Quick answer
You can usually keep your existing number when you move from the WhatsApp Business app to the API. Either use Meta's coexistence option, where your provider connects the number through Embedded Signup and you keep the app, or do a full migration: back up chats, delete the WhatsApp account from the app, then register the number on the API with an SMS or voice code.
Key takeaways
- You can usually keep the same number; customers keep chatting with you as before.
- Meta's coexistence option connects an app number to the API through a provider and lets you keep using the app, with some features limited.
- A full migration removes the number from the app, so back up chats first; app chat history does not move across automatically.
- Either way, verify your business with Meta and prepare your profile before you switch, to keep downtime short.
- Talk to your provider before deleting anything, so they can check your number and recommend the right path.
The number on your shop signage, receipts and Instagram bio is worth protecting. Customers have saved it, they forward it to friends, and changing it would mean losing enquiries for months. The good news is that moving to the WhatsApp Business API rarely requires a new number.
This guide is for businesses already using the WhatsApp Business app that want a shared team inbox, automation or broadcasts on the same number. It covers the two ways to move, what you keep and lose, and the steps in order.
Before you start
Have these ready:
- Access to the phone that currently runs the WhatsApp Business app, with the SIM able to receive an SMS or voice call.
- A Meta business portfolio, ideally already verified, with your registration certificate, KRA PIN and proof of address. See how to verify your business on Meta.
- Your display name, logo, description, website and business email.
- A provider or a developer setup for the API. chat.or.ke, a Meta Tech Provider, can check your number and move it for you.
- A quiet time for the switch, such as a Sunday evening for a retail shop.
What are your options for moving the number?
There are two paths. Coexistence keeps the app running alongside the API; full migration moves the number off the app entirely.
| Coexistence | Full migration | |
|---|---|---|
| Keep using the WhatsApp Business app | Yes, on the main phone | No |
| Chat history | Recent one-to-one chats can sync to the API platform | Stays only in your app backup |
| Contacts | Can sync | Re-import into your inbox |
| Groups and broadcast lists | Groups not synced; broadcast lists become read-only | Lost from the app |
| Linked devices (WhatsApp Web) | Unlinked during onboarding | Not applicable |
| Messaging throughput | Fixed lower limit set by Meta | Full API limits as your number grows |
| Needs provider support | Yes, through Embedded Signup | Works with any provider |
What is WhatsApp coexistence?
Coexistence is Meta's option for onboarding WhatsApp Business app users to the Cloud API without giving up the app. According to Meta's coexistence documentation, contacts and up to six months of one-to-one chat history can be synced, and messages sent from the app are mirrored to the API platform. Group chats are not synced, some features such as disappearing messages and view-once messages are not supported on the API side, and linked companion devices are unlinked.
It requires a recent version of the WhatsApp Business app and a provider that supports it. Availability has varied by country since launch, so ask your provider whether it works for a Kenyan number today.
Step 1: Check your number with your provider
Before touching the app, ask your provider to check the number. They will confirm whether coexistence is available, whether the number is already linked to another API account, and what will change.
If the number was ever connected to another WhatsApp API provider, that connection has to be released first. A quick check now avoids a stuck migration later.
Step 2: Prepare your business profile and verification
Get your Meta business portfolio created and, ideally, verified before the switch. Prepare the display name, which Meta reviews, and make sure it matches your website and documents.
On chat.or.ke, setup includes creating your Meta business profile with you, submitting it for verification and preparing your starter message templates, so the number can go live straight after the move.
Step 3: Back up your chats and contacts
Export what you want to keep. In the WhatsApp Business app you can back up chats to Google Drive or iCloud, and export individual important chats by email.
Export your customer list too. A Kisumu clinic, for example, should keep its patient contacts and labels so they can be imported into the CRM later. chat.or.ke can import contacts from a CSV file and convert phone numbers to the +254 format.
Step 4: Connect with coexistence, or remove the number from the app
Take one of the two paths below, depending on what your provider confirmed in Step 1.
Path A: connect with coexistence (if available)
Your provider starts Embedded Signup and you choose to connect your existing WhatsApp Business app. WhatsApp then asks you to confirm on the phone, usually by scanning a code or approving in the app.
After connection, your provider syncs contacts and recent chat history within the time Meta allows. Keep the phone online and the app updated during this step.
Path B: remove the number from the app (full migration)
For a full migration, delete the WhatsApp account from the app: open Settings, then Account, then Delete my account, and confirm with the number. Deleting the account removes it from WhatsApp and clears your in-app chat history, which is why the backup in Step 3 matters.
Do not simply uninstall the app; the number stays registered until the account is deleted.
Step 5: Register the number on the API and verify with a code
Your provider adds the number to your WhatsApp Business Account. Meta sends a one-time code by SMS or voice call to confirm you own it. Enter the code, set a two-step verification PIN and the number is registered.
If the SMS does not arrive, request a voice call, and make sure the line is not blocking short codes or international calls.
Step 6: Connect your team and tell your customers
Invite your team to the shared WhatsApp inbox, set up saved replies and a welcome menu, and import your contacts. Then post a short note on your status and social pages that you have upgraded your customer service, so a slightly different experience does not surprise anyone.
From now on you can send approved broadcasts to opted-in customers with delivery reports, and several people can reply from the same number.
What changes for you and your customers after the move?
Customers see very little change. They message the same number and see your business name and logo.
On your side, the biggest change is the 24-hour window: you can reply freely within 24 hours of a customer's last message, but to start a conversation after that you need an approved template. Each message you send has a cost by type. For why teams make the move, see our comparison of the WhatsApp Business app and the API.
Published 20 October 2026 Updated 20 October 2026 Plain-text version
