Why is there still no way to send a outbound message trough whatsapp? | Community
Skip to main content

Why is there still no way to send a outbound message trough whatsapp?

  • Jul 26, 2023 1:43 PM UTC
  • 6 replies
  • 898 views

Hello guys,

I read a little bit trough the community and the weird thing is how many cases their are about outbounding messages in whatsapp.

 

And i think i speak for a lot of people here and thats just a shame for such a good developed platform not be able to send a whatsapp message to the customer. And even if i wanted to start a conversation from the dashboard i could not even send a message like: Hey “Customer name”, Because variables are not supported……. And don’t let me start about that whatsapp is a PAID add-On.

 

And then i tought maybe it’s just the UI that does not support it. And i looked at the developpers page to send a message trough API.  And it’s not available even their, how much work would it be just to add a option to send it trough whatsapp programatically WITH variables.
You already have the API?
You could already send a outbound Whatsapp message trough the dashboard?

 

And now i am just stuck, because i cannot connect two partners to my whatsapp account. I cannot recieve messages trough intercom and send them trough something else….. (Not that, that would be the easiest thing)

 

A platform thats far less developed has even these basic features build in.
I would say if your whatsapp add-On is nearly fully completed, i am sorry, not even completed for 50% then don’t ask any money for it.

 

Any one any idea how i could initiate messages to my leads or customer??

      6 replies

      Philipp Hofmann

      Sorry, but I need to agree 100% here @Intercom. Not supporting variables in Message Templates is such a big blocker and really makes this integration close to not useable for many support cases. Every single 20 bucks a month support software can handle that, WhatsApp supports it, there is just no reason why Intercom does not. 

      Can you please any insight with us, why maybe the decision fell against integrating this or what is really the problem? Cheers Philipp

      It’s terrible bad that this doesn’t work, I have been waiting for so long for it and I asked them whther it works and they said it does. Once I get paid account, I can’t seem to send wa msgs, they got issue with templates, idk it’s not my call, don’t promise somthing you can’t stick to.

       

      Forum|alt.badge.img+1
      • Gabekressel
      • Active User
      • Feb 17, 2025 11:11 AM UTC

      Intercom’s WhatsApp integration mainly supports inbound messaging due to WhatsApp’s API restrictions. Outbound messages require user consent and must follow WhatsApp's business rules. One option is using WhatsApp template messages for pre-approved outbound communication. 

      have any of your found a work around for this ? perhaps over outbound messages ? I just want to somehow send a message to a selected person.

      Nur Nahid
      Expert User ✨
      Forum|alt.badge.img+6
      • Nur Nahid
      • Expert User ✨
      • Sep 17, 2025 5:58 AM UTC

      I hear your frustration, WhatsApp in Intercom does feel limited compared to what a lot of people expect. At the moment, you can only reply to inbound WhatsApp messages in Intercom, not send proactive outbound ones with variables. That’s a restriction partly from WhatsApp’s own rules, not just Intercom.

      If outbound messaging is critical, one workaround some teams use is connecting through third-party tools that specialize in WhatsApp outreach, and then syncing those conversations into Intercom. It’s not perfect, but it fills the gap.

      I agree though, having more flexibility natively in Intercom (especially with variables and programmatic sends) would make the add-on much more valuable.

      Turn website visitors into leads with our Intercom Lead gen plugin → https://www.79mplus.com/intercom-live-chat-and-lead-generation/
      Tarek Khalil
      Forum|alt.badge.img+1
      • Tarek Khalil
      • Active User
      • Oct 12, 2026 10:40 AM UTC

      Hey ​@Tristan Jurjens ,

      Old thread, so I'm writing this for whoever lands here later. A lot of what you ran into has changed since 2023:

      • Outbound: Intercom can now send WhatsApp templates from Outbound and Series. Recipients need to have opted in, marketing templates to US numbers are blocked as far as I know.

      On "two partners on one number": this part has changed the most, just not inside Intercom's native integration. Meta now supports two setups that cover what you described:

      • Coexistence: one number runs on the WhatsApp Business app and the API at the same time. Your team keeps using the phone app, and conversations also come into Intercom.
      • Multi-Solution conversations (MSC): more than one partner connected to the same number. For example, you receive and reply in Intercom while another tool handles outreach.

      Intercom's native WhatsApp integration still needs the number to itself. Their own article says you can't use the Business app and the Intercom integration on the same number. To get either setup, you need a provider that supports it. Full disclosure: I'm a co-founder of Octopods, and we support both with Intercom, which is why I follow threads like this one. You can search for Octopods in the Intercom app store (search "WhatsApp Business") or google octopods.

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement