WABA in Coexistence (CoEx) mode

WABA in Coexistence (CoEx) mode: connect your number to the WhatsApp Business API and keep using the WhatsApp Business app on your phone. Step-by-step setup, limitations, pricing and rules.

Normally, when a number is connected to the WhatsApp Business API, it leaves your phone: the WhatsApp Business app stops working on it. Coexistence (CoEx) is a mode where the number works in both places at once: your managers keep chatting from the phone, while you get the API — template broadcasts, chats in RadistWeb and integration with Kommo.com (amoCRM) and Bitrix24.

«Coexistence» and «CoEx» are the same thing. In the 360Dialog and Meta interface the mode is called Coexistence.

Who Coexistence is for

You already work in the WhatsApp Business app and do not want to lose the number, the chat history or your customers.
You need template broadcasts and chats in your CRM, but part of the team will keep writing from the phone.
You are ready to keep the app on the phone and open it at least once every 13 days.

The account must be active. Meta decides whether a number is eligible for Coexistence: it looks at how long the account has existed and at your messaging quality. A WhatsApp Business account that was just created most likely will not qualify — the mode is meant for businesses that already use the app actively.

What to prepare in advance

Set the profile picture before you connect. After onboarding the picture cannot be changed — neither in the app nor via the API. Check the name, description and the rest of the profile at the same time.

The latest version of the WhatsApp Business app on a smartphone with a camera — you will need to scan a QR code during setup.
The number is already registered in the WhatsApp Business app. The mode only works in this direction: from the app to the platform. A number that is already connected to the WhatsApp Business API cannot be switched to CoEx.
A Facebook account — you confirm the connection with it.
A Meta business portfolio with the business info section filled in: legal name, address, website and the business phone number.

The business portfolio is chosen once. It cannot be changed after the number is registered, so pick the portfolio of the company that will message customers. Do not add people from outside the company to the portfolio — this can get it blocked.

How to connect a number in CoEx mode

The setup starts the same way as a regular one — from your RadistWeb account, see «Connecting to WABA». Below are the steps that are different: you go through them in the 360Dialog and Meta windows.

Say that the number is already used in the app

When asked about the number (Is this number already on WhatsApp?), choose Yes, Business app — the number is used in the WhatsApp Business app on a phone.

Choosing Yes, Business app in the 360Dialog onboarding window — The number already works in the WhatsApp Business app

Choose to sign in with Facebook

When asked Do you have a Facebook account?, choose Yes, I have a Facebook account.

Choosing how to sign in: with or without a Facebook account — Signing in with a Facebook account

Open the Meta window

Click Open Meta Signup — the signup opens in a pop-up window.

The window did not open — check whether pop-ups are blocked in your browser.

Next, click Continue with Facebook and sign in with the account you are connecting the number under.

The Meta login window with Continue with Facebook and Continue with WhatsApp Business — Logging into business tools from Meta

Choose «Connect a WhatsApp Business App»

In the Select the business assets to share with 360dialog window pick your business portfolio, and in the WhatsApp Business account list choose Connect a WhatsApp Business App.

Choosing Connect a WhatsApp Business App in the accounts list — Connecting the WhatsApp Business app

This is exactly what turns Coexistence on. If you choose Create a WhatsApp Business account, a regular WABA number is connected and it stops working in the app on the phone.

Enter the phone number

Enter the same number that works in the WhatsApp Business app and click Next.

Entering the phone number to connect to the platform — The number that works in the app

Scan the QR code

A QR code and an access code appear on the computer screen.

The QR code and access code for connecting the WhatsApp Business app — The QR code that links the app to the platform

Take your phone: a message from Facebook Business — «Connect to Business Platform» — arrives in WhatsApp Business. Tap Scan QR code in it and scan the code from the screen (or enter the access code manually).

The Connect to Business Platform message in the WhatsApp Business app — The message from Facebook Business in the app

No message — open Settings → Account → Business platform in the app.

Decide whether to share the chat history

The Connect to the Business Platform screen opens on the phone. Tap Scan QR code and choose:

Share chats — transfer the chat history from the phone;
Don’t share chats — do not transfer it.

The Connect to the Business Platform screen in the WhatsApp Business app — Connecting to the platform from the phone

Choosing Share chats or Don’t share chats during onboarding — Sharing the chat history

This decision is made once and cannot be changed later. Only the last 6 months of history and only individual (1:1) chats are transferred — group chats are not.

Finish the setup

Check the WhatsApp Business account name and the time zone, click Next and go through the remaining steps.

Confirming the WhatsApp Business account name and time zone — Confirming the account details

Onboarding and history sync take a few minutes, depending on the size of the history and the internet speed. If it takes longer than 5 minutes, contact support.

What changes in the app on the phone

Feature	How it works after onboarding
Broadcast lists	Disabled: new ones cannot be created, existing ones become read-only
Disappearing messages, View Once, live location	Disabled in individual chats
Linked devices	All of them are unlinked during onboarding. You can link supported ones again afterwards — WhatsApp for Windows and for WearOS are not supported
Group chats, channels, catalog, status, labels, quick replies, greeting messages	Work as before, but do not reach the CRM
Calls	Work in the app as before

What reaches the CRM and what does not

It does reach the CRM:

individual chats — both incoming messages and the ones you send from the phone;
messages sent from RadistWeb, Kommo.com (amoCRM) and Bitrix24 also appear in the app on the phone.

It does not reach the CRM:

group chats, channels and communities;
calls;
messages sent from companion devices that are not supported — for example, WhatsApp for Windows.

Pricing

Messages sent from the app on the phone are free.
Messages sent via the API (from RadistWeb, Kommo.com, Bitrix24) are charged under the usual WABA rules: to message a customer first you need a template; within 24 hours after the customer’s message you can write freely. See «Changes to the WABA payment model».
The subscription fee for the number is charged as usual.

How to keep the number connected

Open the WhatsApp Business app at least once every 13 days. Otherwise the account stops counting as active, the link with the API breaks and the number has to be connected again.

Do not uninstall the app — uninstalling disconnects the number from the platform.

What CoEx does not give you

The green checkmark (Official Business Account, OBA) is not available for CoEx numbers. You can subscribe to Meta Verified for Business, but the blue badge does not carry over from the app to the platform.
Changing the profile picture after onboarding.
Automatic display name review — to start it you need to apply for Meta Verified.
Migration between WABA accounts — the usual migration guides do not work for CoEx numbers.
Calls via the API (Calling API).

How to turn Coexistence off

On the phone open Settings → Account → Business platform and tap Disconnect.

Contact support before disconnecting — we will help you keep the chat history and explain what will change. If you simply want to stop sending messages via the API, there is no need to disconnect the number.

To remove the number from the subscription completely, follow «How to remove a number from a subscription in 360Dialog».

Frequently asked questions

The number is already connected to WABA. Can it be switched to CoEx?

No. The mode only works one way — from the WhatsApp Business app to the platform. If the number is already connected to the WhatsApp Business API, Coexistence onboarding will not work.

I did not share the chat history during onboarding. Can I do it later?

No. The decision is made once, during onboarding, and cannot be changed. The old history stays on the phone but will not appear in RadistWeb or the CRM.

How many CoEx numbers can be used in one business portfolio?

There is no stated limit — several numbers can be activated in Coexistence mode under one Meta business portfolio.

Will the number get the green checkmark?

No, the Official Business Account status (green checkmark) is not available for CoEx numbers.

What happens if the app is not opened for more than 13 days?

The account stops counting as active and the link between the app and the API breaks. This is not a ban: the number simply has to be connected again.