Coexistence: run the WhatsApp Business app and the API on the same number
You no longer have to choose between your phone and a team inbox. What syncs, what doesn’t, and how to roll it out without surprising customers.
For years, moving to the WhatsApp Business Platform meant giving up the WhatsApp Business app on that number. Coexistence, launched by Meta in 2025, removes that trade-off: the app on your phone and the Cloud API can share the same number.
What syncs
- Messages sent and received are mirrored between the app and the API in real time.
- Recent one-to-one chat history (up to six months) can be brought across when you connect.
- Contacts on WhatsApp can be synced.
What changes
- Group chats aren’t synced.
- Some app features — such as broadcast lists, disappearing and view-once messages in 1:1 chats, and live location — are limited once connected.
- Business tools like catalog, labels, greeting/away messages and quick replies stay in the app and aren’t available through the API.
Our recommendation
Keep the phone for the owner’s quick replies on the go, and let the team work from ThreadWave. Everyone sees the same conversation.
SourcesPlatform limits and prices change often. Check Meta’s current documentation before acting on them.
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