Official vs unofficial WhatsApp API: what changes
The official WhatsApp API is the Cloud API, run by Meta: a number is registered in a WhatsApp Business account and sends through Meta's servers. An unofficial API drives a WhatsApp Web session, linked by QR code, without Meta's agreement. The first has rules and fees; the second has neither, and WhatsApp can ban the number.
Side by side
| Official (Cloud API) | Unofficial (QR code session) | |
|---|---|---|
| How a number connects | Registered in a WhatsApp Business account, through Meta's signup | A phone scans a QR code, like WhatsApp Web |
| Allowed by WhatsApp | Yes: it is Meta's own product | No: automating a session breaks WhatsApp's terms |
| Risk for the number | Quality rating and limits, announced by Meta | Ban without notice |
| Writing first | An approved template | Any text |
| Meta's fees | Per message, by category and country | None |
| Depends on a phone staying online | No | Yes |
| Groups, statuses | Not part of the Cloud API as Nodium serves it | Usually available |
Which one for a product
- A product your customers rely on needs a number that cannot disappear overnight: the official API.
- Your customers' own numbers are their business line: putting them on an unofficial session puts them at risk, and the risk is theirs.
- The official API's constraints (templates, the 24-hour window, Meta's fees) are the price of that guarantee.
Where Nodium stands
Nodium uses Meta's official Cloud API only. It offers no QR code connection, no groups and no statuses: it will not put a customer's number at risk.
Frequently asked questions
Is an unofficial WhatsApp API illegal?
It is not a matter of law but of contract: it breaks WhatsApp's terms of service, and WhatsApp enforces them by banning numbers.
Can I move from an unofficial API to the official one?
Yes. The number is registered in a WhatsApp Business account through Meta's signup; with coexistence, the WhatsApp Business app can stay on the phone.