Connect WhatsApp
Link your WhatsApp Business number to Magnitude to reply to your customers, with your AI agent and your team, in one place.
WhatsApp BusinessWhatsApp is the most direct channel for talking to your customers: they message you on the number they already know, and every conversation lands in your Magnitude inbox, where your AI agent and your team answer together. This page walks you through connecting your number, understanding the 24-hour window, and using templates to reopen a conversation.
What you need
Connecting WhatsApp is done with credentials: you paste three values from your WhatsApp Business account, and Magnitude checks that they are valid before continuing. Unlike Instagram and Messenger, there is no one-click connect button for WhatsApp: the entry is always manual.
Have the following ready before you start:
- An active WhatsApp Business number dedicated to your company.
- The number's identifier (Phone Number ID) and an access token (Access Token).
- Optionally your business account identifier (Business Account ID), which remains optional.
Connecting and managing channels is reserved for administrators of your workspace.
Connecting your number, step by step
From Settings, open the "Channels" tab, then launch the connection wizard.
- Open "Channels" in settings, then click "Add a channel".
- Choose "WhatsApp" from the list of available channels.
- Name the channel in the "Channel name" field (for example "WhatsApp Business"). This name is only used to identify it within the app.
- Fill in the three fields described just below, then click "Next".
- Wait for verification. Magnitude shows "Verifying credentials..." then "Credentials verified", followed by the recognized name or number. If the values are incorrect, the message "Invalid credentials" appears: correct them, then try again.
- Follow the configuration step. The wizard shows you the exact values to copy in order to finalize message reception. Copy them to the indicated place, then continue.
- Choose the agent that will answer (see below), then click "Create channel". The "All set!" screen confirms the channel is active.
The fields to fill in
Here are the three fields requested at the "Create channel" step, in the order they appear:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Phone Number ID" | The identifier of your WhatsApp Business number. It is what ties incoming messages to the right channel. |
| "WhatsApp Access Token" | The access token that authorizes sending and receiving on your behalf. It is masked while typing, like a password. |
| "Business Account ID" | The identifier of your business account. This field is optional: leave it empty if you don't have it handy. |
The access token is the equivalent of a password: it can write on behalf of your company. Never share it by email or message. If you think it has leaked, generate a new one and update it under "Advanced configuration".
Choosing the agent that answers
At the "Add agents" step, you decide which AI agent handles this channel. Select an agent from the list, or choose "No agent (configure later)" if you prefer your team to answer manually for now.
Once the channel is created, its row shows a status pill that sums up what the AI is doing:
| Pill | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "AI active" | An agent is assigned, active and in production: it answers your customers. |
| "Test mode" | The agent is in test mode: it works without actually replying to customers. |
| "AI disabled" | An agent is assigned but currently turned off. |
| "No agent" | No agent is assigned: your team answers by hand. |
This pill is read-only: activation, test mode and stopping the agent are set on the agents page. To go further, see create your first agent and reply to customers.
Templates: reopening a conversation
A template is a pre-written, approved message that you can send even when the conversation has been closed for more than 24 hours. In Magnitude, only approved templates appear, and they are synced automatically from your WhatsApp account: there is nothing to copy over.
To send a template from a WhatsApp conversation:
- Open the relevant conversation in your inbox.
- Click "Templates", the button at the top of the reply area. It only appears on WhatsApp conversations.
- Choose a template from the list: its name and a preview of the text are shown to help you choose.
- The message goes out immediately and is added to the conversation.
Only approved templates appear in the list. If you just had a new one approved and it isn't there yet, wait a moment: the list syncs with your WhatsApp account and adds it automatically.
The 24-hour window
WhatsApp governs business messages with a simple rule: after a customer's last message, you have 24 hours to reply freely, with any text you like. After that, the window closes and only templates remain allowed.
In the conversation, the contact card shows the state of this window: "24h window" followed by "Open" (in green) or "Expired" (in red).
When the window has expired, the reply area flags it ("24h window expired, use a template") and free replies are blocked. You then have two options:
- Send a template to reopen the conversation. As soon as the customer replies, a new 24-hour window opens and you can write freely again.
- Add a private note, visible only to your team, without sending anything to the customer.
If you try to send a free message after 24 hours, Magnitude shows "The 24h window has expired. Use a template to reopen the conversation." This is the expected behavior: use a template to get back in touch.
Managing the channel: health, renaming, deletion
Channel health
Open "Advanced configuration" on the channel row to check its health, verified live:
- Valid token: your access token still works. If it reads "Invalid or expired token", the channel can no longer send: generate a new token and update it.
- Quality: the rating assigned to your number, "Quality: Good" or "Quality: Degraded". A degraded quality is a cue to refine your sending to avoid restrictions.
The "Refresh" button re-runs the check at any time. Administrators can also enter "Alert recipients": these addresses receive an email if the channel goes into error.
Rename
Click the channel name in the list to edit it: confirm with Enter, cancel with Esc. This name is purely internal and is never seen by your customers.
Delete
The delete button removes the channel. Your past messages are not lost: "All previous messages linked to this channel will be archived." You simply stop receiving new messages on this number.