WhatsApp Business Platform Guide

To send WhatsApp messages, your business must have access to the WhatsApp Business Platform.

This can be achieved in one of the following ways:

• Your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) is provisioned and managed by APEX Messaging, or
• You already have an approved WhatsApp Business Account that is connected to the APEX Messaging platform

All sender phone numbers must be verified and approved for WhatsApp messaging before use.

1. How to Register a WhatsApp Business Account (Meta Business Suite)

To use WhatsApp with the APEX Messaging platform, a WhatsApp Business Account must be created and approved via Meta Business Suite. Before proceeding, please review the important notices listed in red headers immediately below this step-by-step guide.

Steps

1. Create or log in to Meta Business Suite
   Visit Meta Business Suite and log in with your business Facebook account.
2. Add your business details
   Complete your business information (legal name, address, website, and contact details).
3. Verify your business
   Submit business verification documents when prompted. Approval may take several days (potentially 30+).
4. Set up WhatsApp Business
   • Go to Business Settings → Accounts → WhatsApp Accounts
   • Add a new WhatsApp Business Account (WABA)
   • Register and verify your sending phone number via SMS or voice call
5. Create message templates
   To ensure everything is correctly synced, please register templates through the APEX dashboard to avoid having to duplicate entries.

Once completed, your WhatsApp Business Account can be connected to the APEX Messaging platform for API access and message delivery.

Use a Dedicated WhatsApp Phone Number

We recommend registering WhatsApp Business accounts using a new, dedicated phone number on a low-cost rolling contract.

Using a dedicated number helps prevent issues caused by number inactivity or reassignment by mobile operators. Keeping the SIM card active and accessible ensures you can receive one-time passwords (OTP) or complete verification steps if required for account management.

Once a phone number is registered and pinned to a WhatsApp Business Account, it cannot be used with any other WhatsApp account, including personal WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business mobile apps. The number is exclusively tied to that account unless it is formally released or migrated.

For most use cases, the cheapest available contract is sufficient, provided the number remains active and under your control.

Important Note on Phone Numbers Created via Mobile Apps

If a WhatsApp account was initially created using the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business mobile app, the phone number must be detached from the mobile application before it can be associated with an API-enabled WhatsApp Business Account.

WhatsApp phone numbers cannot be active on both the mobile app and the API at the same time.
Detaching the number ensures it can be correctly registered, verified, and used with the WhatsApp Business Platform.

If you are unsure whether your number was previously registered via a mobile app, please contact APEX Messaging support before attempting API onboarding.

2. Approved Message Templates

WhatsApp requires message templates to be approved in advance for any business-initiated messages.

• Templates must be created and approved before they can be sent
• Templates may contain:
  • Text body variables (e.g. {{1}}, {{2}})
  • Optional header media (image, video, or document)
  • Optional call-to-action buttons
• Once approved, templates are assigned a Template ID, which is required when sending messages via the API

Templates are divided into three categories, each with its own costing and restrictions.

1. Authentication templates are used for one-time passwords and security verification messages and are typically the lowest-cost template type.
2. Utility templates deliver transactional or account-related updates and are generally mid-priced, cheaper than marketing messages.
3. Marketing templates are used for promotions and engagement campaigns and are usually the highest-cost template category due to their commercial nature.

Templates must be managed through the APEX Messaging dashboard or via the relevant management API provided by APEX Messaging.

3. User Opt-In & Consent

You must ensure that end users have explicitly opted in to receive WhatsApp messages from your business.

• Opt-in must be clear, unambiguous, and compliant with applicable data protection and messaging regulations
• Users must be informed:
  • Who is sending the message
  • What type of messages they will receive
  • How they can opt out

Failure to comply with WhatsApp’s opt-in policies may result in message blocking or account suspension by either Meta or APEX.

4. Phone Number Formatting

All recipient phone numbers must be provided in E.164 international format:

• Country code + subscriber number
• No spaces, brackets, or special characters

Example:
35699384535

Local or national number formats are not supported.

5. Delivery Reports & Webhooks (Recommended)

To receive message delivery updates, you should:

• Provide a publicly accessible Callback URL
• Ensure your endpoint can accept HTTP POST requests from APEX Messaging

Delivery reports allow you to track message status (sent, delivered, read, failed) and are strongly recommended for production integrations.

6. Media Requirements (If Sending Media)

If your message template includes media (image, video, or document):

• Media files must be in a WhatsApp-supported format
• File size limits must be respected
• Media used in template headers must match the format approved during template submission

Unsupported file types or oversized files will result in message rejection.

Below is a table stating supported formats:

Images

File Type	Extensions	MIME Type	Max File Size	Notes
JPEG	.jpg, .jpeg	image/jpeg	5 MB	Recommended for photos
PNG	.png	image/png	5 MB	Supports transparency

Documents

File Type	Extensions	MIME Type	Max File Size	Notes
PDF	.pdf	application/pdf	100 MB	Most commonly used document type
Text	.txt	text/plain	100 MB	Plain text only
Word	.doc, .docx	application/msword, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document	100 MB	Fully supported
Excel	.xls, .xlsx	application/vnd.ms-excel, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet	100 MB	Fully supported
PowerPoint	.ppt, .pptx	application/vnd.ms-powerpoint, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation	100 MB	Fully supported

Video

File Type	Extensions	MIME Type	Max File Size	Notes
MP4 Video	.mp4	video/mp4	16 MB	Must use H.264 video + AAC audio
3GPP Video	.3gp	video/3gpp	16 MB	Same codec requirements as MP4

We are working to improve our developer hub to ensure our customers are getting the most out of it. If you have any feedback youd like to give us, please feel free to share it via our contact form.