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Connect or buy your WhatsApp line: the 5 ways, step by step

Updated 2026-08-27

There isn't one single button: how you connect depends on where your number lives today. There are 5 ways. First find your case in the list below, then jump to that section and follow its steps in order — each one tells you exactly what to click and what you'll see.

Which is your case?

  • My number already sends through the WhatsApp API, inside my Business Manager (it came from another provider, or you set it up yourself) → Way 1.
  • I use this number in the WhatsApp Business app on a phone and want to keep using it there too (coexistence) → Way 2.
  • It's a brand-new number that never had WhatsApp → Way 3.
  • I don't have a number: I'll buy one in MB Suite and use it on my phone too → Way 4.
  • I don't have a number: I'll buy one in MB Suite and use it only from the CRM → Way 5.
Ways 1, 2, and 3 start the same: in Settings > Integrations you connect WhatsApp Business once (this only opens the door), and then in Settings > Data Sources you use Add number. Ways 4 and 5 are different: they start from a number you buy, in CRM > Phones — you never touch Integrations or Data Sources.

Way 1 — My number is already in my Business Manager

For a number that already sends through the WhatsApp API inside one of your Business Manager's accounts.

WhatsApp Cloud API
  • Go to Settings > Integrations, find WhatsApp Business and click Connect. A Meta popup opens: sign in with your Facebook account and choose your Business Manager. This connects your Meta account to MB Suite.
  • Go to Settings > Data Sources, on the WhatsApp card use Add number, and pick the option "I want to use in MB Suite a number I already have in my Business Manager." Since you already authorized in step 1, it takes you straight to a list of all the numbers in your Business Manager. Tick the ones you want and save.
  • Go to CRM > Settings > Lines and use Add WhatsApp. The number you ticked appears there — add it, and now it's activated as a WhatsApp Cloud API line, ready to send and receive. (Choosing in Data Sources and activating in Lines are two separate steps for this way.)
Extra step, on purpose: in this way, choosing a number ≠ activating it. In Data Sources you build the list; in Lines you turn each one into a working line. It lets you pick which numbers to activate when your Business Manager has several.

Way 2 — My number is in the WhatsApp Business app on a phone (coexistence)

The most common case: you already handle this number in the app and want to keep using it on the phone AND in MB Suite at the same time.

WhatsApp Business+WhatsApp Cloud API
  • In Settings > Integrations, connect WhatsApp Business (this step is required to unlock Data Sources, even though you'll use another popup next).
  • Go to Settings > Data Sources, on the WhatsApp card use Add number, and pick the option "I use WhatsApp Business on a phone and want to use it in MB Suite too." A Meta popup opens (a different one).
  • In that popup, use the number you already have as WhatsApp Business and choose the Business Manager that holds it. Meta asks you to verify it by SMS or call and to enter a PIN — without disconnecting the app on your phone.
  • When the popup finishes, the line is created on its own: it shows up in CRM > Settings > Lines as active, in Coexistence mode. You don't have to add anything. The number also appears in Data Sources with a coexistence badge.
Coexistence has Meta conditions: open the app at least every 14 days or the sync stops, group chats don't sync, and it needs a recent version of the WhatsApp Business app. To see exactly what the history sync brings and what stays on the phone, read WhatsApp coexistence: what the history sync brings (and what it doesn't).

Way 3 — A brand-new number that never had WhatsApp

For a clean number you want to register as WhatsApp for the first time. It ends up dedicated to the API, with no phone app.

WhatsApp Cloud API
  • In Settings > Integrations, connect WhatsApp Business (required to unlock Data Sources, same as Way 2).
  • Go to Settings > Data Sources, on the WhatsApp card use Add number, and pick "I want to register a new number as WhatsApp in my Business Manager." A Meta popup opens; choose "Create a WhatsApp Business account", enter your number and a display name, and verify it by SMS or call (for landlines, use the call option).
  • When the popup finishes, the number is in Data Sources. Go to CRM > Settings > Lines, use Add WhatsApp, and add it — that's when the number gets registered (with a PIN) and the line is created. Ready to send and receive.
Like Way 1, this one has the extra step in Lines: choosing the number in Data Sources isn't the same as activating it. The activation (register + line) happens when you add it in Lines.
Ways 4 and 5 start by buying a number, and buying is restricted. Only the owner or an admin can do it — a member or a viewer sees the button dimmed. And in an Account whose subscription an agency pays, the line is bought from the agency's workspace, not from inside the account: if you try there, MB Suite tells you so instead of charging. The other three ways connect a number you already have and don't have this restriction. See Your agency's billing: plans and who pays for each account.

