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WhatsApp Cloud API

This article walks you through connecting Meta's WhatsApp Cloud API to RecSphere so your recruiters can send and receive WhatsApp messages from the Inbox. Setup is one-off and involves both the Meta side and the RecSphere side.

Prerequisites​

Before you start, make sure you have all of the following:

  • A verified Meta Business account. Business verification can take a few days, so begin early.
  • A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) inside your Meta Business account.
  • One or more dedicated phone numbers for WhatsApp Business. These cannot be in use on a personal WhatsApp account.
  • Permission to create and manage apps in Meta for Developers.
Pre-Meta-app-review limits

During pre-review, you can message a limited number of unique recipients per day. Daily limits scale after Meta approves the app, so plan your rollout accordingly.

1. Create the app on Meta​

  1. Sign in to Meta for Developers and open My Apps > Create App.
  2. Choose Business as the app type.
  3. Give the app a name (for example, "RecSphere Ltd WhatsApp") and link it to your Meta Business account.
  4. Once created, add the WhatsApp product to the app.

Inside the WhatsApp product, link your WhatsApp Business Account and add the phone numbers you will use.

2. Get the access token and phone number IDs​

  1. In the WhatsApp product, open API Setup.
  2. Generate a system user access token with the whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management permissions.
  3. Copy the token.
  4. Copy the Phone number ID for each number you want to connect.

3. Paste tokens into RecSphere​

  1. Open Settings > Integrations > WhatsApp Cloud API.
  2. Click Connect.
  3. Paste the system user access token.
  4. For each phone number, paste the Phone number ID and give it a friendly label (for example, "Permanent placements line").
  5. Click Save, then Test connection.

If the test succeeds, the panel shows a green status indicator and lists the connected numbers.

4. Assign numbers to recruiters​

Each recruiter sends from a single WhatsApp number. Assign numbers so messages are attributed correctly.

  1. In the WhatsApp panel, open the Number assignment tab.
  2. For each recruiter (for example, John Smith), pick the WhatsApp number they should send from.
  3. Click Save assignments.

Recruiters without an assigned number cannot send WhatsApp messages, although they can still receive them in the shared Inbox.

5. Approve message templates​

Meta requires that any first message to a new contact uses a pre-approved template (a marketing or utility template). To submit a template:

  1. In the WhatsApp panel, open the Templates tab.
  2. Click Add template.
  3. Choose a category (Marketing, Utility or Authentication).
  4. Write the template body. Use {{1}}, {{2}} etc. for variables that you will fill in at send time.
  5. Click Submit for review.

Meta usually approves templates within a few hours. Approved templates appear automatically in the Communications template picker; see Templates.

Meta app review​

Until Meta has reviewed and approved your app, daily send limits apply. To submit for review:

  1. In Meta for Developers, open your app and go to App Review.
  2. Add the whatsapp_business_messaging permission.
  3. Provide the requested business documentation and a short use case description.

Approval is usually granted within a few business days. Once approved, your daily send limits increase in tiers based on quality rating.

Rotating tokens​

Meta access tokens should be rotated periodically.

  1. Generate a new system user access token in Meta.
  2. In RecSphere, open the WhatsApp panel and click Rotate token.
  3. Paste the new token and click Save.

The old token is invalidated immediately. There is no message-delivery downtime as long as the new token is saved before you revoke the old one in Meta.