Connecting a WhatsApp number

To send and receive WhatsApp messages through OonoBox, you need to connect a WhatsApp number.

OonoBox offers two ways to connect:

• Dedicated number - Create a brand new WhatsApp Business Account number for your business.
• Coexistence - Use a phone number you already have on the WhatsApp app (your personal or existing business number), keeping all your contacts and chat history intact.

Before you start

You need Meta Business Manager access. If you don't have one, create it at business.facebook.com.

A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) is required — this is Meta's container for your WhatsApp numbers and permissions. OonoBox connects to your WABA to manage messaging.

Connecting a dedicated number

This creates a brand new WhatsApp Business number that only OonoBox uses. Your phone remains unchanged.

1. Open OonoBox → Settings → Numbers.
2. Click Connect a number.
3. Choose Get a new number.
4. Sign in with your Meta Business account when prompted.
5. Meta's embedded popup will walk you through WABA selection and phone number provisioning.
6. Once complete, OonoBox displays your new number and shows a success confirmation.

The number is immediately ready to receive and send messages.

Coexistence mode (keep your existing number)

If you already use WhatsApp on your phone or a business app and want to keep using it there while also managing it through OonoBox, Coexistence lets you do both.

With Coexistence:

• Messages sent and received via OonoBox appear in your normal WhatsApp chats.
• Your contacts and conversation history stay intact.
• Chats are unified — replies from your phone and OonoBox are in the same thread.
• One admin sets it up; the whole team can manage it via OonoBox.

Setting up Coexistence

1. Open OonoBox → Settings → Numbers.
2. Click Connect a number.
3. Choose Keep your existing WhatsApp account.
4. Sign in with Meta Business account access to your existing WABA.
5. Select your phone number from the list.
6. Confirm the changes (a brief banner explains what's changing on your phone).
7. Complete the Meta sign-in.

Once linked, that number is now managed by OonoBox. Messages and contacts sync in real-time.

What changes on your phone

When you activate Coexistence:

• WhatsApp chats become read-only on your phone (to prevent accidental duplicates).
• You manage conversations through OonoBox instead.
• The message history remains, but the app shows it's now linked to a business platform.

To reverse Coexistence and use only your phone again, disconnect the number in OonoBox settings — your chat history is not deleted.

Managing your numbers

Once connected:

• Number settings — View connection status, quality rating and messaging limit, and when the number was linked.
• Filter by line — When you have more than one number connected, filter the inbox by number to focus on one line at a time.
• Multiple numbers — On paid plans, connect up to 5 numbers (Growth plan) or unlimited (Pro plan).

Troubleshooting

"Phone number is already in use" — The number is linked to another Meta app or workspace. Disconnect it from there first, then retry.

"WABA not found" — Verify you have access to the WABA in Meta Business Manager. Admin access may be required.

"Coexistence not available" — This feature must be enabled on your workspace by OonoBox. Contact support to enable it.

Number shows offline — Check that OonoBox's webhook is reachable from Meta's servers. If recently connected, wait a few minutes for sync to complete.