Setting up WhatsApp - 3CX or Meta issue?

[Jeanette]

Hi,

Spent over an hour trying to set up Whatsapp with a customer. There were already a verified Business.

We've added a phone number, and on Meta it looks like it's all ready to do, with the exception of "Publish App"

We assume that we need to publish before it goes live, as when trying to send a Whatsapp to the phone number (UK mobile, hosted on Twilio), we only see the option to "invite user". However, we can't figure out how to publish, the Meta page just goes round in circles asking him to complete API testing. (-At this stage it doesn't need an API, it'll just be the phone number, provided direct to clients), and northing he does within the Graph API page seems to do anything.

IWe've added the webhook to Meta, and the Auth token and Phone Number ID to 3CX, and followed all the steps as best as we could, even though the 3CX guide is now very out of date.

Have I missed a step on 3CX, or is it really just the 'Publish' option (which isn't mentioned on 3CX guide at all) to bring it live? -I keep seeing people talk about SIP trunks, but I thought that as long as the phone number is on an existing trunk, we just use the "Add Messaging > WhatsApp" option

 

[KyriacosS_3CX]

Hi,

Have you been following this guide: https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/whatsapp/ ?

If I am understanding your post correctly, you are trying to initiate a conversation from the Whatsapp side - this is a key part of the document:

• WhatsApp integration is intended to answer inbound messages only. You cannot initiate a conversation with a WhatsApp user. The WhatsApp user must send you a message first. You will then have 24 hours to respond to the message.

 

[Jeanette]

Hi,

Have you been following this guide: https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/whatsapp/ ?

If I am understanding your post correctly, you are trying to initiate a conversation from the Whatsapp side - this is a key part of the document:

• WhatsApp integration is intended to answer inbound messages only. You cannot initiate a conversation with a WhatsApp user. The WhatsApp user must send you a message first. You will then have 24 hours to respond to the message.

Hi yes, that's the guide we used.

No, you've misunderstood I was testing from my personal WhatsApp, trying to send a message to the client's new number. We both understand the messaging restrictions. I only had the ability to "invite" when adding a new contact, so WhatsApp doesn't seem to see that the number is already on the service

He received an SMS into 3CX to invite him to join WhatsApp, but of course the number has already been added on the Meta side.


Is this because the CLI is included as a DID on the Twilio Trunk as well? (which is set up for SMS)

 

[Alphabetic]

You should still be able to send a whatsapp to the number regardless of its configuration in 3cx (receiving it is another matter).

Did you confirm the number within the Meta page? I believe this process can take a day or two.

 

[Jeanette]

You should still be able to send a whatsapp to the number regardless of its configuration in 3cx (receiving it is another matter).

Did you confirm the number within the Meta page? I believe this process can take a day or two.

Thanks.

There was a test process where Meta sent a test phonecall with a OTP for the customer to add. -This was successful, and there was no information given by meta to say that there would be any other verification period.

Customer is out till Monday now, so if that's the case, hopefully it'll work then! I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[Jeanette]

Update:

I'm still looking for answers.

It took a while for Meta to update the phone number and allow the app to be published. After that, the phone number is now showing as a live business account in WhatsApp, and I'm able to send a message from my personal Whatsapp to the number, BUT it's not being received in 3CX.

The number has been allocated directly as a DDI to my contact for testing. The phone number has never been used for anything other than this, and the Whatsapp wasn't used on a mobile before hand.

The plan is to put the number against a customer services ring group once fully tested.

 

[KyriacosS_3CX]

Hi,

Have 24 hours passed since Meta progressed to add/allow the number?