How the WhatsApp Connection Works
Every new Remo project connects to WhatsApp the same way: through Meta, using Coexistence. This page explains what that means for your number, what it costs, and why the old QR-code method is still mentioned but no longer offered.
Coexistence, in Plain Terms
Your number stays exactly where it is. It remains signed in to the WhatsApp Business app on your phone, your team keeps opening that app and replying to clients by hand, and the bot answers on the same number at the same time. Nothing is moved, nothing is taken away, and clients see one continuous conversation.
You start the connection from Configuration → Advanced → WhatsApp provider, choose Meta Cloud API, and Meta's own popup handles the rest — about ten minutes of signing in, confirming details, and verifying the number.
The full walkthrough, including what Remo imports for you afterwards, is on Connecting With Coexistence.
Coexistence Compared With WAHA
| What Matters | Coexistence (Current) | WAHA (Legacy) |
|---|---|---|
| Available on new projects | Yes — this is the standard way to connect | No — the option is hidden and can't be selected |
| Who provides it | Meta, through the official WhatsApp Business Platform | An unofficial layer that signs in the way WhatsApp Web does |
| How you connect | A guided popup from Meta, in roughly ten minutes | Scanning a QR code with your phone |
| Your number on the phone | Stays live — your team keeps using the WhatsApp Business app | Stays live, but the phone has to stay online or the bot stops |
| Staying connected | Nothing to re-scan; the connection doesn't expire | The session can drop and needs a fresh QR scan |
| Past conversations | Up to 180 days imported automatically when you connect | Not imported |
| Messaging a client after 24 hours of silence | Requires a template Meta has approved | Free text, no template |
| Meta conversation fees | Yes — Meta bills you directly | None |
| Typing indicator and human-like reply delay | Not available | Available |
What Meta Requires Once You're Connected
Two Meta rules shape how the bot behaves, and they apply to every business on the Cloud API.
The 24-Hour Window
When a client messages you, a 24-hour window opens. Inside that window the bot can reply freely, in its own words, as many times as the conversation needs. That covers almost everything the bot does day to day, because the bot is answering someone who just wrote in.
Once 24 hours pass with no message from the client, the window closes. From that point on, anything your business sends first has to use a message template that Meta approved in advance. This is Meta's rule, not Remo's, and it applies to every business on the platform.
Templates for Business-Initiated Messages
A template is a message you write once and submit to Meta for review. Once it's approved, Remo can send it with the details filled in — a name, a time, an address — even though the 24-hour window has closed.
In practice this matters most for follow-up messages. A follow-up to someone who went quiet three days ago falls outside the window, so it goes out as an approved template rather than as free text. Template wording, approval times, and the default set Remo can generate for you are covered on Meta API Setup and Message Templates.
Meta's Conversation Fees
Meta charges per conversation, not per message, and it bills your business directly. Those charges are entirely separate from your Remo subscription and from your Remo credits. Rates vary by country and by whether the client or your business started the conversation — your account manager can tell you the rates for your region.
Meta invoices you for WhatsApp conversations. Remo invoices you for the platform. Neither one covers the other, so budget for both when you plan volume. See Credits & Usage for the Remo side.
WAHA, and Why You Probably Can't Use It
WAHA connected a number by scanning a QR code, exactly like linking WhatsApp Web to your browser. It was fast, it was free of Meta's fees, and for a long time it was how most projects started.
It is now legacy. WAHA cannot be selected on new projects — the option is hidden in the dashboard, switching a project's provider to WAHA is refused, and saving a WAHA configuration on a new project is refused too. There is no workaround, and asking your account manager will not unlock it.
If your project is already on WAHA, nothing has been taken away:
- It keeps working — the bot goes on sending and receiving exactly as before
- The QR page stays — you can still reconnect after a session drop
- You can move to Meta whenever you want — there's no deadline and no forced cutover
Keeping an existing WAHA session healthy is covered on WAHA Connection (Legacy).
Which One Applies to You
| If you... | Then |
|---|---|
| Are setting up a brand-new project | You'll connect with Coexistence — it's the only option on the tile |
| Already run a project on WAHA | Nothing changes today; move to Meta when it suits you |
| Want your team to keep answering from the phone | Coexistence was built for exactly that |
| Need an unusual setup your account manager arranged | See the assisted path on Meta API Setup and Message Templates |
If you're here to actually connect a number, skip ahead to Connecting With Coexistence. It's the page with the buttons, the popup, and the ten-minute path.