Recently Meta announced the WhatsApp Cloud APIs, now it is accessible for all. Like cloud service companies, Meta will act as a hosting service. Meta will take responsibility for maintenance, computation, storage, network, and all the other infrastructure-related costs that come with it. The Cloud API service will allow businesses to send and receive up to 80 messages per second to a bunch of customer numbers. The service allows multiple phone numbers to be registered on the Cloud API.
Here are step by step instructions on how to setup WhatsApp Cloud API and send your first message
Now, you don’t need to through the BSPs, and apply for direct WhatsApp Cloud API
Setting up the WhatsApp Cloud API
Step 1: Log in to the Facebook developer account
visit developers.facebook.com and log in using your Facebook credentials.
You will then get an option to “Create App.” Click on it.visit www.developers.facebook.com and log in using your Facebook credentials.
You will then get an option to “Create App.” Click on it.
Step 2: Select the app type
In the next step, select “Business” as your app type.
Step 3: Provide basic information
In this next step, you will have to provide basic information about your business. At this juncture, we would like to say that with the introduction of WhatsApp Cloud API, you no longer need a verified Facebook Business Manager account to get up and running, although we still recommend you to get a Facebook Business Manager account verified on the side.
For now, you can select “No Business Manager account selected” and click “Create App.”
Step 4: Set up WhatsApp from the Dashboard
You would now have successfully logged into your Meta dashboard. From here, scroll down to the WhatsApp section and click “Set up.”
Step 5: Accept WhatsApp Business Platform API conditions
The next screen shows you a list of the Terms and Conditions you must accept before using the WhatsApp Cloud API. Hit the “Continue” button, and you are good to go.
Step 6: Send a test message to a WhatsApp-enabled number
We now come to our final screen. Here you are given a unique Phone number ID and a unique WhatsApp Business Account ID. The “From” number is a Test number that is assigned to you. The “To” number is the number you wish to send your first WhatsApp text to.
Step 7: Enter the verification code you received
You will receive a verification code on your mobile phone from Facebook Business. Enter this number into the boxes provided to finish the verification.
Step 8: Send your first message over WhatsApp Cloud API
It is now time for you to test if your integration of the customer number is a success. Select the message that you have just verified from the drop-down box and hit “Send Message.”
Voila. You have just sent your first test message from your unique business number to your verified WhatsApp number over the WhatsApp Cloud API.
The message will look something like this.
Now that you have access to the WhatsApp cloud API, to use it effectively, you need to add an interface.
Cloud APIs will provide with only APIs. If you need have an interface for managing all conversations, creating AI Chatbot, or to provide customer support live chat to customers then it will require using services like Kommunicate that connects with your WhatsApp account.
For more details, refer to :
https://www.kommunicate.io/blog/all-about-whatsapp-cloud-api/
If you are looking to integrated WhatsApp using Twilio API, refer to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YASjK7FLsc&t=1s
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