Businesses can now seamlessly migrate their phone numbers between WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs) while retaining essential details such as display names, quality ratings, template messaging limits, Official Business Account statuses, and approved high-quality templates. This migration is particularly useful for those looking to switch from one Solution Partner to another.
The whole migration process can be done in a matter of minutes. Until migration is completed by registering the phone number on the Destination WABA, the Source WABA can continue to send and receive messages without service disruption. After migration is complete, the Destination WABA can start sending messages immediately, without any downtime.
In this article, we will understand migration and answer some common questions about the same.
Note: This migration process is different from the migration of Business Apps to WhatsApp Business APIs. Read here to learn more about the same.
Before we get to the migration process. Let us understand some keywords.
Source BSP: The business solution provider (BSP) you are migrating from is called the Source BSP.
Destination BSP: The BSP you are migrating to is the Destination BSP.
Source WhatsApp Business Account (WABA): The WhatsApp Business account the phone number is currently registered to is referred to as, Source WABA.
Destination WABA: The WhatsApp Business account the number will be migrated to is referred to as, Destination WABA.
What gets migrated?
In addition to keeping the registered phone number, business owners can retain the:
1. Display Name
2. Quality Rating
3. Official Business Account Status
4. Messaging Limits
5. Template Messages that have been approved previously.
Streamlined Migration with Embedded Signup
The Embedded Signup process simplifies migration, making it the preferred method. This process automatically generates and grants ownership of all necessary assets, provides your app with access to these assets, and reduces the number of required API calls.
Migration Process Overview
Initiate Migration: Merchants can begin the migration process using your Embedded Signup implementation. Customers will be prompted to enter their business phone number and the new destination WABA.
Generate and Associate WABA: Once the customer completes the process, Embedded Signup generates a new WABA, associates it with their Meta Business Account, and grants your app access to it. The new WABA ID and business phone number ID are then returned.
Capture and Utilize IDs: You must capture these IDs to share your credit line, subscribe to webhooks, and register the number for Cloud API use. After completing registration, the business phone number is reassociated with the new WABA and ready for messaging.
Since the business phone number remains unchanged, its display name, quality rating, messaging limit, and Official Business Account status are preserved. Eligible templates are automatically duplicated in the new WABA with their original statuses, and all media associated with the business phone number remains accessible.
WhatsApp Business Accounts
Embedded Signup simplifies the generation of the new WABA, associating it with the user’s Meta Business Account, and granting your app access.
Templates
Eligible templates are automatically duplicated in the new WABA, maintaining their quality ratings and statuses. Only templates with an APPROVED status and GREEN quality score are duplicated. If the new WABA reaches its template limit, unduplicated templates must be recreated and resubmitted for approval. Note that template quality ratings will initially be UNKNOWN and will update within 24 hours based on data availability.
Billing and Downtime
Messages sent before migration completion are billed to the old Solution Partner. Messages sent post-migration are charged to the new partner. Downtime only occurs during the final registration step and lasts until template duplication is complete. During this period, the business phone number is unavailable for messaging.
Rate Limits and Limitations
Template duplication during migration does not impact your rate limit, but other API calls do. Note that test business phone numbers from WhatsApp cannot be migrated, and message history and media won’t migrate if the source WABA uses On-Premises API. Business phone numbers must have an approved display name with no pending changes, and template quality ratings will reset to UNKNOWN.
Migration Pre-requisites
Customers must ensure their Meta Business Account is verified, their existing WABA is approved with a valid payment method, and two-step verification is disabled. Solution Providers must have at least one app subscribed to webhooks on the destination WABA and use Embedded Signup version 2 with session logging enabled.
Migration Steps
1. Disable Two-Step Verification: Ensure customers disable two-step verification on their business phone number using WhatsApp Manager or by contacting their current Solution Provider.
2. Access Embedded Signup: Direct customers to your Embedded Signup implementation to provide their business phone number and display name.
3. Capture Asset IDs: Record the business phone number ID and new WABA returned upon process completion.
4. Share Credit Line: Allocate your credit line to the new WABA as you would during customer onboarding.
5. Subscribe to Webhooks: Subscribe your app to webhooks on the new WABA.
6. Register for Cloud API: Register the business phone number for Cloud API use.
By following these steps, businesses can smoothly transition their WhatsApp Business numbers, ensuring continuity and preserving essential account details.
