How to Disconnect/Delete a WhatsApp Business Number How to Disconnect/Delete a WhatsApp Business Number

How to Disconnect/Delete a WhatsApp Business Number

Asha Chintaluru

Objective

Disconnecting/Deleting your WhatsApp business number from your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA).

Applies To

  • WhatsApp 

Overview

Deleting a WhatsApp number from WhatsApp Manager alone does not fully disconnect it from Vonage. Your number will still appear on your Vonage dashboard under External Accounts. To completely remove it, you must submit a disconnection request to Vonage.

Before You Proceed — Disconnection vs. Migration

Before disconnecting your number, it is important to understand whether disconnection is the right action for your use case.

Moving to a Different WABA or BSP?

If your goal is to move your WhatsApp number to a different WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) or a different Business Service Provider (BSP), do not delete your number from WhatsApp Manager and do not submit a disconnection request. This is a migration scenario, and deleting the number is not required.

Migrating your number (rather than disconnecting it) allows you to retain:

  • Display name

  • Quality rating

  • Messaging limits

  • Approved, high-quality message templates

  • Official Business Account (OBA/blue tick) status

Please refer to our How to Migrate a WhatsApp Phone Number guide instead.

 

No Longer Using the Number?

If you no longer need the number for WhatsApp (e.g. you want to stop using it entirely or use it for personal WhatsApp), you can proceed with the disconnection steps below.

Procedure

Step 1 — Delete the Number from WhatsApp Manager (Meta)

As per Meta's documentation, you can delete your business phone number directly from WhatsApp Manager:

  1. Load your business portfolio in WhatsApp Manager.

  2. Navigate to Phone numbers.

  3. Click the phone number's trash can icon and complete the flow.

 

Note: Only business portfolio admins can delete business phone numbers. If the number has been used to send paid messages within the last 30 days, you will be redirected to the Insights panel showing the date of the last paid message. You can delete the number 30 days from this date.

 

Step 2 — Submit a Disconnection Request to Vonage

Deleting a WhatsApp number from WhatsApp Manager alone does not fully disconnect it from Vonage. Your number will still appear on your Vonage dashboard under External Accounts. To completely remove it, you must also submit a disconnection request to Vonage.

Navigate to this form and complete the request with the following details:

  • Your Vonage API key

  • The WhatsApp phone number you wish to disconnect

  • Your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) ID

Once submitted, our team will process your request. This can take up to 5 business days. You will receive a confirmation once the number has been fully disconnected.

 

Step 3 — Release Your Vonage LVN (Optional)

If the WhatsApp number you are disconnecting is a Vonage LVN (Long Virtual Number), you should also release it from your Vonage API account to avoid any recurring charges for the number.

Important: Only release the number from your Vonage API account if it is not being used with any other Vonage APIs (e.g. for your SMS, Voice, Verify traffic). If the number is still in use for other traffic, keep it in your account and skip this step.

  1. Log in to your Vonage API Dashboard.

  2. On the main page, locate the Your Numbers section.

  3. Find the number you'd like to remove from the list.

  4. Click the bin icon next to that number.

  5. Confirm the removal when prompted.

Once completed, the number will be fully released from your Vonage API account.

Note: This step applies only to Vonage LVNs. If you are using your own phone number for WhatsApp, no additional steps are needed once the disconnection request has been processed as per Step 2.

 

Additional Information

 

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