Link your WhatsApp to Wabo

Before you start

Have the phone with your business number nearby and make sure WhatsApp on it is working. Wabo works with both the regular WhatsApp app and WhatsApp Business. You can link WhatsApp in the last step of the setup wizard, or later from the WhatsApp card on Home.

It helps to know what kind of connection this is. Wabo is a linked device, the same mechanism WhatsApp Web uses. It is not the official WhatsApp Business Platform. WhatsApp's terms restrict automated and unofficial access, so the number can be restricted and nobody can guarantee otherwise. Wabo reduces risk by only answering people who write to you, waiting like a person, showing "typing…", limiting replies per hour and having no bulk-messaging feature. If you need the official route, read our comparison with the WhatsApp Business API.

Link with a QR code

1. Open the WhatsApp card. In Wabo, go to the WhatsApp step of the setup wizard or the WhatsApp card on Home, and click Show QR code.
2. Open Linked devices on your phone. Open WhatsApp on the phone, then go to Settings → Linked devices → Link a device. The phone may ask for your screen lock or fingerprint.
3. Scan the QR code. Point the phone camera at the code on the computer. After a few seconds Wabo shows WhatsApp connected and your number.
4. Or use a pairing code. If the camera cannot read the code, open Can't scan the QR? Link with a phone number. Type your number with the country code and no plus sign (for example 4479…), then click Get code. On the phone go to Linked devices → Link a device → "Link with phone number instead" and enter the 8-digit code shown in Wabo.
5. Check the status. The status line at the top of the left menu should read WhatsApp connected.

Keep using your phone

Nothing changes on the phone. Messages still arrive there, and you can answer any customer yourself. When you type in a conversation by hand, Wabo goes quiet in that conversation for the number of hours set under Quiet time after you type manually from your phone (hours) in Settings (3 by default). That way you never talk over each other.

In the same Human intervention card you can tick Don't reply to people saved in my phone contacts, so family, friends and suppliers never get a reply from the assistant.

Reconnecting

Short interruptions fix themselves. If the internet drops or the computer wakes from sleep, the status shows Reconnecting… and Wabo connects again on its own. You do not need to scan anything.

You only need to link again when the session has been closed. Wabo then shows Session was closed from the phone. This happens if someone removed the device under Linked devices on the phone, or if WhatsApp signed the device out. Click Show QR code and repeat the steps above. Your conversations, catalog and settings stay on the computer.

To disconnect on purpose, open Settings and use Unlink WhatsApp in the WhatsApp card. You will need to scan a QR code again to reconnect.

If the phone is offline for a long time

Linked devices do not need the phone to be online all the time, so Wabo keeps working if your phone's battery runs out for a while. However, WhatsApp may sign out linked devices when the phone has not been used for a long period. The exact rules are WhatsApp's and can change. The safe habit is simple: keep the phone charged and open WhatsApp on it regularly.

Remember that the computer matters too. When it is off, asleep or without internet, Wabo cannot answer, even though messages keep arriving on your phone. See installation and first launch for the settings that keep it awake.