WhatsApp in Community lets you send and receive messages with your Members on WhatsApp as well as by SMS. You connect a WhatsApp Business Account to Community, and Members who use WhatsApp can then message you there.
To get set up, see Connecting WhatsApp. To understand what Members see and how conversations work, see WhatsApp Member experience. For the limits WhatsApp places on how many Members you can start conversations with, see WhatsApp message limits.
Who this applies to: WhatsApp in Community is available to qualified Leaders on usage-based plans, and features can vary by plan. Please reach out to your Account Manager or yourfriends@community.com to see if you are eligible.
What is WhatsApp in Community?
WhatsApp in Community is an integration that connects a WhatsApp Business Account to your Community account. Once it is connected, you can message Members on WhatsApp and Members can reply to you there, so conversations run in both directions.
You make the connection in Community under Settings > Integrations, where you authorize Community to use your WhatsApp Business Account. Meta, the company that runs WhatsApp, has to approve your display name, so the connection shows as Pending until Meta confirms it. The steps are in Connecting WhatsApp.
Community identifies Members on WhatsApp by their phone number. WhatsApp also lets people choose a username, which can affect whether you can see a Member's phone number. See the Common questions at the end of this article.
Why should I use WhatsApp in Community?
WhatsApp is a messaging app many Members already have on their phones, so it gives you a second channel to reach them. Messages arrive in a conversation with your business, and WhatsApp can show Members why they received a message from you, which suits Leaders whose Members have opted in. WhatsApp Member experience explains what Members see.
WhatsApp is also available in a wide range of countries, so it may reach Members in markets your SMS number does not cover.
How Members opt in to WhatsApp messages from you, and whether it is the same as opting in to SMS.
How do I use it?
Connecting WhatsApp to Community
Authorize WhatsApp in Community before you send anything. Go to Settings > Integrations, find the WhatsApp Integration, and click Authorize. The status shows Pending until Meta confirms your display name, then changes to Authorized. The full steps, including what you need on the Meta side, are in Connecting WhatsApp.
Sending a WhatsApp Campaign
Sending a Campaign on WhatsApp works the same way as sending one by SMS. The only difference is at the top of the composer: select the WhatsApp channel instead of SMS.
Sharing your WhatsApp deep link
A WhatsApp deep link opens WhatsApp on a person's device with one tap. To find yours:
- Open the Growth Tools page.
- In the Share My Community Number section, click the WhatsApp tab.
The tab shows a URL and a QR code for your deep link. You can customize either one with pre-populated text, then share it with Members.
Scheduling WhatsApp messages
You can schedule a WhatsApp Campaign the same way you schedule an SMS Campaign.
- In the Campaign composer, click the schedule icon
.
- Set a date in the future.
Sending button messages
Community can turn a link in your message into a WhatsApp button, so Members tap a button instead of a link in the text. A link becomes a button only when all three of these are true:
- The message contains exactly one link.
- Use "Community Link Tracker (m.community.com)" is checked.
- The link is at the very end of the message. Spaces after it do not count.
If any one of these is not true, the link is not sent as a button.
If a link did not become a button, see Why didn't my link become a WhatsApp button?
Setting a business username
A business username is a name your business can adopt on WhatsApp, mainly for branding and discoverability. You set it yourself, because Community cannot set it for you. Your Community phone number stays visible when you adopt one.
For more information, see Upcoming WhatsApp Change: Usernames & New User Identifiers.
Common questions
Am I eligible for the WhatsApp Integration?
WhatsApp in Community is available to qualified Leaders on usage-based plans, and features and functionality can vary by plan. To find out whether you are eligible, contact your Account Manager or email yourfriends@community.com.
Why didn't my link become a WhatsApp button?
Most likely the message does not meet all three requirements in Sending button messages. Check these causes:
| Cause | How to tell | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The message has more than one link | Count the links in the message | Keep one link and remove the others |
| The Community Link Tracker option is off | The option is not checked on the Campaign | Check Use "Community Link Tracker (m.community.com)" |
| The link is not the last thing in the message | Text follows the link | Move the link to the end of the message |
Which countries can I message on WhatsApp?
Community's WhatsApp integration supports over 180 countries and markets. The list can change because it follows Meta's country restrictions, so check Meta's list of country restrictions before you plan sends to another market.
Will WhatsApp usernames change how I see my Members?
Usernames are optional on WhatsApp. Each person can have one username and can change it over time. A username is a display feature: it does not replace a Member's phone number or change how messaging works.
What happens if a Member's phone number isn't available?
A Member who has adopted a username may not share their phone number with you. Under Meta's rules, phone numbers are included only in limited cases, such as when you have interacted with the person in the last 30 days or they are in your contact list.
Community pairs a Member's WhatsApp identifier with their phone number when both arrive. A person who messages you without a phone number is not added as a Member.
What is a Business-Scoped User ID (BSUID)?
A BSUID is a unique identifier that WhatsApp generates for each relationship between one person and one business. It looks like US.13491208655302741918. It is tied to a specific business portfolio (WABA), so another business portfolio cannot use it.
Does a business username hide my phone number?
No. Business usernames are not designed for privacy, so your Community phone number stays visible. They are a branding and discoverability feature. See Setting a business username.