If you are interested in signing up for our WhatsApp business API service you will need to source a phone number for your WhatsApp sender and there are a couple of options to consider for this. As a CPaaS provider we have a depth of experience when it comes to phone numbers and this article aims to guide and help for what to do with WhatsApp phone numbers.
BYO Number
If you intend on bringing your own number that you want to use together with your WhatsApp business API, we can offer you a self-serv experience through our Dashboard. It is important that this BYO number is directly connected to a physical handset because you will need to retrieve an OTP at the end of the activation process. It is also important that you make sure that this BYO number is not already linked to an exisiting WhatsApp accounts, business or not. A phone number can only be associated with one WhatsApp account.
If you also intend on using the API for your own brand and business you will have the option of using our Embedded sign up integration. Embedded signup is an SDK, provided by Meta, that enables a faster onboarding process, cutting lead time from days to minutes. You can manage Facebook and WhatsApp Business Accounts, manage WhatsApp Business profiles, and complete any requisite verification steps in one smooth process.
Many of our customers do not use the WhatsApp business API for their own brand but rather re-sells the API to their own customers, also known as "ASPs", application service providers. Currently we do not support the Embedded sign up for ASP's but instead you would have to go through our own sign up process available at the Dashboard.
OTP registration page for ASP's
Sinch Virtual Number
If you do not have your own number and would like to source a number from Sinch we have the option to provide Virtual numbers that can be used in combination with your WhatsApp Business API. You can either directly rent a number from the Dashboard or you can ask your Account manager to source one for you.
We recommend using UK or US numbers as we have seen that these are the destinations that work the best with retrieving OTP's from WhatsApp. Sometimes, due to country specific restrictions and limitations there can be difficulities with delivering the OTP. If you have a specific country request and you are unsure whether this is a good destination or not, please do not hestiate to reach out to your Account Manager or Sinch Support for help and guidance.
For the scenario when using Sinch Virtual number, since it is not tied to a physical hand set you will need the assistance of our Service Implementation team to fetch the OTP from our internal tools. When you have completed your WhatsApp sender submission and you are ready to do the WhatsApp activation, we recommend that you let us know by adding a comment to your WhatsApp sender (see below). Alternatively, you can also ask your Account manager for help.
Can I use a Voice number for my WhatsApp business API?
The is answer is yes, you can, although equally important here as with BYO number that the voice number is directly connected to a physical handset for the ability to retrieve the OTP via voice call.
