Moving your WhatsApp Business API number to another provider

The steps, in order

1. 1.Work out which kind of move this is

   There are two, and they are very different. If your WhatsApp Business Account stays where it is and only the software on top changes, nothing at Meta moves at all — no re-approval, no downtime. If the number has to move to a different WhatsApp Business Account, that is a real migration with a short interruption.

   • Open Meta Business Manager and check who owns the WhatsApp Business Account your number sits under. If it is your own business, you are in the first case.
   • If the account belongs to your current provider, ask them to transfer ownership to your Business Manager first. This is your asset and they are obliged to hand it over.

2. 2.Export what lives in the provider, not at Meta

   Contacts, conversation history, saved replies and automations are stored by the provider. Meta has none of them, so nothing carries them across on its own. Export them before you cancel anything.

   • Contacts as CSV, in full international format (+40…) — this is the one that bites later if it is wrong.
   • Your message templates: name, language, category and exact body text. Even when templates migrate, having the source is what makes recreating one a five-minute job.
   • Any automation or flow logic, as notes. It will need rebuilding whatever you do.

3. 3.Turn off two-step verification on the number

   Meta refuses a number migration while two-step verification is on, and the check occasionally reports success while it is still enabled. Confirm it is off before you start rather than halfway through.

   • WhatsApp Manager → the phone number → Two-step verification → disable.
   • Keep the PIN written down: you will set it again on the other side.

4. 4.Connect the number to the new platform

   With Embedded Signup this is a Facebook login, a business selection and a number selection. If the WhatsApp Business Account is not changing, you are done at this point and no message has been lost.

   • The webhook is repointed as part of the connection, which is what actually moves inbound messages to the new platform.
   • A number can only deliver webhooks to one place at a time. Whichever platform was subscribed last receives them.

5. 5.If the number is changing account, run the migration

   Meta carries the display name, the quality rating, the messaging limit tier, Official Business Account status and the approved templates across. What it cannot carry is anything time-bound: open 24-hour customer service windows close, and the number is briefly unreachable while it re-registers.

   • Both accounts must be reachable from the same Meta Business Manager for the transfer to be offered.
   • Register the number on the new account and set the two-step PIN again.
   • Do it outside your busy hours: anyone who messages during the switch will not get a reply until it completes.

6. 6.Check templates before you send anything

   Templates that did not come across have to be recreated and re-approved, which usually takes minutes. Rebuild them before the first campaign, not during it.

   • Re-sync templates on the new platform and compare the list against your export.
   • Recreate anything missing with the same name and language so existing integrations keep working.
   • A rejection at this stage is almost always formatting: no variable at the very start or end, none adjacent, numbered from 1, samples filled in.

7. 7.Send one message to yourself, then start small

   Prove the whole path — send, deliver, reply inbound — with a single message to your own phone. Then let the first day carry a fraction of your usual volume.

   • Watch that the delivery status reaches "read", not just "sent". A message stuck at "sent" means the webhook is not arriving.
   • Reply to your own message from your phone and confirm it appears in the new inbox.
   • Ramp volume over a few days rather than resuming at full rate; a spike in blocks straight after a move is what damages a quality rating.

How long it really takes

A move done properly fits inside a working day, and the part where messages cannot reach you is measured in minutes.

The three things that go wrong

Contacts exported without their country code

0721000001 instead of +40721000001. Meta rejects each one individually, so the first campaign after a move appears to fail entirely for no reason. Fix the export before importing, not after.

Cancelling the old provider before the new one is proven

Keep the old subscription for one more billing cycle. It costs a month and removes the only real risk in the whole exercise.

Resuming at full volume on day one

A migrated number keeps its messaging limit, but a spike in blocks straight after a move is exactly what damages a quality rating. Ramp over a few days.

Frequently asked questions

Do I lose my WhatsApp number if I change provider?

No. The number and the WhatsApp Business Account belong to your business, not to the provider. If the account is currently registered under the provider's Business Manager, ask them to transfer ownership to yours — they are obliged to.

Do approved message templates transfer to a new provider?

Templates belong to the WhatsApp Business Account. If that account does not change, they stay exactly as they are. When a number is migrated between accounts, Meta carries the approved templates across along with the display name, quality rating and messaging limit. Recreating one is a few minutes' work in either case, provided you exported the text first.

How long is my number offline during a migration?

Minutes, not hours, and only when the number actually changes WhatsApp Business Account. If only the software on top changes, there is no interruption at all. Messages sent to you during the switch are not delivered to either platform, so schedule it outside your busy hours.

Does migrating reset my messaging limit back to 250 a day?

No. Meta carries the messaging limit tier and the quality rating over with the number. What does reset is anything time-bound: open 24-hour customer service windows close, so conversations in progress have to be reopened with a template.

Does my conversation history come with me?

No. Chat history is stored by the provider, not by Meta, so nothing transfers it. Export it before you cancel, and expect the new inbox to start empty.

Can two providers be connected to the same number at once?

Not usefully. A number delivers webhooks to one destination, and whichever platform subscribed last receives them. You can keep the old account open as a fallback, but inbound messages will only arrive in one place.