# WhatsApp (/docs/integrations/whatsapp)

Connect WhatsApp Business to Sift to handle 1:1 customer messages in the same inbox as everything else - track inbound, reply, send CSAT prompts after closing, and keep the full conversation history attached to a customer profile.

## At a glance [#at-a-glance]

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Inbound: Direct messages (1:1 business ↔ customer) | ✅ |
| Inbound: Text, media, location, contact card | ✅ |
| Inbound: Interactive button replies (CSAT tap-to-rate) | ✅ |
| Inbound: Group messages | ❌ |
| Inbound: Channels (broadcast) | 🔜 Coming soon |
| Outbound: Reply with text / media | ✅ inside 24h window |
| Outbound: Reply with template message | ✅ outside 24h window |
| Outbound: Interactive CSAT button prompt on close | ✅ |
| Multi-WABA + multi-phone-number | ✅ |
| Per-number queue routing | ✅ |
| Auto-reply bots | ✅ |
| Consumer (non-Business) WhatsApp | ❌ |

## Set it up [#set-it-up]

{/* setup-screenshot */}
<figure>
  <img src="/assets/screenshots/whatsapp/setup.png" alt="The WhatsApp settings page in Sift, showing connected accounts (account names redacted for the docs)." />
  <figcaption>WhatsApp settings in Sift - manage connected accounts here.</figcaption>
</figure>

Go to [Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp](https://app.getsift.ai/app/settings/integrations/) and:

1. **Connect via Meta Business Platform**: sign in as an admin of the Facebook Business Manager that owns the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) you want to link.
2. **Pick the WABA(s)** Sift should manage.
3. **Pick which phone numbers** within each WABA you want tracked - Sift can be selective.
4. **Assign each number to a queue** (optional) so brand- or region-specific routing works out of the gate.

You need admin access in Meta Business Manager to authorize the connection.

## What you can do [#what-you-can-do]

**Reply with text or media** from the inbox - Sift sends via the official WhatsApp Cloud API as the business number the customer messaged. **Send a CSAT prompt at close**: Sift posts an interactive 1–3 star button message so the customer can rate in one tap; their response comes back as an action update.

**Trigger workflows** off WhatsApp-specific signals - number, language, business hours, button tap. Route to the right team automatically. **Apply auto-reply bots** for FAQ patterns or off-hours acknowledgements.

Multi-number brand families work without mixing channels: connect multiple WABAs and multiple phone numbers per WABA, each with its own queue, routing rules, and bot behavior. The inbox shows which number each conversation came in on.

## The 24-hour window [#the-24-hour-window]

Meta restricts how businesses can message customers on WhatsApp. **Inside 24 hours** of the customer's most recent message, you can send anything - text, media, interactive prompts. **Outside 24 hours**, only pre-approved template messages.

Sift tracks this window per conversation and surfaces it in the composer so agents know when they're free-typing vs. template-only. Template authoring is done on Meta's side (in the WhatsApp Business Manager); Sift uses your approved templates when an agent picks one from the composer.

## Pricing note [#pricing-note]

Meta charges per conversation on WhatsApp Business (separate from Sift's pricing). Rates depend on category (utility, marketing, service) and country. Check Meta's current pricing - Sift doesn't add a markup.

## What Sift ingests [#what-sift-ingests]

Every message a customer sends to one of your tracked WhatsApp Business numbers becomes an action in the inbox, threaded by (customer phone number, business phone number) so a returning customer hits the same thread.

**Supported message types:**
- Text
- Media - image, video, audio, document
- Location pins
- Contact cards
- Button replies (when the customer taps a button you sent - e.g. a CSAT rating)

## Not supported today [#not-supported-today]

- **WhatsApp Groups**: Sift handles 1:1 business ↔ customer threads only.
- **WhatsApp Channels** (broadcast) - coming soon.
- **End-to-end-encrypted consumer WhatsApp**: Sift requires a WhatsApp Business Account on the Cloud API; the consumer WhatsApp app can't be connected.