is handling this setup on your behalf, the connection should still be made under your firm's own Business Manager — not the agency's. Meta's business verification is tied to the legal entity behind the account, and assets connected under an agency's account do not belong to your firm.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) enabled on the Facebook user account you are using to connect: This is required in order to connect.
• No active restrictions on your Meta business assets: If Meta has restricted your Business Manager or WhatsApp account for a policy issue, resolve it with Meta support before connecting.
• Administrator access in your Intaker dashboard: This is necessary to connect your WABA to Intaker.
• A WhatsApp AI Agent: This is the AI Agent that will be used to interact with your leads. Be sure to select "WhatsApp AI Agent - Capture new leads" when configuring the AI Agent.
  

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• • One or more WhatsApp accounts for testing: These can be personal or business accounts.
  • A phone number for the connection: Either an existing number in your WhatsApp Business Account, or a number used in the WhatsApp Business app (see WhatsApp Business App Onboarding). Except for the Business App path, the number must not be in use with WhatsApp, the WhatsApp Business app, or another provider.
  Quick checks in WhatsApp ManagerIf your number already exists in a WhatsApp Business Account, take a minute in WhatsApp Manager > WhatsApp accounts before connecting to check the following:
  • Display name: should show as approved. An unapproved or rejected display name limits how many conversations your number can hold each month.
  • Phone number status: anything marked as under review or pending will hold up the setup until Meta finishes its review.
  • Messaging limit: newly verified numbers start at a low tier; completing Meta's business verification raises it over time.
  Standard Connection GuideFollow these steps to connect an existing WhatsApp Business Account number:
  1. Select the WhatsApp Integration in the Intaker Dashboard:
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  • Click on "Integrations" on the left side menu
    
  
  

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• Click the "Activate" button
  

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• Please read through the Before you connect message, and click Continue if you agree.
  

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• If you are not already logged into Facebook, you will be asked to login. Please use the Facebook account that has access to your Facebook Business Manager. You may be shown other screens, like two-factor authentication, depending on how your Facebook account is configured.
  

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• Verify that you would like to continue as this user

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• Read the permissions that you will be granting when you connect your account to Intaker and click the blue "Get Started" button if you agree
  

• On the Add your WhatsApp phone number tab, open the phone number drop-down (it shows “Enter a new phone number” by default), select the phone number you would like to connect, and click “Next”.If you want to select a phone number connected to a WhatsApp Business App that you use on a mobile device, use the WhatsApp Business App Onboarding Guide instead.
  

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• Select your Business Portfolio and WhatsApp Business Account and click “Next”.

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Review the changes that will be made once you connect your WABA to Intaker and click “Confirm”.

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• Click "Finish" to complete the setup
  

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• 1. Confirm the connection and registration:
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  • While the connection completes, the "Add WhatsApp Business Account" button shows a "Connecting..." indicator
  • When it finishes, you will see "WhatsApp Business Account connected successfully" and your number listed with a "Connected" status
  
  

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• In some cases the connection succeeds but the number cannot be registered for messaging right away. You will see a "Registration Still Required" message, and the account will show an "Unregistered" status with a "Register" button. See "Registering Your Number" below.

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Registering Your Number

A number must be registered with WhatsApp before it can send or receive messages. Registration normally happens automatically when you connect. If it could not be completed, the account shows an "Unregistered" status with a "Register" button.

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• Click "Register". In most cases, this action completes registration of the phone number.
  

• If you are prompted for a 6-digit PIN: your number already has WhatsApp two-step verification enabled. Enter the number's existing PIN to complete registration. If the PIN is unknown, see Two-Step Verification PIN below.

• If you see "Too many registrations were attempted for this number": WhatsApp temporarily limits how often a number can be registered. You must wait until WhatsApp removes the restriction and click "Register" again.

Two-Step Verification PIN

WhatsApp protects every registered number with a 6-digit two-step verification PIN. The PIN belongs to the phone number itself: whoever registers that number — with Intaker or anywhere else — must provide it.

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A few things to know:

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• If your number did not have a PIN, one is created for it automatically when Intaker registers the number. You do not need it for day-to-day use.
• The PIN matters in two situations: registering a phone number that already has one, and taking your number to another provider after leaving Intaker.
• The PIN is never displayed anywhere. Neither WhatsApp Manager nor the WhatsApp Business app can show you the current PIN — they can only replace it. If the PIN is unknown, set a new one rather than searching for the old one.

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Where to set a new PIN:

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• Numbers registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform (connected to Intaker or another provider): In WhatsApp Manager > WhatsApp Accounts, open the phone number's Settings, then Two-step verification, and choose to change the PIN. This is only possible while the number is registered — if you plan to leave Intaker and take the number elsewhere, set a PIN you know before removing the account.
• Numbers used in the WhatsApp Business app: In the app, go to Settings > Account > Two-step verification. From there you can enable, disable, or change the PIN.

WhatsApp Business App Onboarding Guide

Use this path to connect a number that your firm actively uses in the WhatsApp Business app. The number keeps working in the app — your chat history, contacts, and day-to-day conversations are unaffected — while Intaker's AI Agent captures leads on the same number.

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Requirements for this path:

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• The number is already in active use in the WhatsApp Business app
• The latest version of the WhatsApp Business app is installed on a phone with a camera

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Steps:

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1. Follow the Standard Connection steps above until you reach the Add your WhatsApp phone number tab. In this step, be sure to select the phone number associated with your WhatsApp Business App.

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1. Verify your account details and click “Next”.
   

Select your business profile and click “Next”.

You should then be prompted to share contact and chat history. Intaker currently does not require this data for the WhatsApp integration to function properly, but you will still need to complete these steps in order to connect. You will need a mobile device with a camera that has the WhatsApp Business App installed and configured with the phone number you plan on using. A QR code will be displayed in the setup window — scan it using the camera feature in the WhatsApp Business App.

In the WhatsApp Business App on your mobile device, click “Continue”.

Click the “Connect to the Business Platform” button to continue.

When prompted to share chat history, you should select “Don’t share chats”, as existing chats are not needed for this integration. Click the “Confirm” button.

Scan the QR code again if asked. The app will then attempt to connect to Intaker.

If the connection succeeds, you should then see Intaker as a Connected Platform.

Back in the Facebook Login window opened from your Intaker Dashboard, select your timezone and click “Next”.

Review the information you will be sharing. If you agree, click the “Confirm” button.

Click the “Finish” button.

Important notes for this path:

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• If you message the lead during an AI agent conversation, the AI agent will automatically stop and hand the conversation over to you. This is to prevent the lead from having two conversations at the same time. Messages you send from the phone app are not currently visible in the Intaker dashboard.
• To disconnect later, open the WhatsApp Business app and go to Settings > Account > Business platform > Disconnect, then remove the account in your Intaker dashboard. The app keeps working with the number after disconnecting.
• Keep the WhatsApp Business app installed on the phone and open it regularly (at least once every 13 days). Uninstalling the app or leaving it unused disconnects the number.

Link the Connected Account to the AI Agent

1. Next to your newly connected account, click the three dots and select "Configure integration". This option appears once the account shows a "Connected" status.
   

Click the "Link AI Agent" button

Your WhatsApp AI Agent should now have a "Linked" status

Your WhatsApp Integration should now have an "Active" status

Test Your Connection

• Using one of your test WhatsApp accounts, send a message to your organization's WhatsApp phone number, as if you were a lead
• If your connection is successful, you should receive a response from the AI Agent

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• Select an AI Agent Nature
  

• Select the AI Agent you would like to link with this account
  

• Click the button under “Agent Connection” to enable the connection

• Test your connection:
  
  • Using one of your test WhatsApp accounts, send a message to your organization’s WhatsApp phone numbers, as if they were a lead
  • If your connection is successful, you should receive a response from the AI Agent
    

Troubleshooting