> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documents.xobito.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect Meta Business

> The complete step-by-step walkthrough for connecting your WhatsApp Business account to Xobito using Meta's embedded signup.

This is the main connection guide. By the end of it, your WhatsApp number will be linked to Xobito and ready to send.

<Note>
  Before you start, please complete the [Prerequisites](/whatsapp/prerequisites). If you haven't, at least half of these steps will fail.
</Note>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Embedded signup (recommended)">
    The walkthrough below covers the **Login with Facebook** embedded signup flow — the fastest path when your dashboard exposes it.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Manual credentials (self-hosted / fallback)">
    Some installations expose a manual form instead of (or alongside) the Meta-embedded popup. Use this path when:

    * Your dashboard does not show the **Login with Facebook** button.
    * You're connecting a WABA your Meta admin already configured outside Xobito.

    You will need three values from Meta Business Manager:

    | Field                                              | Where to get it                                                                                                                                                     |
    | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | **App ID** (`wm_fb_app_id`)                        | Meta App Dashboard → your app → App settings → Basic → App ID                                                                                                       |
    | **Business Account ID** (`wm_business_account_id`) | Meta Business Manager → WhatsApp Manager → Settings → WhatsApp Business Account ID                                                                                  |
    | **Permanent Access Token** (`wm_access_token`)     | Meta Business Manager → System Users → your system user → Generate token (select your app + WhatsApp Business Management + WhatsApp Business Messaging permissions) |

    Paste each value into the Connect WhatsApp form and **Save**. Xobito validates the credentials with Meta immediately; you'll see a green Connected badge or a clear error.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## What you're about to do

You'll open **Meta's official embedded signup dialog** from inside Xobito, log in with Facebook, pick (or create) a WABA, pick (or add) a phone number, verify it with an OTP, and let Xobito finalize the handshake. Total time: **\~5 minutes** if the prerequisites are in place.

## Step 1 — Open the connect page in Xobito

<Steps>
  <Step title="Log into Xobito">
    Go to [dash.xobito.com](https://dash.xobito.com) and sign in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the sidebar">
    On the left, expand the **Setup** section.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Connect WhatsApp'">
    You land on the connection page with a big **Login with Facebook** button.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 2 — Click 'Login with Facebook'

Click the blue **Login with Facebook** button. Meta's embedded dialog opens in a new pop-up window.

<Warning>
  If nothing happens when you click, your browser probably blocked the pop-up. Look for a small pop-up-blocked icon in the address bar and allow pop-ups from `dash.xobito.com`, then click the button again.
</Warning>

## Step 3 — Log into Facebook

Inside the pop-up:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enter your Facebook email and password">
    Use the personal Facebook account that is an **Admin** of your Business Manager.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Continue as [Your Name]'">
    Meta asks you to confirm it's you.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  Xobito never sees your Facebook password. The login happens inside Meta's own dialog — we only receive a secure access token at the end.
</Info>

## Step 4 — Pick your Business Manager

Meta asks which Business Manager you want to connect. If you have only one, it's pre-selected.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select the Business Manager">
    Choose the one that owns (or will own) this WhatsApp number.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Continue'">
    Meta moves to the WABA selection screen.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 5 — Pick or create a WABA

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Use an existing WABA">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Select the WABA from the list">
        Meta shows the WABAs your Business Manager owns.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Click 'Continue'">
        You'll then pick a phone number inside this WABA.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Create a new WABA">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Click 'Create a WhatsApp Business Account'">
        A form opens.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Enter the WABA name">
        This is the **internal label** — different from your display name. You can name it anything like "Acme — Production".
      </Step>

      <Step title="Choose timezone and category">
        Pick your business timezone and a category that fits (Retail, Services, Education, etc.).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Click 'Continue'">
        The WABA is created on Meta's side.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Step 6 — Add the phone number

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click 'Add phone number'">
    Or select an already-added number if you have one.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your display name">
    The name customers will see — follow [display name rules](/whatsapp/prerequisites#4-display-name-rules).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the business category">
    Pick the category that best fits your use case (e.g. E-commerce, Education, Financial Services).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick country and enter the phone number">
    Full international format, digits only. Meta pre-fills the country code.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose verification method">
    **Text (SMS)** or **Call**. Pick whichever works — if SMS fails, retry with Call.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Send Code'">
    Meta sends the 6-digit OTP.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 7 — Verify with the OTP

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enter the 6-digit code">
    Arrives within 1–2 minutes.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Verify'">
    If correct, the number flips to **Verified**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Continue'">
    Meta moves to the final confirmation step.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Enter the code carefully. After 3 wrong attempts Meta locks OTP for **\~30 minutes**.
</Warning>

## Step 8 — Grant permissions and finish

Meta's final screen asks you to grant Xobito permission to send messages on behalf of your WABA.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Review the permissions">
    Xobito requests: manage WhatsApp messaging, view and manage WABA, manage business assets. All required.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Continue' / 'Allow'">
    Meta generates a secure access token for Xobito.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for the success screen">
    The dialog closes automatically. You're back on Xobito's connect page.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Check>If you see the success banner and your phone number listed, you're connected.</Check>

## Step 9 — What Xobito does in the background

In the \~10 seconds after the dialog closes, Xobito:

1. **Stores** the Meta access token (encrypted).
2. **Registers** your webhook URL with Meta so incoming messages reach us.
3. **Syncs** any existing templates from your WABA into Xobito.
4. **Reads** your phone number's display name, quality rating, and messaging tier.
5. **Marks** the account as active in **Setup → Account**.

You don't have to do anything here — it's all automatic.

## Step 10 — Send a test message

Let's prove it works.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Chat in the sidebar">
    The Live Inbox opens.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'New Chat'">
    A contact picker appears.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your own phone number">
    Use the same number that's connected only as a contact if you have a second WhatsApp — or a friend's number with their permission.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send the 'hello_world' template">
    Click **Send Template**, choose `hello_world`, and click **Send**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the receiving phone">
    You should see the message appear in WhatsApp within a few seconds.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  If the test message arrives, your connection is 100% healthy. If it doesn't, jump to the troubleshooting section below.
</Tip>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Error: 'Login with Facebook' does nothing">
    Your browser is blocking the pop-up. Allow pop-ups for `dash.xobito.com` and try again. In Safari, also enable "Cross-site tracking" for this site or use Chrome/Firefox.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Error: 'No Business Manager found'">
    The Facebook account you logged in with is not an admin of any Business Manager. Either log in with an account that is, or create a new Business Manager at [business.facebook.com](https://business.facebook.com).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Error: 'This phone number is already registered'">
    The number is still on the WhatsApp/Business app, or Meta hasn't released it after deletion. Delete it from the app, wait 15–30 minutes, then retry.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Error: 'Display name rejected'">
    Your display name violates [Meta's naming rules](/whatsapp/prerequisites#4-display-name-rules). Common fixes: include your actual business name, drop generic words ("Support", "Team"), remove emoji and ALL CAPS. Retry with a compliant name.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The OTP never arrives">
    Try switching from **SMS** to **Call** in Meta's dialog — some carriers block automated SMS from Meta. If Call also fails, the number may not be able to receive international calls; try a different number.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I verified but Xobito still shows 'Not connected'">
    Refresh the page. If still nothing, go to **Setup → Account** and look for an error banner. Most commonly: a permission was denied in the Meta dialog. Start the connect flow again and approve all requested permissions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I see 'Webhook registration failed'">
    Rare, but it happens if Meta is having an outage. Wait 5 minutes and click the **Retry Webhook** button on the Account page. See [Webhook Setup](/whatsapp/webhook-setup) for manual options.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My test message sent but the other phone didn't receive it">
    Three likely causes: (1) the receiving number is on the WhatsApp app but with a cached block — ask them to open WhatsApp; (2) the receiving number has never opted into receiving messages from businesses — they need to reply `START` or message you once first; (3) your quality rating is Red and Meta throttled the send — check **Setup → Account**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I selected the wrong WABA or number and want to redo it">
    Go to **Setup → Account**, click **Disconnect**, then run the connect flow again from scratch. See [Disconnect](/whatsapp/disconnect) for details on what gets reset.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The embedded signup window closes suddenly mid-flow">
    Usually a browser extension (ad blocker, tracking blocker) interfering with Meta's dialog. Disable extensions for `dash.xobito.com` and `facebook.com`, or try an incognito/private window.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Where to go next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Manage phone numbers" icon="phone" href="/whatsapp/phone-numbers">
    View quality rating, messaging tier, and change display names.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Verify webhook" icon="bolt" href="/whatsapp/webhook-setup">
    Confirm that incoming messages reach Xobito.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a template" icon="file-pen" href="/templates/create-template">
    Design your first branded message and submit for approval.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Import contacts" icon="file-arrow-up" href="/contacts/import-csv">
    Get your audience into Xobito with a CSV.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>