Connect WhatsApp to Cooby: which option is right for you?

Cooby tracks your team's WhatsApp conversations so they show up in your workspace and sync to your CRM. There are three ways a team member's WhatsApp can connect, and you can mix them across your team — each person picks the one that fits how they use WhatsApp.

One rule to remember: a team member is on either Cloud Sync or Extension Sync — never both. The API connection can sit alongside either one (the API then carries 1:1 chats, and Cloud Sync or the extension carries group chats).

Option 1: Connect to the WhatsApp API (recommended)

One connection covers every starting point:
a. You already use the WhatsApp Business app. Keep chatting on your phone exactly as before. Cooby connects the same number to the WhatsApp API in the background, tracks new messages automatically, and imports up to 6 months of chat history. Nothing about your day-to-day WhatsApp changes.
b. You want to move fully onto the API. Stop using the WhatsApp Business app and handle every conversation through Cooby instead.
c. You don't have a WhatsApp number yet. Create an API-only cloud number and start fresh — no phone or SIM required.

Before you start (scenario a only)

• Your phone, with the WhatsApp Business app installed — version 2.24.17 or newer (just update to the latest).
• This works with the WhatsApp Business app, not regular WhatsApp. Using regular WhatsApp? Meta's guide explains how to switch — your chats come with you.

Setup steps

1. In Cooby, go to Connect WhatsApp (it's step 3 of onboarding, or the WhatsApp connections tab in the left sidebar → API → Connect any time).
2. Click Connect my WhatsApp. A Meta window opens.
3. Log in with Facebook and follow the steps:
4. • Enter your WhatsApp Business number.
   • Meta shows a pairing code.
   • On your phone, the WhatsApp Business app asks you to confirm — tap Connect and enter the code.
4. When WhatsApp asks about sharing chat history, we recommend allowing it — that's what lets Cooby import up to 6 months of past conversations into your workspace and CRM. If you skip it, only new messages are tracked (you can enable it later from your phone).
5. Done. You'll see the import progress in Cooby; new messages start syncing immediately.

Keep your number healthy: open the WhatsApp Business app on your phone at least once every couple of weeks. Meta disconnects numbers after about 14 days of phone inactivity — if that happens, Cooby shows an Action needed status and reconnecting takes one tap.

Option 2: Connect via QR code (Cloud Sync)

For WhatsApp numbers that stay off the API — including personal (individual) WhatsApp numbers. Cooby tracks their group chats and 1-on-1 chats through a secure cloud pairing, the same way you'd link WhatsApp Web.
Also the right choice when a member already has an API connection but needs group chats tracked too: Cloud Sync then runs in groups-only mode alongside the API automatically.

Setup steps

1. Go to Connect WhatsApp → Show QR code (or the WhatsApp connections tab in the left sidebar → Cloud Sync → Connect).
2. On your phone, open WhatsApp → Settings → Linked devices → Link a device.
3. Scan the QR code shown in Cooby.
4. That's it — syncing runs in the cloud from then on; your phone doesn't need to stay online.

Option 3: Extension Sync (existing customers)

If your team already uses the Cooby Chrome extension on WhatsApp Web, nothing changes — your chats keep syncing exactly as before, and your members show up in the workspace with an Extension Sync badge. There's no migration required.
When you're ready for cloud-based syncing (no browser tab needed), any member can switch by connecting via the API or Cloud Sync above — the moment a Cloud Sync connection is live, it takes over from the extension for that member.

Which one should I choose?

• My team uses the WhatsApp Business app → WhatsApp API (keep the app, scenario a).
• My team uses personal WhatsApp numbers → Cloud Sync via QR code.
• I need group chats tracked → Cloud Sync (alone, or alongside an API connection).
• I want a dedicated number just for the team/API → WhatsApp API with a new cloud number (scenario c).
• We already run the Cooby extension → keep it, or switch members to API/Cloud Sync whenever you like.

You can check what each member is on at any time in the WhatsApp connections tab (left sidebar, just below Conversations) — the Extension / Cloud Sync column shows the member’s non-API channel, the API connection column shows their API status, and the How syncing works column spells it out in plain language (e.g. "1:1 chats through the API · Groups through Cloud Sync").

Setting up your team

1. Invite members: Settings → Members → Invite members. Each teammate gets an email invite.
2. Members connect their own WhatsApp: when a teammate joins, they go through the same short setup — verify email, tell us their name, connect WhatsApp, connect CRM. Each member connects their own number, choosing whichever option above fits them.
3. Skipping is fine: members can skip the WhatsApp step during onboarding and connect later from the WhatsApp connections tab — either method.
4. Control who can connect: in Settings → Members, the WhatsApp Connection Permission toggle controls whether a member can connect at all. Switched off, that member can't connect via the API or Cloud Sync until an admin re-enables it.
5. Connect your CRM once for the workspace: HubSpot or Salesforce, from onboarding or the Integration Center. Conversations from every connected member sync according to your workspace's permissions.

Privacy note

Cooby imports business chats so your team can see them according to your workspace's permission settings — admins control who sees whose conversations. Replies currently happen in WhatsApp itself; the Cooby inbox is for viewing, organizing, tagging, and closing conversations.

Troubleshooting

• "The Meta window closed before finishing" — just hit Try again; the connection restarts cleanly.
• "Common causes" error after the Meta flow — usually one of: using regular WhatsApp instead of the WhatsApp Business app, an outdated app version (< 2.24.17), or closing the window early.
• Connection shows "Action needed" — open the WhatsApp Business app on the phone; Meta flags numbers idle for ~14 days.
• Connect buttons are greyed out — an admin has turned off your WhatsApp Connection Permission in member settings; ask them to re-enable it.
• History didn't import — history sharing was declined on the phone during setup. You can allow it later from the WhatsApp Business app, or reconnect and allow it when asked.

Updated on: 05/07/2026