Setting up your Meta & WhatsApp Business account
Guide · 9 min read
Meta's setup has a lot of confusing names — Business Portfolio, WABA, display name, verification. Most people find it more intimidating than it really is. This guide explains every term in plain English, and shows how Yapp's one-click connect does most of it for you.
1.The good news first
When you connect WhatsApp through Yapp, you don't do most of this by hand. Our one-click connect opens a secure Meta window, walks you through a few screens, and sets up the technical pieces for you. This guide exists so the words on those screens make sense — and so you know what to have ready.
On a Pro plan? We'll do the whole setup with you on a call as part of your free onboarding. You don't have to figure any of this out alone.
2.The pieces, in plain English
Four names come up. Here's what each one actually is:
- Facebook account — a personal Facebook login. It's just the "key" you use to sign in to Meta's business tools. Your customers never see it, and it doesn't turn your business into a Facebook page.
- Meta Business Portfolio (previously "Business Manager") — the container that holds your business's assets: your WhatsApp account, any Facebook/Instagram pages, ad accounts, and the people who can access them. Think of it as the folder for your business inside Meta.
- WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) — the account that holds your WhatsApp number(s) and their settings. This is the WhatsApp-specific part that lives inside your Business Portfolio.
- Phone number — the number customers message. It lives under your WABA.
Nested like Russian dolls: Facebook login → Business Portfolio → WhatsApp Business Account → your number.
3.What to have ready before you start
- A Facebook account you can log into (yours or the business owner's).
- A phone number for WhatsApp — see the big gotcha in section 5. It can be a mobile or a landline that can receive an SMS or a call for the one-time verification code.
- Your business name as you want it shown to customers (your "display name").
- Business details — legal name, address, website (helpful for verification later).
4.Choosing your display name
Your display name is what customers see at the top of the chat (e.g. "Rugs Original"). Meta reviews it, so a few rules matter:
- It must reflect your actual business name or brand.
- No all-caps (unless it's your acronym), no emojis, no phone numbers or URLs inside the name.
- It usually gets approved quickly, but can take a little while — so pick it carefully; changing it later means another review.
5.Your number: keep it, or use a fresh one
This used to be the big gotcha — but it's much easier now. Which path you take depends on where your number is today:
- Already on the WhatsApp Business app? Keep it. Thanks to Coexistence, you can connect the number you already use to Yapp and keep using the WhatsApp Business app — your number, your app and your chats all stay (it can even import your last 6 months of history). In Yapp you choose "Connect my existing WhatsApp number" and scan a QR code. Step-by-step here: Connect your existing WhatsApp number.
- On the standard WhatsApp app? Install the free WhatsApp Business app first, set your number up there, then use the Coexistence option above.
- Brand-new number, not on WhatsApp yet? Use "Set up a new number" — Yapp registers it and verifies by SMS or a call.
One rule still holds: a number lives in one place at a time — you can't run the same number on two separate tools at once. But with Coexistence you no longer have to delete it from your Business app (or lose your chats) to add a team inbox.
Not sure which is right for you? This is exactly the kind of thing we sort out on the onboarding call.
6.Business verification (you can do this later)
Meta lets you start messaging before your business is fully verified, but verifying raises your limits (how many people you can message) and unlocks a green tick down the line. Verification means proving you're a real registered business — usually with documents like your company registration and a matching address or website.
You don't need it on day one. Start messaging, then verify when you're ready to scale up.
7.Connecting to Yapp (the easy part)
- Sign up at app.yapp.co.za and go to Settings.
- Under Connect WhatsApp, choose "Connect my existing WhatsApp number" if it's already on the WhatsApp Business app (most people), or "Set up a new number" for a fresh line. A secure Meta window opens.
- Log in with your Facebook account and pick (or create) your Business Portfolio.
- For an existing number, scan the QR code with your WhatsApp Business app. For a new number, enter the verification code Meta sends by SMS or call.
- Done — Yapp sets up the connection and you're ready to receive chats. Send a test message to your number to see it land in your inbox.
If the one-click window doesn't load (an ad-blocker can block it), Yapp shows a manual setup guide as a fallback — or just reach out and we'll help. For the full existing-number walkthrough, see Connect your existing WhatsApp number.
8.You stay in control
It's your WhatsApp account, not ours. You can disconnect Yapp anytime in Settings → Disconnect, or remove our access yourself from your Meta Business settings. We never lock you in. More on that in our Privacy Policy.
Next step: not sure whether you even need the Platform yet? Read WhatsApp Business app vs a shared inbox. Ready to go? Start free.