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Connect your number, and keep it safe

Everything you need to get your WhatsApp keys from Meta, connect them to BeFree, and message your clients without breaking WhatsApp's rules.

Get your WhatsApp keys11 steps · about 30 minutes Stay within WhatsApp's rulesConsent, content, frequency, quality Fix common problemsErrors and what to do

Get your WhatsApp keys

BeFree connects to your number through Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API. You need four values from Meta: an access token, a phone number ID, a WhatsApp Business Account ID and an app secret. Here is how to get each one.

Before you start

  • A Facebook account, to log in to Meta's business tools.
  • A phone number for your business that can receive an SMS or a call.
  • The number must not be active in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. If it is, back up your chats, then delete the account in the app (Settings → Account → Delete account).
  • A bank card to pay Meta's conversation fees.
  • About 30 minutes.

  1. Create a Meta business portfolio

    Go to business.facebook.com and create a business portfolio with your company name, your name and a work email. If your company already has one, use it.

  2. Create a Meta app

    Go to developers.facebook.com/apps → Create app. Choose the use case Other, then the app type Business, give it a name (for example “BeFree WhatsApp”) and connect it to your business portfolio.

  3. Add WhatsApp to the app

    On the app's dashboard, find WhatsApp and click Set up. Meta creates a WhatsApp Business Account for your company, with a free test number.

  4. Add your real phone number

    Open WhatsApp → API Setup and click Add phone number. Enter the display name your clients will see (it must match your business name), your business category, then the number. Confirm it with the code Meta sends by SMS or call.

    The display name is reviewed by Meta. Use your real business name, not a slogan or a person's name.

  5. Copy the phone number ID and WhatsApp Business Account ID

    Still in WhatsApp → API Setup, choose your number in the From list. Copy the two numbers shown below it: Phone number ID and WhatsApp Business Account ID.

    These are long numbers, not your phone number.

  6. Create a permanent access token

    The token shown on the API Setup page expires after 24 hours, so create a permanent one. Go to business.facebook.com/settings → Users → System users → Add. Name it “BeFree” with the role Admin.

    1. Click Assign assets: select your app (full control), then your WhatsApp account (full control).
    2. Click Generate new token, choose your app, set the expiration to Never.
    3. Tick the permissions whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management, then generate.
    4. Copy the token right away (it starts with EAA). Meta shows it only once.

    Keep the token secret: anyone who has it can send messages from your number.

  7. Copy the app secret

    Back on developers.facebook.com, open your app → App settings → Basic. Next to App secret, click Show and copy it. It's 32 letters and digits.

    The app secret lets BeFree check that incoming messages really come from Meta. Don't confuse it with the access token.

  8. Paste everything in BeFree

    In BeFree, open Settings → WhatsApp connection. Paste the access token, the phone number ID, the WhatsApp Business Account ID and the app secret, then click Save.

    BeFree then registers your number with WhatsApp (it creates a 6-digit security PIN and keeps it encrypted) and connects your WhatsApp account to your Meta app. Click Test connection to check everything.

    If your number already has a two-step verification PIN, BeFree asks for it. Forgot it? Turn two-step verification off in WhatsApp Manager → Phone numbers, then register again.

  9. Set up the webhook

    The webhook is how Meta sends you your clients' messages. In your app, open WhatsApp → Configuration → Edit. Paste the Callback URL and the Verify token shown in BeFree under Settings → Webhook, then click Verify and save.

    Under Webhook fields, click Manage and subscribe to messages (and calls if you use WhatsApp calls).

    Meta allows only one callback URL per app. If another company in BeFree already uses this Meta app, keep the URL that's there: it works for all your numbers.

  10. Add a payment method and go live

    Meta charges conversations directly. In WhatsApp Manager → Payment settings, add a card. Then, at the top of your app's dashboard, switch the app from Development to Live (Meta asks for a privacy policy link). Clients' messages only reach BeFree once the app is live.

    Verifying your business (business.facebook.com → Security center → Start verification) lets Meta raise your daily limit faster and shows clients your business is real.

