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WhatsApp is the busiest channel for most Callivox workspaces. Once connected, every message sent to your WhatsApp Business number arrives in the inbox, and your team and AI agents reply from there. There are two ways to connect. Quick connect with Meta handles everything in one popup and is the right choice for almost everyone. The advanced route uses your own Meta developer app and is for teams who already run one.

The WhatsApp connect dialog, with quick connect at the top and the advanced route behind a disclosure.

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Before you start

You need:
  • A verified Meta Business Portfolio.
  • A phone number that can receive an SMS or a call for verification.
  • Admin access to that business in Meta’s tools.
If you are moving a number fully onto Callivox, it must not already be registered on the WhatsApp consumer app or the WhatsApp Business app. If the number is in use on the WhatsApp Business app and you want to keep using it there, choose the coexistence option described below instead.

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Connecting

This is the fastest route and the one to use unless you have a reason not to. Callivox handles the webhook wiring for you, so there is no callback URL or verify token to copy anywhere.
Quick connect appears in the dialog only when it is enabled for your workspace. If you do not see the ⚡ Connect with Meta button, use the advanced route below, or contact support. Trying to use it when it is switched off returns “WhatsApp quick connect is not enabled for this workspace.”

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Choose how to connect

If your workspace supports it, the dialog first asks How to connect WhatsApp and offers two options.
“Your number moves fully onto Callivox. You’ll stop using the WhatsApp Business app for this number.”Pick this for a number that will be handled entirely by your team in Callivox. After the move, the WhatsApp Business app no longer receives messages for that number.

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Run the connection

1

Open the dialog

Go to Settings → Channels, click + Connect channel and pick WhatsApp. Give the channel a Display name.
2

Click Connect with Meta

The button reads ⚡ Connect with Meta. A Meta popup opens: “Log in with Facebook, pick your WhatsApp Business Account and verify your business phone number — all in one popup. Takes about 2 minutes.”
3

Complete Meta's steps

Log in with the Facebook account that administers your business, choose the WhatsApp Business Account, and either verify the phone number or scan the QR code, depending on the mode you picked.
4

Wait for Callivox to finish

Back in the dialog the progress reads Waiting for Meta…, then Linking your WhatsApp number…, then Connected! You will see the toast “WhatsApp connected” and the channel appears in your list as Active.

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If it does not work

Reconnecting the same number on the same workspace updates the existing channel rather than creating a duplicate.

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WhatsApp templates

WhatsApp does not let businesses message people freely. You can reply in plain text for 24 hours after a customer’s last message. Outside that window — a follow-up two days later, a campaign to a list, an order update to somebody who has not written in — you must send a template that Meta has approved in advance. Templates are managed per channel: on the channel row for your WhatsApp channel, click Templates. The page title says it plainly: “Message templates must be approved by Meta before use in campaigns.”
  • Refresh pulls the current list and the current statuses straight from Meta. Use it after submitting something, or if a colleague created a template outside Callivox.
  • + New template opens the creation form.
If the list is empty you will see “No templates found. Create one above or refresh to sync from Meta.”

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Creating a template

1

Name it

Template name takes lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only — order_update, not “Order Update”. Anything else returns “Use lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only — no spaces or capitals.” The name cannot be changed after creation.
2

Pick a language and category

Choose the Language the template is written in, then a Category:
  • Utility — transactional messages about something the customer already did: order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment reminders. This is the default and the safest choice.
  • Marketing — promotions, offers, re-engagement, anything selling.
  • Authentication — one-time passcodes and verification codes.
Categorising a promotion as Utility is one of the most common reasons Meta rejects a template.
3

Add a header (optional)

Header can be None, Text, Image, Video, Document or Location. A text header is capped at 60 characters and may contain at most one variable.Media headers need a sample: “Meta needs one sample file to approve a media header.” Sample files are capped at 16 MB. Location headers need no sample.
4

Write the body

The Body text is the message itself. Insert placeholders with + Insert variable, which adds {{1}}, {{2}} and so on in order — for example Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is ready.The rules Meta enforces:
  • Variables must be numbered in sequence starting at {{1}}.
  • The body cannot start or end with a variable.
  • Two variables cannot sit next to each other — put words between them.
5

Fill in the variable samples

Variable samples (required by Meta) is where you show a realistic value for each placeholder. Meta reviews the template as a reader would see it, so give it a real-looking name and order number, not “xxx”.
6

Add a footer (optional)

Footer (optional) is capped at 60 characters and cannot contain variables.
7

Submit

A “Before you can submit:” checklist lists anything still missing. When it is clear, click Submit for approval. You will see “Template submitted for approval”.

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Approval statuses

To fix a rejected template, click Edit, change what Meta objected to, and use Save & resubmit. The name stays fixed — everything else can change. Edit is unavailable for templates that have never reached Meta.

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Why Meta rejects templates

The reason is shown on the row, but the usual causes are:
  • The category is wrong — a promotional message submitted as Utility.
  • The variable samples are placeholders rather than realistic values.
  • The message reads as unsolicited marketing to people who did not opt in.
  • The wording is vague enough that a reviewer cannot tell what the message is for.
Write the template as though the reviewer is the recipient: say who you are, why you are writing, and what the customer should do next.

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Next steps

Campaigns

Send approved templates to a list of contacts.

Managing channels

Rename, reconnect and delete channels.