You can connect the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app to Customerly, without giving up the app. This is called WhatsApp Coexistence: Customerly and the WhatsApp Business app work side by side on the same number.
What changes with Coexistence
Before, connecting WhatsApp to Customerly required a dedicated number. If you were already using that number in the WhatsApp Business app, you had to disconnect it from the app and use it only through Customerly.
Now you don’t have to choose:
Keep using the WhatsApp Business app on your phone
Receive and manage the same messages in Customerly’s Inbox
No need to buy or set up a new number
This makes it easier to get started, especially for small businesses that already work from the app and want to add a shared Inbox, automation and AI without changing how they work today.
Before you start
You use the WhatsApp Business app (not the personal WhatsApp app) on this number
Your Meta Business Account is verified
You have your phone with the WhatsApp Business app at hand
How to connect
Start the connection. From your Customerly dashboard, begin the WhatsApp connection and log into your Meta account.
Choose your existing WhatsApp Business app number. Select your Meta Business Account and the number you use in the app.
Confirm on your phone. Follow Meta’s prompts in the WhatsApp Business app to authorize the connection.
Start messaging. Your number appears in Customerly’s Inbox, and the app keeps working as before.
Using Customerly and the app together
Once connected, you can reply from either place. You also get everything Customerly adds on top of WhatsApp: a shared team Inbox, Aura AI replies, automation, and WhatsApp alongside live chat and email in one conversation view.
Is your number connected to another provider?
If your WhatsApp number is currently managed by another provider (such as Intercom, Twilio, MessageBird or 360Dialog), Coexistence isn’t the right path. You can move it to Customerly with Meta’s official migration process instead. See our guide: Migrate your WhatsApp Business number from another provider to Customerly.
Common questions
Do I need a new phone number?
No. You can connect the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app after connecting?
Yes. Customerly and the app work on the same number at the same time.
Does this work with the personal WhatsApp app?
No. Coexistence is for numbers used in the WhatsApp Business app.
What if my number is already connected to another provider?
Use the migration guide linked above.