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WhatsApp Business lets businesses communicate with customers on WhatsApp. The WhatsApp Business connector lets your Lovable app receive customer messages, send replies and notifications from your business phone number, and manage message templates. WhatsApp Business is available as an app + chat connector: one shared connection that works in the chat while you build and in your published apps. With WhatsApp Business, your app can:
  • Receive customer messages and reply from a support inbox or automated workflow
  • Send order updates and appointment reminders using approved templates
  • Track whether messages are sent, delivered, read, or failed
  • List, create, and delete message templates
Use it when your business already uses WhatsApp and you want to handle conversations alongside orders, bookings, or support requests in your app.

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Common use cases and example apps

These examples show what you can build with WhatsApp Business, each with a prompt to start from.

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How to connect WhatsApp Business

Who can create WhatsApp Business connections depends on your plan and workspace settings. App + chat connectors are available by default on Free, Pro, and Business plans. On Enterprise plans, they are effectively disabled at first: Who can create connections and clients defaults to No one until an admin changes it in Connectors → Admin settings → App + chat connectors. Each connection represents one business account and phone number. You can create multiple connections, but each project can use only one WhatsApp Business connection. When the connection is created, you can link it to the projects where you want to use it. Anyone building in a project can ask Lovable in chat to link their project to it.

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Prerequisites

Before connecting WhatsApp Business, make sure you have:
  • A Meta account with permission to authorize the WhatsApp Business account you want to connect
  • An existing WhatsApp Business account and business phone number eligible for Meta’s setup flow
  • Permission to create connections in your Lovable workspace (see Who can create connections and clients)
Meta bills you directly for WhatsApp Business usage, not through Lovable credits. Meta’s pricing, messaging limits, and Business Messaging Policy apply, including customer opt-in requirements.

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Set up your WhatsApp Business connection

You authorize the connection through Meta’s guided signup. You do not need to create a Meta developer app or copy an API key.
1

Open WhatsApp Business in Connectors

Open Connectors and select WhatsApp Business. For the other places to open the catalog from, see Where to find connectors.
2

Add a connection

Click Add connection.
3

Name the connection

In Display name, name the connection (for example, WhatsApp Support). This name is only used inside Lovable to identify the connection.
4

Choose who can use this connection

Under Who can use this connection, decide who in your workspace can use the connection. You start as the only person with access:
  • Only you (default): leave the access list as is; only you can use the connection and its associated data.
  • Invite specific people: add workspace members by email; only you and the people you add can use the connection and its associated data.
  • Invite entire workspace: click Invite entire workspace to make the connection available to everyone in your Lovable workspace.
See Who can use connections and clients for more information.
5

Connect with Meta

Click Connect. A Meta Embedded Signup window opens, so make sure your browser doesn’t block pop-ups.Sign in to Meta if prompted, select your business account and phone number, and review the requested permissions. If Meta offers the option to connect your existing WhatsApp Business app, follow its on-screen instructions.Complete the signup and wait for Lovable to finish setting up the connection.
When connected, anyone building in a project can ask Lovable in chat to link their project to WhatsApp Business (based on configured connection-level access). Your Lovable apps can then send messages from the connected business phone number.

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Receive messages and delivery updates

Lovable automatically selects the first project linked to your connection to receive incoming messages and delivery updates. You do not need to select it manually. Linking another project keeps the existing destination. The receiving project needs a message receiver and must use TanStack Start, Lovable’s latest template. If you have an older project, upgrade it to TanStack Start first.
1

Build and publish the receiver

In your linked project, ask Lovable to add incoming messages and delivery tracking. For example:
Publish the app after Lovable builds the receiver. Lovable handles the connection to Meta. You do not need to configure a webhook in Meta yourself.
2

Check the conversation

Send a WhatsApp message from another phone to your connected business number. If you are unsure which number is connected, ask Lovable to check it. Check that the message appears in your app, then reply from the app and confirm the reply arrives on the phone.

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Receive messages in another project

You can change the destination to another linked project. Only one project receives incoming messages and delivery updates at a time.
1

Prepare the other project

Ask Lovable in that project to link the existing WhatsApp Business connection and build a message receiver. Publish the app when it is ready.
2

Change the destination

Open Connectors → WhatsApp Business, then open your connection. Under Incoming messages, select the other project. This setting applies to everyone using the connection.
Select None under Incoming messages to stop forwarding events to a project. Other linked projects can still send messages through the connection.

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Send replies and template messages

You can send free-form replies during the 24-hour customer-service window after a customer’s most recent message. Outside that window, you must use a Meta-approved message template, such as an order update or appointment reminder. Ask Lovable to list your templates or create one for your app. Meta reviews new templates before you can send them. For example:
Templates belong to your WhatsApp Business account. Deleting a template affects every app that uses it. Editing existing templates is not supported. To change a template through this connector, create a new one. To check whether a template is ready, ask Lovable for its review status. Lovable reads the status directly from Meta and tells you in chat whether it is approved, pending, or rejected. You do not need to find it in WhatsApp Manager.

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Sync WhatsApp Business app chats and contacts

If you connect an eligible number from the WhatsApp Business app, your Lovable app can receive messages sent from the phone and request past chats and contacts. Publish the receiver before asking Lovable to import them. If you use the connection in several projects, check that Incoming messages points to the project receiving the import. Meta accepts chat and contact sync requests only within 24 hours of connecting the number. Reconnecting in Lovable alone does not restart this window. After it closes, disconnect the number in the WhatsApp Business app under Settings → Account → Business Platform → Disconnect Account, then connect it again in Lovable.

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Limitations

The WhatsApp Business connector has these limitations:
  • Incoming messages and delivery updates cannot go to multiple projects at once. Only the project selected under Incoming messages receives them.
  • Older React + Vite projects cannot receive incoming messages through this connector.
  • During Meta’s display-name review, Meta may limit the connection to a small number of business-initiated test messages per day.
  • The connector does not support per-end-user WhatsApp Business login. Each connection represents one business account and phone number shared across the projects linked to it.
Deleting a connection in Lovable does not unregister your phone number or revoke Lovable’s authorization at Meta. Manage those separately in Meta.

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Troubleshooting

If setup or messaging fails, check the following:
If the number is not yet connected to the WhatsApp Cloud API, turn off its two-step verification in WhatsApp Manager, then connect again. Already-connected Cloud API numbers and eligible WhatsApp Business app numbers do not need this step.
Open Connectors → WhatsApp Business, select your connection, and check Incoming messages. The first linked project is selected automatically, but the setting may have changed or been cleared. Select the intended linked project if needed.Ask Lovable to check that the message receiver is running and inspect its logs.
Ask Lovable to check the template’s status and the error returned when it was created. Every variable needs a sample value. Missing samples can produce INVALID_FORMAT. If Meta reports “Params Words Ratio Exceeds Limit”, add more descriptive text around the variables. Ask Lovable to create a revised template, then wait for Meta’s approval before sending it.
Check whether the 24-hour customer-service window is open. Outside it, use an approved template with the correct language and values. Recipient numbers must include the country code. API requests use digits only, without the leading +.

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Manage your WhatsApp Business connection

Connections are managed from Connectors: select WhatsApp Business, then open the connection.
  • Unlink projects to remove WhatsApp Business access from specific projects while keeping the connection available for others. See Unlink projects from a connection for the steps.
  • Delete the connection to remove it from the workspace entirely. Deleting is permanent. It removes the credentials from all linked projects, and app features that use WhatsApp Business stop working until a new connection is added. See Delete a connection for the steps and who can delete.