Coexistence reference
Coexistence runs the WhatsApp Business app and the Cloud API on one number at the same time. This page is the reference: what it is, how messages travel, what it cannot do, and how to undo it. The argument for it lives on the guide.
- The short answers, not the argument
- Limits and eligibility stated plainly
- Every claim links to its detail
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Free text window after a customer message.
Primary device inactivity before Meta disconnects.
Group chats reachable through the API on a Coexistence number.
What it is
Meta's official mode for running the WhatsApp Business app and the Cloud API on one phone number simultaneously. Not a separate API: the same Cloud API, onboarded so the app keeps working on the number afterwards.
Why teams use it
Four reasons account for nearly every connection.
- Keep the number already printed on vehicles, receipts and a website.
- Add API sending, webhooks and templates without moving anyone to a new tool.
- Keep conversations out of a provider's shared inbox.
- Let an agency hold many client numbers, each in the client's own portfolio.
How communication works
Both surfaces see the same thread. What the API sends appears in the app. What the team types in the app reaches software as an smb_message_echoes event, which is what stops automation replying over a human.
Pricing behaviour
Meta prices conversations rather than messages, and bills them to the payment method on your own WhatsApp Business Account. Replies inside the 24 hour customer service window are free. Opening a conversation outside it requires a template and is charged.
Linked devices
Coexistence is not a linked device and does not use one. A linked device is the consumer client signed in elsewhere, which is what unofficial tools automate and what WhatsApp's terms prohibit. Nothing here uses that mechanism.
Functional limitations
Fixed by Meta, identical on every provider.
- Group chats are not available through the API.
- Templates cannot be sent from the phone app, only through the API.
- Sending throughput is fixed rather than scaling with quality and tier.
- Chat history sharing is decided once, during onboarding.
Eligibility
The number has to satisfy all of these before it can connect.
- Already active in the WhatsApp Business app, not the consumer app.
- In a Business Portfolio you can access.
- Not already connected to another provider's app.
Operational notes
Things that are true after connecting and are easy to walk past.
- The app must be opened periodically or Meta disconnects the API side.
- A disconnection uninstalls the webhook override along with the app.
- Quality rating is polled, not pushed, so nothing announces a drop.
- A revoked token looks identical to a removed number without a second credential.
Account selection caveat
During Embedded Signup the Business Portfolio and the WhatsApp Business Account are chosen as separate steps. Picking the wrong account attaches the number somewhere you did not intend, and moving it afterwards means disconnecting and running the whole flow again.
One-way decisions
Sharing existing chat history is asked once and cannot be revisited. The synchronization must also start within 24 hours of onboarding and can only run once. Both produce unfamiliar errors rather than warnings when missed.
Disconnecting or rolling back
A number can be disconnected at any time, from the dashboard or through the connector. The WhatsApp Business app carries on exactly as before, with its conversations and history intact, and nothing about the number itself is permanently altered by having been connected.
Common mistakes
- Treating Coexistence as a different API. It is the Cloud API with a different onboarding.
- Building around group chats. They are excluded on every provider.
- Assuming a reconnection restores the webhook destination. It does not.
EasyCoexistence connects a number through Meta's own flow and then watches the connection, including reapplying the webhook override after a reconnection. US$ 9 per number per month, first 7 days free.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as the Cloud API?
Yes. Coexistence is a way of onboarding onto the Cloud API that leaves the WhatsApp Business app working on the number.
Can I undo it?
Yes. Disconnecting leaves the app and its conversations exactly as they were.
Does my team need training?
No. They keep using the WhatsApp Business app as they do now.
Why can the app not send templates?
Templates are a platform feature rather than an app feature. Anything outside the 24 hour window goes through the API.
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