Connecting WhatsApp to Your Avochato Inbox

What connecting WhatsApp does

Connecting a WhatsApp number lets your team send and receive WhatsApp messages from an Avochato inbox, right alongside texts. WhatsApp conversations land in the same inbox and use the same assignments, tags, templates and automations you already have.

Setup takes about 10 minutes. You sign in with Facebook, pick or create your company's WhatsApp Business Account, verify the phone number, and Avochato takes care of the rest. There is no additional charge to WhatsApp enable your phone number.

Only account managers and admins see the WhatsApp page in Settings. If you do not see it, ask a manager on your account to run the setup or to make you a manager.

Before you start

Have these ready and the setup goes through in one sitting:

A manager or admin role on the Avochato account.

A Facebook login that can manage your company on Meta. If your company has never used Facebook or Instagram for business, you can create the business during setup.

Your real business name. Meta reviews the name customers will see. Use the name on your website or storefront, without extras like "Official", emoji or slogans.

Basic business details for your WhatsApp profile: category, website and time zone.

Step by step

In Avochato, open Settings, then select WhatsApp under Verify Business.

Pick the phone number. The inbox's own number is selected by default.

Enter the display name customers will see. This is your business name as it appears in a customer's WhatsApp chat.

Click Connect with Facebook. A Facebook window opens. If nothing appears, allow pop-ups for avochato.com and click again.

Sign in to Facebook with the login that manages your business.

Choose your business. Pick your company's business portfolio from the list, or create one if this is your company's first time on Meta.

Choose a WhatsApp account. Pick Create a WhatsApp account unless your company already has one it wants to reuse. An existing account that shows a number as "linked" is already in use elsewhere, so leave it alone.

Fill in your business profile. Category, website and time zone appear on your WhatsApp profile. You can change them later in Meta's WhatsApp Manager.

Verify the number. The number you picked is filled in. Meta sends a 6-digit code by text or call. If you chose the inbox's own number, the code arrives in Avochato. Look for the green box on the WhatsApp settings page that reads Code texted to your number, and type that code into the Facebook window. You can also find the code in your Avochato inbox.

Review and confirm. The last screen lists the business, the WhatsApp account and the phone number you are sharing with Avochato. Check that the phone number is the one you expect, then click Confirm.

Wait for Connected. Back in Avochato the number appears under WhatsApp numbers. Its status updates on its own, usually within a few minutes. Once it reads Connected, your inbox can message on WhatsApp.

If you close the Facebook window partway through, nothing is lost. Click Connect with Facebook again and pick up where you left off.

What the statuses mean

Each number under WhatsApp numbers shows where it is in setup. Most numbers move from top to bottom of this table in a few minutes.

Status	What it means	What to do
Waiting for Facebook setup	You started setup but the Facebook window was not finished.	Click Connect with Facebook to continue, or Remove to start over.
Registering with WhatsApp	Meta and Avochato are linking the number.	Nothing. This usually takes under a minute.
Needs verification code	Meta is waiting for the 6-digit code for a number you own.	Enter the code in the box next to the number and click Verify.
Verifying	The code was accepted and the number is being activated.	Nothing.
Offline	The number is linked but not yet ready to send.	Wait a few minutes. Right after setup this is normal. If it stays offline for more than an hour, see the questions below.
Connected	Ready. Your inbox can send and receive WhatsApp messages.	Start messaging.
Failed	Setup stopped. The reason appears in red under the number.	Read the reason, click Remove, fix the cause and connect again.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Facebook window never opened, or closed on its own. Your browser blocked the pop-up. Allow pop-ups for avochato.com, then click Connect with Facebook again. If you see "WhatsApp setup was closed before it finished", the window was closed early and you can simply start again.

The code box says it came from a number I do not recognize. Meta sends the code from its own numbers. The green box shows when it arrived and from where so you can match it against the WhatsApp text in your inbox. If the code is right and the time lines up, it is safe to use.

Meta says the number is already in use. The number is signed in to the WhatsApp app or connected through another provider. Delete it from WhatsApp on that phone (Settings, Account, Delete account) or ask the other provider to release it, wait a few minutes, and try again.

Meta says I need to delete a number or request more. Businesses that have not completed Meta business verification may hold two WhatsApp numbers. Remove an unused number in Meta's WhatsApp Manager, or complete business verification in Meta Business Suite to raise the limit, then close the Facebook window and start again.

The number shows Failed. The reason is printed under the number. Click Remove, fix what it describes, and connect again. If the message is not something you can act on, send it to support@avochato.com and we will sort it out.

My display name was not approved. Meta rejects names that do not match a real business, contain words like "Official", or use emoji. Update the name in Meta's WhatsApp Manager to your legal or trading name. Messages still send while the name is under review.

I want to disconnect a number. Numbers that are still setting up or have failed can be removed from the WhatsApp settings page. A connected number cannot be removed there, so contact support@avochato.com to disconnect it.

I have several inboxes. Connect each inbox's number separately. They all go into the same WhatsApp Business Account for your company, so create the account once and pick it again for the other inboxes.

After you connect

Customers can message your WhatsApp number right away, and those conversations open in the inbox like any other. Your team can reply freely for 24 hours after a customer's last message.

To start a conversation yourself, or to reply after that 24-hour window has passed, WhatsApp requires a message template that Meta has approved. See Submitting a Template for WhatsApp to get your first templates approved. Plan on this before your first outbound campaign, since review can take up to a day.

Two optional steps raise your limits later. Completing Meta business verification in Meta Business Suite lifts the cap of 250 new conversations a day that applies to unverified businesses. Keeping response times quick and opt-outs low keeps your quality rating high, which Meta uses to raise that cap further.