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This page covers the technical setup inside Meta — Business Manager, display name, phone number cleanup, and admin access. Most “stuck connecting” support tickets trace back to a missed item here.
Before you start, make sure your business documents and payment method are ready. See the Onboarding checklist for the upstream business prerequisites.

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Checklist

A Meta Business Manager account
Meta business verification submitted (you can connect before it completes)
A phone number not currently active on WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business
A display name that complies with Meta’s rules
Admin access to the Business Manager via your Facebook login
SMS or voice reachability on the number you’re connecting
A website and business email matching your display name

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1. Meta Business Manager

Meta Business Manager — also called Business Suite — is the free Meta workspace that holds your Pages, ad accounts, Instagram accounts, and WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs). You need exactly one for your business.
1

Open business.facebook.com

Sign in with your personal Facebook account.
2

Create or open your Business Manager

If you already run Facebook/Instagram ads, you have one — check at business.facebook.com/overview. Otherwise click Create Account in the top-right.
3

Use your legal business name

The Business Manager name must match the legal name on your registration certificate. Mismatches block verification later.
4

Confirm your email

Click the link Meta sends to the admin email address.
Do not create multiple Business Managers for the same business. Meta enforces a strict one-business-one-Manager rule and will reject duplicates.

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2. Business verification

Verification is Meta’s review of your business documents. It unlocks higher messaging tiers and removes the trial cap.
StatusMessaging limitDisplay name
Un-verified (trial)250 unique contacts / 24hRestricted
Verified1K → 10K → 100K → unlimited (tier-based)Full flexibility
You can connect Xobito and start sending before verification completes — the 250-contact trial is more than enough to test. Verification is required to scale.
Start verification at Business Manager → Settings → Security Center → Start Verification. The documents you’ll need are listed in the Onboarding checklist. Review takes hours to two weeks depending on region and queue depth.

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3. Phone number cleanup

This is the technical step that trips up the most users. The number you connect must satisfy all of:
Real, reachable number that can receive SMS or international voice OTP
Not currently active on the consumer WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Business app
Not used on another WhatsApp Business Platform account in the last 60 days (unless reconnecting your own)
Not previously banned by WhatsApp

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Removing a number from the consumer WhatsApp app

If the number is currently on WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business, you must delete the account from the app before Meta will let you register it for the API.
Deletion is irreversible. All chat history tied to this number on the consumer apps is permanently lost. Back up first if any of it matters.
1

Back up chats

On the phone with the number: Settings → Chats → Chat Backup → Back Up Now.
2

Delete the WhatsApp account

Settings → Account → Delete My Account. Enter the number in full international format.
3

Wait 15–30 minutes

Give Meta’s systems time to release the number from the consumer pool.
4

Proceed to the Xobito connect flow

The number is now eligible for the Business API.

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Using a fresh or VoIP number

A brand-new SIM or VoIP line (Twilio, Plivo, Vonage) works equally well as long as it can receive at least one OTP.
After Meta verifies the number once, you don’t need a SIM in a physical phone. VoIP numbers run on the API indefinitely. Keep access to the number though — Meta occasionally re-verifies.

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4. Display name

Your display name is what appears in your customer’s WhatsApp chat list — e.g. Acme Store or Acme Support. Meta reviews every requested name against their display name guidelines. Rules:
Must relate to your actual business name in Business Manager and on your website
Must not be misleading — no “Official [Brand]” if you’re not the brand owner
Must not be a generic word alone — “Support” or “Team” needs your business name attached
No slogans, emoji, or ALL-CAPS marketing phrases
3 to 25 characters
AcceptableRejected
Acme StoreBest Deals Ever
Acme SupportSUPPORT
Acme Bookings🔥 Acme 🔥
Acme — IndiaOfficial Apple Reseller (if not authorized)
Repeated display name rejections can trigger a 30-day cooldown on that WABA before you can submit again. Review the guidelines carefully and only submit a name you’re confident in.

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5. Facebook admin access

The connect flow opens Meta’s embedded signup inside a Facebook Login dialog. The personal Facebook account you log in with must:
Be an Admin of the Business Manager (not Employee, not Analyst)
Have WhatsApp Business Account permissions (auto-granted to Admins)
Not be locked, restricted, or under security review
Have two-factor authentication enabled
Verify your role at business.facebook.com/settings/people under Users → People. If you only see “Employee” next to your name, ask an existing admin to upgrade your role before starting the connect flow.
If you’d rather not use your personal Facebook profile, create a dedicated work-only account, add it as a Business Manager admin, and use that one for the connect flow. Meta requires a personal account to anchor every Business Manager — this is Meta’s design, not Xobito’s.

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6. Website and business email

Meta opens your website during display name and verification review. A weak or absent web presence is one of the top reasons display names get rejected. Strongly recommended:
  • A live website on your own domain showing business name, services, contact details, and a privacy policy
  • A business email on your own domain (e.g. contact@acme.com) — generic @gmail.com addresses lower the trust signal Meta uses for fast-track approval
Without a domain-matching website and email, expect display name reviews to take longer and your initial messaging quality rating to start lower. Connection itself will still work.

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Troubleshooting

Meta accepts sole proprietors and freelancers, but you must provide documentation tying you to the trading activity — tax registration, professional license, or equivalent. If you have no business documentation at all, the WhatsApp Business API is not yet appropriate for you. Meta requires business use.
Open Business Manager → Settings → Security Center. Look for any “More info needed” banner — Meta sometimes requests additional documents without sending an email. If there’s no banner and it’s been over 14 days, open a support case through the Business Manager Help Center.
Switch from SMS to Call me in the Meta dialog — some carriers block automated SMS from Meta gateways. Confirm the number is entered in full international format with country code (no leading zeros). VoIP numbers occasionally need the voice option specifically.
The number is still active on the consumer WhatsApp or Business app, or Meta hasn’t released it after deletion yet. Delete it from the app (see section 3), wait 15–30 minutes, then retry.
The most common cause is a name that doesn’t appear on your website. Add the exact name to your site header and footer, wait 24 hours for Meta to re-crawl, then resubmit. If you’ve been rejected twice, wait the full cooldown before the third attempt to avoid a 30-day lockout.
Create a separate Facebook account for work, add it as an Admin of the Business Manager, and log in with that. Meta requires a personal Facebook profile to own each Business Manager — there is no workaround.

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Ready to connect

When every checkbox above is ticked, you’re set.

Onboarding checklist

The upstream business and document prerequisites.

Connect Meta Business

Walk through the embedded signup with screenshots.