WhatsApp integration, if already using the API | Community
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We’re looking forward to implementing WhatsApp for Intercom, considering the documentation on integrating the WhatsApp App with Intercom we have some concerns, we hope people who have already done this integration may be able to answer.

We’re currently using the WhatsApp API for custom marketing messaging and authentication, it simple, it only redirect the user to our App, however we would like a way to see if the user reply, and if so, for our customer service team to continue the conversation, note that there’s no third party manager of the account, we call the API ourselves, the WABA is hosted on Meta directly, we hope that can be achieved through this integration, so in concrete these are our concerns:

  • If we integrate WhatsApp, we’ll lose access to manually call the WhatsApp API for authentication OTP and marketing messages?
  • Can the API still create new conversations with new users?
  • Can the integration at Intercom see those message, so the Customer Support team see the entire conversation history?
  • Since no third party is holding our WABA, there’s no migration, nor new creation process involved, what to do here?

Hey @andynadal 👋 Eden from the support engineer team here.

 

Something to keep in mind is that it's not possible to use the WhatsApp mobile app or the WhatsApp Business mobile app with the same phone number that you use with the WhatsApp Intercom integration. This means that once you connect the number to Intercom you will not be able to use it for outside connections. That being said, it is likely here that you will not be able to utilize those outside WhatsApp connections. 

 

There is currently no way to start a new WhatsApp conversation via the REST API. You can reply to WhatsApp conversations via the REST API 'Reply to a conversation' endpoint here but you can't initiate a WhatsApp conversation from the REST API. Once a conversation has been started in your Inbox via the WhatsApp integration, your team will be able to view all of the replies to the conversation within the UI. 

 

In order to migrate your existing WhatsApp phone number, you can follow the instructions in that article here! As a note, before migrating you must ensure that 2FA is disabled. Let me know if you have questions on that. 👍

Hi @Eden ! I just came across this thread trying to figure out how to start a new WhatsApp conversation via the REST API. I couldn't find a way to do it, and it looks like it wasn't possible at the time of your last reply (10 months ago).
Are there any updates on this? Is it possible to do it now?
Thanks!

​@Matias Brignone It’s Mat from the Support Engineering Team 😀

It is not possible to send initial WhatsApp messages via Rest API, you can only reply to existing conversations via Intercom API.

 

​@mateusz.leszkiewicz Is there any plan in the roadmap to add this feature in the REST API? The fact that you can only either integrate with Intercom or use the Whatsapp API is quite limiting if there is no option to send templates through the Intecom API…
Thanks.

​@Dribo 
As far as I know there is no plans to implement this at the moment.

If you’re already using the WhatsApp Business API, then integration becomes much easier — you don’t need extra plugins or unofficial tools. The API itself gives you all the building blocks to connect WhatsApp directly with your system.

What you can do with it:

  • Send & receive messages in real time via webhooks.
  • Use interactive templates (lists, buttons, quick replies) for better engagement.
  • Automate responses, notifications, and reminders.
  • Connect directly to your CRM, SaaS platform, or databases.
  • Run bulk messaging campaigns (as long as you use approved templates).

How to integrate:

  1. Set up your webhook → so your system receives customer messages.
  2. Call the API endpoints from your backend → for sending messages or notifications.
  3. Map customer actions to workflows → e.g., new signup → send WhatsApp confirmation → log details into CRM/Excel.
  4. Keep it running 24/7 → deploy on a server or cloud function so messages are never missed.
 

✅ If you want to skip the heavy lifting and use a ready-made platform on top of the API (with features like chatbots, bulk messaging, and analytics), you can check out Botsense – whatsapp business api chatbot Automation Tool. It’s built on the official API and makes integration much faster.

 

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