  11. Create your message templates

    To write first to a client, or to send a campaign, WhatsApp requires an approved template. In WhatsApp Manager → Message templates → Create template, pick a category (Marketing for promotions, Utility for orders and account updates), a language, and write the text. Use {{1}} for the client's name.

    Meta usually approves templates within minutes, sometimes up to 24 hours. They then appear in BeFree automatically.

That's it — you're connected. Send a WhatsApp message to your number from another phone: it appears in your BeFree inbox within seconds. Open your inbox
Good practices

Stay within WhatsApp's rules

WhatsApp limits or bans numbers when people block or report them. These habits keep your quality rating green and your number safe.

1Consent

  • Only send campaigns to clients who agreed to receive WhatsApp messages from you, and keep a record of how they agreed.
  • Make it easy to stop: tell clients they can reply STOP. BeFree unsubscribes them automatically.
  • Never buy, rent or copy phone number lists.
  • Never message people who unsubscribed, even from another number.

2Content

  • Say who you are in the first line and address the client by name.
  • Keep messages short, useful and specific: an order update, a real offer, a reminder they asked for.
  • Choose the right template category: Marketing for promotions, Utility for orders and accounts.
  • Avoid ALL CAPS, piles of emojis and shortened links: they look like spam.
  • Never promote what WhatsApp forbids: weapons, drugs, tobacco, alcohol, adult content, gambling, fake documents, or misleading health and money claims.

3Frequency

  • Send at most one or two promotions per client per week.
  • Send during the day, at times that suit your clients — not at night.
  • With a new number, start with your most engaged clients and grow little by little: Meta raises your daily limit as your quality stays high.
  • Don't send the same promotion again to people who didn't answer.

4Quality

  • Check your number's quality rating in Number health before every campaign. If it turns yellow, stop marketing for a few days.
  • Use tags to send each offer only to the clients it concerns.
  • Answer clients quickly: replies within 24 hours are free and build trust.
  • Don't keep messaging clients who never reply: remove them from your campaigns.

5Your account

  • Complete your WhatsApp business profile: logo, description, address, opening hours and website.
  • Verify your business with Meta and use a display name that matches it.
  • Never use the same number in the WhatsApp app, WhatsApp Web automation or unofficial bulk-sending tools.
  • Never share your access token. If someone else had it, generate a new one.

!If your quality drops

  • Pause marketing campaigns and keep only replies and order updates for a few days.
  • Look at your latest campaign results: many unsubscribes or failures show which message or audience was the problem.
  • Change the message, send it to a smaller and more interested audience, then start again slowly.

Read the official rules: WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · WhatsApp Commerce Policy

Troubleshooting

Fix common problems

“Access token expired” or error 190

You probably used the temporary token from the API Setup page. Create a permanent system user token (step 6) and paste it in Settings.

Clients' messages don't arrive in BeFree

Check, in this order: the webhook is verified and subscribed to messages (step 9); the app is Live, not in Development (step 10); the app secret in BeFree matches the one in App settings → Basic. BeFree's Settings page shows when the last event from Meta arrived.

“This number already has a two-step verification PIN”

Enter that PIN in Settings → Number registration and click Register number. If nobody knows it, turn two-step verification off in WhatsApp Manager → Phone numbers → your number → Two-step verification, then register again.

“The 24-hour reply window is closed”

WhatsApp only allows free-form messages within 24 hours of the client's last message. Outside that window, send an approved template; BeFree offers it automatically.

“Template not found”

The template isn't approved yet, or doesn't exist in that language. Check its status in WhatsApp Manager → Message templates.

“Not reachable on WhatsApp” in campaign results

The number isn't on WhatsApp, or its owner hasn't updated the app. Check the number; retrying rarely helps.

My daily limit is only 250 clients

Every new number starts there. Meta raises it to 1,000, then 10,000 and more as you send good-quality messages. Verifying your business helps. Larger campaigns simply continue the next day.

Still stuck? Write to your BeFree administrator, or reply to any email we sent you.