How to connect your Boti bot to a WhatsApp number

Requirements

You'll need a fresh phone number that doesn't have WhatsApp installed. Your bot will operate on this number, automatically responding to people and initiating conversations based on your instructions.

Important: This must be a dedicated number for your bot. You'll need to verify it by receiving an SMS or phone call. If WhatsApp is currently installed on this number, you must delete your WhatsApp account first (not just uninstall the app).

Once connected, you won't be able to use regular WhatsApp on this number. However, you'll have full visibility into all conversations through the Boti interface - similar to WhatsApp. You can view all chats, intervene when needed, and easily switch between bot mode and manual mode.

For beta users: If you don't have a spare number, contact us and we can provide one.

Critical: Follow these steps exactly. Facebook carefully reviews all information to prevent impersonation and spam on WhatsApp. Not following these instructions may result in your number being rejected.

Step 1: Begin the Setup Process

First, visit this link to get started: WhatsApp onboarding

Click on start with Facebook

Facebook explanation window

Click Continue. Click on Continue

Step 2: Choose Your Business Portfolio

Now you'll choose your business name.

If you have an existing Business Portfolio on Facebook, select it. Otherwise, create a new one.

Choose business portfolio

Important: Your Business Portfolio must be under the name of a legitimate business, organization, association, or individual.

✅ Acceptable names:

Danny Gambum (individual)
Coca-Cola Ltd. (registered company)
Magen David Adom (registered organization)

❌ Not acceptable:

Pango App (product name)
Lead Generation (service name)
Car Price Comparison (generic service)

You'll need to verify your identity or organization later, so this must be a registered person or business.

Step 3: Enter Business Information

Fill in the following details carefully:

Enter business information

Name: Your full name or the name of the registered institution you're creating the bot for
Email: Preferably a business email (not a free service like Gmail), though Gmail can work.
Category: Select the most appropriate category for your business
Website: Enter your website URL. This is crucial. If you don't have a website, reach out to us for help.
Business Description: Briefly describe your business in a few words

When finished, click Next at the bottom.

Step 4: Enter Your Phone Number

Now you'll add the phone number that will be used for the bot.

Enter your number

Critical requirements:

This must be a number without WhatsApp installed
If WhatsApp was previously installed, you must delete the account (not just uninstall the app). Go to WhatsApp Settings → Account → Delete Account
You can only attempt verification twice, so make sure you can receive SMS or phone calls before trying
The number can be from any country

Important: Select the correct country code from the dropdown, then enter the phone number without the country code.

Step 5: Verify Your Number

You'll receive a verification code via SMS or phone call.

Verify your number

Enter the code to verify your number.

Step 6: Complete Setup

After verification, click Confirm one more time.

That's it! Your number is now connected and your bot is ready to use.

What's Next?

Now that your bot is connected to WhatsApp, you can:

Enhance bot guidelines - Make your bot more helpful and accurate
Collect data from users with Google Sheets - Automatically save customer responses to spreadsheets
Let users query your Google Sheets - Turn your spreadsheets into searchable knowledge bases
Share WhatsApp channels with your team - Provide team members with access to bot conversations