The number you choose decides how much a mistake costs. If you link it to the official Cloud API, it is a company number that should last for years. If you link it through Baileys (QR code), you may lose it. The golden rule is this: do not put through an API the number your customers already know, unless you accept the consequences. The exact conditions of each route are Meta’s and they change; check them in its documentation before buying or moving a number.
The criteria
| Criterion |
Why it matters |
| It belongs to the company, not to a person |
If the number is on an employee’s phone, it leaves with them. Register it in the company’s name. |
| It can receive the verification code |
Meta confirms the number by SMS or call. A number that only sends, or that is switched off, will not pass. |
| It is dedicated |
According to Meta’s documentation, a number linked to the Cloud API has its own conditions compared with the ordinary app. Read them before deciding. |
| It is stable |
Changing number halfway loses the history and the name customers recognise. |
| Its country code fits your audience |
A number from your customers’ country inspires more trust than a foreign one. |
Choosing by route
| Route |
Which number |
Watch out |
| Official Cloud API |
A new, dedicated number that can receive Meta’s code. |
Understand, from Meta’s documentation, what happens to a number already on ordinary WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business. |
| Evolution API with Baileys |
A trial or secondary number you can afford to lose. |
Baileys is unofficial: a ban is a real risk with no appeal. |
| Experimenting |
The test number Meta offers in the dashboard, or a trial SIM. |
Never test with your main number. |
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Do not move your main number to an API without knowing what happens to the account. Linking a number already used on WhatsApp to an API can, under Meta’s rules, change how that number works. Read the current terms and rehearse with another number first. And if it is through Baileys, accept that you may lose it.
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Before buying or moving
| 2 |
Pick the number by the criteria above, in the company’s name.
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| 3 |
Confirm it receives the verification code, by SMS or by call.
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| 4 |
Check Meta’s conditions for that number and for the display name. They change.
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| 5 |
Rehearse with a secondary number before touching what customers use.
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| 6 |
Keep access to the number somewhere safe. Whoever controls the number controls the account.
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After choosing
With the number chosen, the next steps are the Cloud API ones in getting started with Meta, or the Evolution API ones in connecting an instance with the QR. If you still hesitate between ordinary WhatsApp, Business and the API, see which one suits your business.
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Choosing the number is also choosing whom you write to. Even with the best technology, write only to people who consented. That is the rule that protects a number most, whichever route you take.
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