How to Migrate a WhatsApp Phone Number How to Migrate a WhatsApp Phone Number

How to Migrate a WhatsApp Phone Number

Asha Chintaluru

Overview

This document outlines the requisites and process you should follow to migrate a WhatsApp number. 

Meta allows phone numbers to be migrated from one WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) to another, even when the accounts are hosted by different Business Service Providers (BSPs). This means the number will remain connected after the migration while retaining the display name, quality rating, approved templates and Official Business Account statuses.   

Applies To

  • Partners
  • Direct customers

Prerequisites

To complete the migration of a WhatsApp phone number, the following requirements must be met:

  • Have access to the Meta Business Portfolio with Administrator permission. This is important as only users with administrator permissions can create WhatsApp Accounts.
  • Meta Business Account must have a verified status. 
  • The existing WABA must have a valid payment method attached in Payment Settings.
  • Both the source and destination WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) must be in "Approved" status against Facebook’s Commerce Policy
  • The business phone number must have two-step verification disabled. Customers who own their WABA can disable the two-step verification on their number directly within their Meta business portfolio; otherwise, they must ask their Solution Provider to disable it for them.
  • The display name in the source WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) must be approved.
  • Specifically for Partners, enrollment in Meta’s Tech Provider Program must be complete (see here). 

Procedure

Migration from a different Business Service Provider (BSP) to Vonage

Migrations between different Service Providers can now be completed using the Meta Embedded Sign-Up flow. However, it differs based on the type of Vonage customer you are.

In both processes, Meta will advise that the number is about to be migrated during the “Add phone number”  step (see capture below).

 

 

Note: Meta will also automatically check whether all the conditions listed in the “Prerequisites” section are met. If any requirement is not fulfilled, Meta will display an error message at step 7.4 in this Hosted Embedded signup process for partners, and at step 8 in the Direct Customer's embedded signup process.

If, despite being compliant with all the requirements, you still receive an error message, please contact Vonage API Support with the details so they can assist further.

We encourage you to review the post-go-live instructions and complete the configuration of your Vonage dashboard account ahead of time so that your WhatsApp phone number can be used as soon as the migration is complete.

Migrating Between WABAs Within Vonage (Same BSP) 

Migrations between WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs) under the same Vonage Business Service Provider (Same BSP) account are not self-service and require support assistance.

To request a migration of a WABA number between your Vonage WABAs, please contact the Vonage API Support with the following details:

  • Source WABA ID
  • Destination WABA ID
  • Phone number(s) to be migrated
  • Preferred migration date/time

The support team will coordinate and manage the migration process for you.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are Source and Destination WABAs?

  • Source: This is the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) owned by the previous BSP, the one where the number currently resides and from which it will be migrated.
  • Destination: This is the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) that Vonage owns, the one where the number will be migrated to.

Q. How do I check if the Prerequisites are met?

  • You will need to log into the Meta Business Manager and check the Business Verification and phone number status on each correspondent WhatsApp Business Account (WABA)

Q. What are the implications of a WhatsApp number migration?

  • The WhatsApp migration will NOT result in any downtime. After being migrated, a phone number keeps its display name, quality status, messaging limits, Official Business Account status, and any high-quality message templates previously approved. You can find more information on Facebook's documentation.

Q. How can I ensure the 2FA from the source WABA is turned off?

  • If you do not have access to the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA), you need to ask the Source BSP (i.e., the provider that currently holds your WhatsApp phone number) to remove the 2FA. Vonage will not be able to do this for you. However, if you have access to the account, you can do so on the Meta Business Manager following the instructions in this document. 

Q. How do I migrate a number between 2 WABAs from the same Business provider? 

 

 

 

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