Using WhatsApp Business Accounts with Twilio

WhatsApp offers three types of products for different user needs:

• WhatsApp Consumer app, with over 2 billion users globally
• WhatsApp Business app, generally used by small businesses and micro businesses
• WhatsApp Business Platform, previously known as the WhatsApp Business API or WhatsApp API

Twilio offers access to the WhatsApp Business Platform. To use the WhatsApp Business Platform with Twilio APIs, each business or brand must have a Meta Business Manager. Meta uses the Meta Business Manager to verify the company's identity. Using the Meta Business Manager, companies can create a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). Within the WABA, businesses can register phone numbers with WhatsApp, which Twilio calls "WhatsApp Senders."

Your business designation in the WhatsApp ecosystem determines how your business appears to users. The following table describes the two types of Business Accounts:

WhatsApp alone decides whether to grant OBA status. Generally, Meta reserves OBA for internationally recognized brands. Facebook or Instagram verification doesn't increase your chances of receiving OBA status. OBA designations are evaluated by WhatsApp per WhatsApp sender. This means that a company with multiple WhatsApp senders may have some senders that achieve OBA status, while others might not.

By default, when you create your WhatsApp Sender, your account will be a Business Account.

You can help customers learn more about your company by filling out your business information, such as your business website, address, and hours of operation. These fields can be updated in the Twilio Console.

For companies that have yet to complete Business Verification, the WhatsApp Sender's Display Name appears only in small text. In the example below, "Perspective Coffee" is displayed next to the phone number on the contacts view (left-hand image). In the one-on-one chat view (right-hand image) or in the chat list view, only the phone number is displayed.

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Once you complete the Meta Business Verification and the Meta Business Manager is verified, the chat list and chat thread will show the WhatsApp Sender's Display Name. In the example below, "Twilio" is shown as the Display Name.

The following images show how the Display Name appears in the chat list and chat thread:

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The phone number is only shown when the user taps the Display Name on the top to open the "Business Info" screen shown below.

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The following images show how the green checkmark appears next to the Display Name:

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Similar to Business Accounts that have completed Meta Business Verification, the phone number is only shown in a specific view. When the user taps the Display Name at the top, the "Business Info" screen opens and displays the phone number.

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A WhatsApp Official Business Account provides enhanced features and credibility for your business. The following list describes the key benefits:

• Verified account badge: A green checkmark in the chat header that shows users your business is verified
• Known sender status, which enables clickable embedded links

Approval for a WhatsApp Official Business Account (OBA) requires articles, blog posts, or independent reviews that show the business is well-known and recognized by consumers. Approval is not guaranteed and is subject to approval by WhatsApp. WhatsApp does not disclose their criteria for approving Official Business Accounts.