# Connect WhatsApp Connect a WhatsApp number so your Intake Bot answers there, or so your team replies from the inbox. How to connect it, who pays Meta, and how messages are charged. > **Before you start:** WhatsApp starts on the Business plan. ioZen turns numbers on: until that's self-service, write to us at hello@iozen.ai to add WhatsApp to your workspace. Only an owner or an admin can connect a number. ## 1. Open WhatsApp in Integrations In your workspace menu, go to “Integrations” and open the “WhatsApp” tab. Tap **“Connect WhatsApp number”**. If the panel says your workspace has no WhatsApp channel yet, write to us at hello@iozen.ai. Once we've added it, come back to this step. ## 2. Choose where your number comes from - “I already have a WhatsApp number”: connect a number that already exists in your Meta WhatsApp Business account. Works in any country. - “Get a new number”: we provision a new US number. You can use it from any country. ## 3. Choose who pays Meta Meta charges for every WhatsApp message it delivers. In the same panel you choose who pays: - “ioZen pays Meta (recommended)”: Meta's fees are billed through your ioZen credits. - “I pay Meta directly”: you keep a payment method with Meta, and ioZen doesn't bill Meta's fees for that number in credits. > **Careful:** You can't change this choice after you connect. And if your WhatsApp Business account already has a payment method with Meta, Meta may keep billing you directly even if you chose ioZen. If you haven't decided yet, the panel also asks what happens when your purchased credits run low: “Auto-recharge when credits run low” (needs a payment method in “Billing”) or “I will top up manually”. ## 4. Authorize the number on Meta Tap **“Connect WhatsApp number”**. A new tab opens where you continue on Meta to authorize the number. When you're done you're back in ioZen, on the number's “Overview”, with its “Meta fees” and its “Number health”. ## 5. Decide who answers In “Routing”, pick the number's “Routing mode”: - “Intake Bot”: your bot answers and asks its questions, just like on the link. Pick which bot; only published ones show up. - “Inbox”: messages land in the “Inbox” and your team replies. Each number has its own mode. With two numbers, a clinic could let the bot book appointments on one and answer in person on the other. ## Reply from the inbox In the menu, “Inbox” gathers your WhatsApp conversations, including the ones the bot is handling. - WhatsApp lets you write freely for 24 hours after the person's last message. With less than 4 hours left, the inbox shows how much time remains. - Once the window closes, you can only write with a template Meta has approved. If the person replies, the window opens again. - You can attach images and documents (JPEG, PNG, PDF, Word, Excel or text) only while the window is open. - When someone on your team replies, the conversation switches to “Human” and the bot stops answering. To hand it back, tap “Execute”, then “Return to bot”. - To message someone first, tap **“New conversation”**. The first message has to be an approved template. ## Templates Templates are messages Meta approves before you send them. You manage them in “Integrations” › “WhatsApp” › “Templates”. - The “Template catalog” has templates written to pass Meta review. Tap “Review”, then “Install”, and it goes for approval right away. - For your own, tap “Write a template”, write the message and tap “Submit to Meta”. While Meta reviews it you see “Waiting for Meta”. It usually answers within a day; tap “Check status” to see whether it's “Approved”. If Meta rejects it, you see the reason and can tap “Edit and resubmit”. Pick the utility category unless the message is a promotion. A marketing message costs about three times as much, and Meta can move promotional wording into marketing even if you picked utility. ## Campaigns “Outreach” sends an approved template to a list of contacts, starting on the Business plan. Tap **“New campaign”**: 1. Name it and pick the number that sends it. 2. Pick the audience: a saved segment, filters, contacts one by one, or a list you import. 3. Pick the template and fill in its fields, such as each person's name. 4. In “When they reply”, decide whether replies go to the inbox or to an Intake Bot. Tap **“Create campaign”** to save it, then review it: you see how many contacts will receive it and the estimated credits. Tap **“Send now”** to send it. People who opted out are left out, and so are people with no recorded opt-in when the template is a marketing one. The campaign goes out in batches, and you can tap “Stop” at any time. With “Stop the campaign if number or message quality turns yellow” on, it stops on its own. ## How messages are charged With “ioZen pays Meta (recommended)”, WhatsApp messages are billed to your purchased credits, never to the credits included with your plan. Before you send a template, the inbox shows how many credits it costs. If your purchased credits run out and auto-recharge is off, your bot stops sending WhatsApp messages. Messages people send you still arrive. You buy credits or turn on auto-recharge in “Settings” › “Billing”. More in [Plans and credits](https://iozen.ai/docs/plans-and-credits). To see which campaign each case comes from, read [Where each case comes from](https://iozen.ai/docs/where-each-case-comes-from). ## Frequently asked questions ### Does the trial include WhatsApp? No. The 14-day trial includes everything except the WhatsApp line. WhatsApp starts on the Business plan. ### Why can't I connect a number? ioZen turns numbers on. If the panel says your workspace has no WhatsApp channel yet, write to us at hello@iozen.ai and we'll add one. If you're already using all your channels, remove a number or write to us to add another. ### Do messages use the credits included with my plan? No. WhatsApp messages are billed to purchased credits, never to the credits included with your plan. ### What happens if I remove a number? It stops receiving messages. If it has conversations, they're kept and the number is unlinked instead of deleted. ### What if my plan stops including WhatsApp? WhatsApp is paused. Messages to your numbers aren't answered, but your numbers and conversations are kept. Move back to a plan with WhatsApp to turn it on again.