It used to be that connecting your number to the WhatsApp Business API meant removing it from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone. That scared business owners: "will the number my customers know stop working?". Meta now supports Coexistence.
What is Coexistence?
The same number works in two places at once:
- The WhatsApp Business app on your phone, as before.
- A platform like aref.ai connected to the API, where the AI agent replies.
What happens after connecting
- Past conversations: you can import up to 6 months of history and contacts, so the agent knows your customers from day one. Imported chats arrive closed and are never answered.
- Your replies from the phone: if you reply yourself from the app, the reply shows in the inbox as a staff message and the chat switches to "team" mode, so the agent stays quiet.
- New customers: the agent answers them from your knowledge.
How to connect the number
- On the Connect page in aref.ai choose "WhatsApp on the WhatsApp Business app".
- Log in with the Facebook account that owns your business and pick the number.
- Confirm on your phone when the app asks.
- Agree to share history if you want past conversations imported.
Things to know
- The 24-hour window still applies: more than 24 hours after a customer's last message, messages must be approved templates.
- Campaigns are sent with approved templates only, and need the customer's consent.
- If you don't need the app on your phone, you can connect the number to the API directly.
Why it matters
You don't have to choose between "I reply myself" and "the agent replies". Both work, and you step in whenever you like. Start at start your free trial or read WhatsApp chatbot for business: the complete 2026 guide to choosing and running a smart auto-reply.