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Connect WhatsApp
TopEdge sends and receives on the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API). This page covers the connection, the webhook that makes the inbox work, and what to do when the channel drops.
Short answer
Connect from Settings → WhatsApp using Meta's embedded signup. It creates the access token and subscribes TopEdge to your messages for you. Send yourself a test message afterwards to confirm replies reach the inbox.
Before you start
- A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) in Meta Business Manager, and admin rights on it.
- A phone number that can receive an SMS or call to verify, and that is not actively registered in the WhatsApp Business app.
- A verified business on Meta if you want to raise your messaging limits beyond the starting tier.
Connect with embedded signup (recommended)#
Embedded signup runs Meta’s own flow inside the dashboard, so you never handle a token yourself. In one pass it:
- Creates or selects your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA).
- Registers the phone number.
- Subscribes TopEdge to the account.
- Stores a long-lived access token.
About 15 minutes
Open WhatsApp connections
Settings → WhatsApp → Connect.
Sign in to Meta
Use the Facebook account that administers your business. A personal account with no Business Manager access cannot finish this.
Pick or create the WhatsApp Business Account
Choose the WABA that owns the number you want to send from. A second WABA for the same business is a common reason templates later seem to go missing.
Add and verify the phone number
Enter the number, choose SMS or voice, and type the code. Verified numbers show green in Meta.
Finish and return to TopEdge
The card should read Connected, with the phone number and WhatsApp Business Account it uses.
Send yourself a test
Message your business number from a personal phone. The thread should appear in Live Chat within seconds.
Embedded signup subscribes TopEdge to your messages, so there is no webhook to set up.
Manual credentials (advanced)#
Manual credentials are hidden in the dashboard and only needed when embedded signup cannot finish, for example on an agency-managed WABA.
Contact TopEdge support to switch it on. You will need four values from the Meta developer console: the Phone Number ID, the WABA ID, an access token and your Meta App ID.
- Phone Number ID
- Identifies the specific number messages send from. Not the phone number itself — a numeric ID from Meta.
- WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID)
- The account that owns your numbers and templates. Templates are scoped to this, which is why connecting the wrong WABA makes your template library look empty.
- Access token
- Authorises TopEdge to call Meta on your behalf. Use a System User token in production.
- Webhook verify token
- A shared secret Meta echoes back when it first calls your webhook URL, proving the endpoint is yours.
Check it worked
- The WhatsApp card reads Connected with the right phone number.
- No amber "WhatsApp disconnected" bar at the top of the dashboard.
- A test message from a personal phone lands in Live Chat.
- Meta Manager lists your templates — an empty library usually means the wrong WABA.
If something goes wrong#
Amber "WhatsApp disconnected" bar across every page
- Open Settings → WhatsApp and reconnect. If you are on manual credentials, paste a fresh permanent System User token.
- A token that stopped working overnight was almost certainly a 24-hour test token.
- Confirm the number has not been disconnected or migrated inside Meta Business Manager.
- Reconnect, then send a test message to confirm inbound still arrives.
Connection succeeds but the inbox stays empty
- Reconnect from Settings → WhatsApp so embedded signup re-subscribes TopEdge to your messages. Sending works without it, receiving does not.
- Message from a personal phone. A business number cannot message itself.
- Confirm a flow is Published in Flow Builder, otherwise inbound messages arrive with no automated reply.
Embedded signup says the phone number is already in use
- The number is registered in the WhatsApp Business app. Either delete that account or enable coexistence on your WABA.
- Check for a second Cloud API app already claiming the number in Meta Business Manager.
- As a last resort, verify a different number and keep the old one for manual chats.
Template library is empty after connecting
- You are almost certainly connected to a different WhatsApp Business Account than the one holding your templates.
- Check which WABA the connection names, and compare it with the account in Meta Business Manager.
- Reconnect against the correct WABA, then use Sync from Meta in Meta Manager.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is my WhatsApp inbox empty even though the channel is connected?
- Connection and the message subscription are separate. TopEdge can send as soon as the token is valid, but replies only arrive once TopEdge is subscribed to your messages. Embedded signup does this for you; if the inbox stays empty, reconnect from Settings → WhatsApp.
- What kind of WhatsApp access token should I use?
- A System User token with the whatsapp_business_messaging permission. The token offered on the Meta developer dashboard is a temporary test token that expires in roughly 24 hours, which makes the channel appear to break by itself the next day.
- Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number?
- Only if coexistence is enabled on your WhatsApp Business Account. Otherwise a number can be registered either on the Cloud API or in the WhatsApp Business app, not both, and embedded signup will report that the number is already in use.