Way 4 — Buy a number in MB Suite and use it on your phone too (coexistence)

You don't have a number and want a new one, but you also want to answer it from a phone. This starts from CRM > Phones, not from Data Sources.

WhatsApp Business+WhatsApp Cloud API
  • In CRM > Phones, use Buy number: choose the country, activate it with prepaid balance. It becomes a voice + SMS line.
  • Set yourself as a receiver of that phone line — so that when Meta calls to verify, it rings for you in the MB Suite dialer and you can answer.
  • On that line, open the menu and choose Convert to WhatsApp line (API). In the fork, pick "I want to create a WhatsApp Business account on my phone and also use it in MB Suite." A short coexistence guide opens.
  • Follow the guide: install WhatsApp Business on your phone, register the number there (when Meta asks to verify, choose the call option — Meta calls the MB Suite dialer, you answer and read the code into the app), and then press Connect with coexistence.
  • The Meta popup opens with an extra option, "Connect a WhatsApp Business app" — choose it and connect the number you just set up. When it finishes, the line is created on its own as active / Coexistence, and your voice keeps working (the number still receives calls and SMS through Phones).
This flow is validated for United States numbers: the verification call reaches the MB Suite dialer reliably. With numbers from other countries you can still try it — install the app, register the number and choose the call option — but we can't guarantee Meta's verification call arrives. These bought numbers usually don't receive Meta's verification SMS, so always choose the call option, and set yourself as the line's receiver first (step 2) so the call reaches you.

Way 5 — Buy a number in MB Suite and use it only from the CRM (dedicated API)

Same start as Way 4 (a number you buy), but you want it dedicated to the CRM — no phone app. It's the default for a new WhatsApp operation line.

WhatsApp Cloud API
  • In CRM > Phones, use Buy number and activate it with prepaid balance (voice + SMS line).
  • Set yourself as a receiver of that phone line — so Meta's verification call rings for you in the dialer.
  • On that line, open the menu and choose Convert to WhatsApp line (API). In the fork, pick "I want to use the WhatsApp only in MB Suite" (marked Recommended).
  • The Meta popup opens with the number already filled in. Choose your Business Manager and then "Create a WhatsApp Business account". When Meta asks to verify, choose the call option — you answer in the MB Suite dialer and enter the code.
  • When it finishes, the line is created on its own in CRM > Settings > Lines as WhatsApp, dedicated API, active. You don't have to add anything.
In dedicated-API mode, the number stops receiving calls and SMS through Phones — Meta takes it over for WhatsApp. That's the opposite of coexistence (Way 4), where voice keeps working. Choose this way only if you don't need to make/receive regular calls on that number.

After it's connected: two optional layers

Once the line exists (in any of the 5 ways), two things are optional and live in their own place:

  • Receivers — from the line's menu in CRM > Settings > Lines, choose who sees the conversations of that line and gets notified. A brand-new line starts with none (it shows "No receivers" until you set them).
  • Lead source — if you want incoming messages to create prospects on their own, create the source in CRM > Settings > Sources with Add source > WhatsApp, picking that line. Without this, the line still works for chatting, but new inquiries don't enter the funnel automatically.
When you remove a number, the same layers apply in reverse — there's a right order so nothing is left half-connected. See Disconnect your WhatsApp line from the CRM. If you can't add or connect a number, see I can't add or connect my number.

Next step: before writing to someone outside the 24-hour window, get your WhatsApp templates: create, categories, and Meta approval ready.

Still have questions?

Ask MIA, the MB Suite AI assistant: open it with the MB AI button (⌘J) in the top bar. MIA knows the section you're in, so you can ask it about what you see on screen — and it can also answer how-to questions about using MB Suite.