Moving a number from Coexistence to Cloud API only

Why would a business leave the app?

Usually because nobody answers from the phone any more. Once every conversation is handled by software or by an inbox built on the API, the app adds obligations without adding anything: the primary device still has to be opened regularly, and the number stays on Coexistence's fixed throughput.

Meta documents that numbers in use with both the app and Cloud API have a fixed throughput of 20 messages per second. An API-only number starts at up to 80 messages per second by default and can be upgraded automatically to 1,000 when it meets Meta's conditions. For a number that sends at volume, that difference is the reason to move.

What is the order of steps?

Four steps, and the order matters because the Deregister endpoint refuses a number that is still shared with the app. Each step is done by the business on the phone except the last, which is an API call made by whoever will run the number from now on.

• Back up the chat history in the WhatsApp Business app, as Meta recommends.
• Disconnect in the app: Settings, Account, Business Platform, Disconnect Account.
• Delete the app account: Settings, Account, Delete my account, then wait up to 3 minutes.
• Register the number on Cloud API with a 6-digit two-step verification PIN.

What does the business give up?

The conversations on the phone, and the phone as a way of answering.

Meta states that deleting the WhatsApp Business app account and registering the number on Cloud API loses the existing messaging history. That is the opposite of Coexistence onboarding, where Meta notes the history is preserved and both apps run at the same time.

The number also cannot be used with the WhatsApp Business app again unless it is deregistered from Cloud API first. So this is a deliberate, one-way change of how the business works, and it is worth confirming that nobody on the team still relies on the app before starting.

What stays the same on the API side?

The way software talks to the number. It is still the Cloud API: the same message types, templates, webhooks and pricing apply, because Coexistence was only ever a different onboarding onto the same platform.

What changes is registration. A Coexistence number is registered by the onboarding flow; an API-only number is registered by a register call carrying the two-step verification PIN, and Meta limits those calls to 10 per number in a 72 hour moving window. A failed attempt therefore costs something, so check the PIN before retrying.

Common mistakes

• Deleting the app account before backing up chats. Meta states the history is lost on this route.
• Calling Deregister while the number is still shared with the app. Meta refuses it.
• Retrying registration in a loop. Meta allows 10 register requests per number in 72 hours.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading