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WhatsApp AI setup

How to connect WhatsApp to AI for your business number

To connect WhatsApp to AI, you link your business number to an AI chatbot that answers customers from your own content. MagizAI does it through Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API: create an app at Meta, paste three values, set the webhook and send a test message. No QR code to scan, no personal WhatsApp app to link.

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Meta's screens are the slow part, and our team does them with you and trains the chatbot at no cost. Need a hand? How free setup works

What to know before you connect

  • The official API, nothing else

    MagizAI connects to WhatsApp through Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API only. There is no QR-code linking and no unofficial connection of a personal WhatsApp app.

  • One number per workspace

    Each workspace connects one WhatsApp number, registered on the Cloud API, and you choose which chatbot answers its messages.

  • Answers from your own content

    The chatbot uses the same pages, files and questions and answers you trained it on for your website. When your content does not cover a question, it says so and offers to pass the customer to your team.

  • Plain text both ways

    WhatsApp messages are plain text: the chatbot sends links, not pictures, buttons or cards. A picture or voice note a customer sends is not read.

  • Meta's 24-hour window

    Replies are allowed within 24 hours of the customer's last message. After that, only a message built on a template Meta has approved can be sent.

  • Your team answers from the inbox

    WhatsApp chats sit in the inbox next to website chats. A team member can take one over and reply from there, and the AI stops when a person writes.

How to connect AI to WhatsApp in four steps

  1. 01

    Prepare your app at Meta

    In Meta's App Dashboard, create an app with the WhatsApp use case and select or create your business portfolio. Add your business number under API Setup and copy the phone number ID, then create a permanent access token and copy the App Secret from Settings, Basic.

  2. 02

    Paste the values into MagizAI

    Open Connectors, then Channels, and in the WhatsApp panel paste the phone number ID, the access token and the App Secret. If you have more than one chatbot, choose which one answers, then press Connect WhatsApp. The secret values are stored encrypted.

  3. 03

    Point Meta's webhook at MagizAI

    After you save, MagizAI shows a callback URL and a verify token. Paste both into your Meta app under WhatsApp, Configuration, then subscribe to the messages field.

  4. 04

    Test with a real message

    Press Test connection: MagizAI asks Meta whether your token and number check out, and sends nothing. Then message your number from another phone. The chatbot replies and the chat appears in your inbox.

Read the setup guide

Questions people ask

How do I connect WhatsApp to an AI chatbot?

You link your business number to a chatbot through Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API: an app at Meta, three values pasted into MagizAI, then the webhook and a test. You write no code. Every step is copy and paste between Meta's screens and your MagizAI dashboard.

Can I connect by scanning a QR code or with my personal WhatsApp?

No. MagizAI connects through the official WhatsApp Cloud API only, and the number has to be registered on it. We offer no QR-code linking and no unofficial way to connect a personal WhatsApp app.

Where do I find the phone number ID and access token in Meta?

The API Setup section of your Meta app shows the phone number ID and generates a temporary access token, which Meta says expires quickly. So create a permanent token from System users in Business Settings. This is what Meta's get-started guide said when we checked it on 10 October 2026.

Is connecting WhatsApp to AI free?

There is no free plan. MagizAI plans start at $10 a month and include the WhatsApp channel, and the AI's replies on WhatsApp count toward your plan's monthly AI messages unless you use your own AI key. WhatsApp messages themselves are billed to your business by Meta at its own rates, and MagizAI adds no per-message fee.

Does the chatbot answer pictures and voice notes?

No. The connection is text both ways: the chatbot reads text messages and replies with text and links, without pictures, buttons or cards. A picture, voice note or file a customer sends does not reach your inbox.

Can the chatbot message a customer after 24 hours?

Meta allows free-form replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message. After that, only a message using a template Meta has already approved is delivered. This is WhatsApp's rule and it applies to every provider.

Does Meta allow AI chatbots to answer customers on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy, last updated 23 September 2026 and read by us on 10 October 2026, says a business may use automation when replying inside the 24-hour window if customers have a prompt, clear and direct way to reach a person, such as a human agent in the chat, a phone number or an email. Meta's platform terms bar offering a general AI assistant as the main service on WhatsApp, which is a different case from a business answering its own customers about its own services. Meta decides how its rules apply, and this is not legal advice.

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Connect your WhatsApp number to AI today

Four steps between Meta and MagizAI. If you prefer, our team does them with you at no cost.

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