WhatsApp coexistence: the API and the Business app on one number
Coexistence lets a business connect its number to the WhatsApp Cloud API and keep using the WhatsApp Business app on its phone, on the same number. With Nodium, what is written from the phone reaches your code too, as webhook events.
What your code receives
| Event | When |
|---|---|
message.received | A customer writes: as on any number. |
message.echoed | The person holding the phone wrote to a contact from the app. |
message.edited | A message was edited from the phone. |
message.revoked | A message was deleted for everyone from the phone. |
What to know before you rely on it
- Messages written from the phone are stored as outbound, in the same conversation.
originisphoneon them: use it to tell a person's message from one your code sent. - They do not reopen the 24-hour window: only a message from the customer does.
- When the number is connected, Meta can hand over the conversations already on the phone. Nodium imports them (
imported: true) and sends no webhook for them: list the conversations instead. GET /channels?scope=accounttells which numbers run in coexistence.
How a number is connected in coexistence
The connect link asks which app the number is on. A number on the WhatsApp Business app is connected in coexistence; a number on regular WhatsApp is refused by Meta, and the page explains how to move it to WhatsApp Business first.
Frequently asked questions
Can my customer keep answering from their phone?
Yes. With coexistence the WhatsApp Business app keeps working on the number, and each message written there reaches your webhook as message.echoed.
Does coexistence cost more?
No. A number in coexistence counts as one connected number, like any other.