---
title: "WhatsApp coexistence"
description: "WhatsApp coexistence is a Meta onboarding path that lets a business keep using the WhatsApp Business app on its phone while the same number is also connected to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API)."
canonical: "https://omnichannels.ai/glossary/whatsapp-coexistence/"
language: "en"
updated: "2026-11-06"
publisher: "BroadNet Technologies"
brand: "OmniChannels.ai"
---

# WhatsApp coexistence

Canonical: https://omnichannels.ai/glossary/whatsapp-coexistence/
Language: en
Publisher: OmniChannels.ai by BroadNet Technologies

**Definition:** WhatsApp coexistence is a Meta onboarding path that lets a business keep using the WhatsApp Business app on its phone while the same number is also connected to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API).

With coexistence, one phone number works in the WhatsApp Business app and on the Cloud API at once, so a team can answer in the app while templates, campaigns and automation run through the API. It is set up by a Solution Partner or Tech Provider through Embedded Signup.

Meta's documentation lists WhatsApp Business app version 2.24.17 or higher, and says messages from the most recent 180 days, about six months, and contacts can be synchronised. Group chats are not synchronised, and broadcast lists and some app features do not carry over.

Numbers used with both the app and the API have a fixed throughput of 20 messages per second, so a large broadcast takes longer than on an API-only number. Messages sent from the app remain free, while messages sent through the API are billed at Cloud API rates under Meta's pricing.

Coexistence suits small teams that want to start automating without losing the app; a full migration suits high volume, many agents or features the app cannot provide. It depends on the provider's setup and your number's eligibility, so ask our team whether your number can onboard this way.

## Sources

- [Onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (coexistence), Meta for Developers](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/embedded-signup/onboarding-business-app-users)
- [WhatsApp Business Platform pricing, Meta for Developers](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing)