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

Cooby syncs your team's WhatsApp conversations to your Cooby Workspace and your CRM. Each team member can connect in one of three ways, and different members can use different options.

Compare the options

Past messages are imported only on the Growth and Custom plans, whichever option you use. On the Trial and Starter plans, syncing starts from the moment you connect.

Which one should I choose?

• You use the WhatsApp Business app. Choose the WhatsApp Business API. You can keep using the app on your phone.
• You use a personal WhatsApp number. Choose Cloud Sync.
• You need group chats synced. Choose Cloud Sync, on its own or together with the API.
• You want a new number just for your team. Choose the WhatsApp Business API and create a new number.
• Your team already uses the Cooby extension. Keep using it, or add Cloud Sync or the API whenever you are ready.

How the options work together

• You can install the Cooby extension and link Cloud Sync at the same time. They do not conflict.
• Only one of them syncs at a time. When WhatsApp Web is open with the Cooby extension installed, the extension syncs. When it is not, Cloud Sync syncs.
• You can add the WhatsApp Business API alongside either one. The API then syncs your 1:1 chats, and Cloud Sync or the extension syncs your group chats.

Option 1. WhatsApp Business API (recommended)

The API works for three situations.

• You already use the WhatsApp Business app. Keep chatting on your phone as usual. Cooby connects the same number to the API, syncs new messages, and can import up to 6 months of past chats.
• You want to move fully to the API. Stop using the WhatsApp Business app and reply to every conversation in Cooby.
• You do not have a number yet. Create a new API number in Cooby. You do not need a phone or SIM card.

If you already use the WhatsApp Business app

Check these two things before you connect.

• Update the WhatsApp Business app on your phone to the latest version.
• Make sure it is the WhatsApp Business app, not regular WhatsApp. If you use regular WhatsApp, follow Meta's guide to switch. Your chats move over with you.

Connect

1. In your Cooby Workspace, go to WhatsApp Connections and click Connect under API. You can also do this in step 3 of onboarding.
2. Click Connect my WhatsApp. A Meta window opens.
3. Log in with Facebook and enter your WhatsApp Business number.
4. Meta shows a pairing code. On your phone, tap Connect in the WhatsApp Business app and enter the code.
5. When WhatsApp asks to share your chat history, allow it. This lets Cooby import up to 6 months of past chats. If you skip it, only new messages sync. You can turn it on later from your phone.
6. Wait for the import to finish. New messages start syncing right away.

Keep your number active

Open the WhatsApp Business app on your phone at least once every two weeks. Meta disconnects numbers after about 14 days without phone activity. If this happens, Cooby shows Action needed, and you can reconnect in one tap.

Option 2. Cloud Sync

Use Cloud Sync for personal WhatsApp numbers, or to sync group chats when you already use the API. Cloud Sync links to WhatsApp the same way WhatsApp Web does. When you also use the API, Cloud Sync only syncs your group chats.

Connect

1. In your Cooby Workspace, go to WhatsApp Connections and click Connect under Cloud Sync. During onboarding, click Show QR code instead.
2. On your phone, open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Linked devices > Link a device.
3. Scan the QR code shown in Cooby.

Syncing now runs in the cloud. Your phone does not need to stay online.

Option 3. Chrome Extension

If your team already uses the Cooby Chrome extension on WhatsApp Web, nothing changes. Your chats keep syncing as before, and members show an Extension Sync badge in your Workspace. You do not need to migrate.

Want syncing that works without a browser? Link Cloud Sync or connect the API at any time. Cloud Sync syncs whenever WhatsApp Web with the extension is closed.

Check each member's connection

Go to WhatsApp Connections in your Cooby Workspace.

• API Connection shows each member's API status.
• Extension / Cloud Sync shows their other connection.
• How Syncing Works explains it in plain words, for example "1:1 chats through the API · Groups through Cloud Sync".

Set up your team

1. Invite members. Go to Settings > Members and click Invite members.
2. Each member connects their own WhatsApp. New members verify their email, add their name, connect WhatsApp, and connect the CRM. They can skip the WhatsApp step and connect later from WhatsApp Connections.
3. Control who can connect. In Settings > Members, turn WhatsApp Connection Permission on or off for each member. When it is off, the member cannot connect through the API or Cloud Sync.
4. Connect your CRM once. Connect HubSpot or Salesforce from onboarding or the Integration Center. Every connected member's conversations then sync based on your Workspace permissions.

Privacy

Admins control who can see whose conversations. Cooby only imports chats so your team can see them based on these permission settings.

Troubleshooting

• The Meta window closed before I finished. Click Try again. The connection restarts from the beginning.
• I see an error after the Meta steps. Check that you use the WhatsApp Business app, not regular WhatsApp, that the app is updated to the latest version, and that you did not close the window early.
• My connection shows Action needed. Open the WhatsApp Business app on your phone. Meta flags numbers that have been inactive for about 14 days.
• The Connect buttons are greyed out. An admin has turned off your WhatsApp Connection Permission. Ask them to turn it back on.
• My chat history was not imported. History sharing was declined on your phone during setup. Allow it later in the WhatsApp Business app, or reconnect and allow it when asked.

We hope this helps. For any questions, reach out to support@cooby.co 💜

Updated on: 14/10/2026