Coexistence lets you connect a team member's existing WhatsApp Business App number to TimelinesAI while they keep using the app on their phone exactly as before. Their 1:1 chats sync into your shared TimelinesAI inbox, and the number gains WhatsApp Business API capabilities — templates, mass messaging, and CRM sync — without the risk of being restricted for cold outreach.
Because starting a WABA connection is an admin action, connecting someone else's number is a short two-person handoff:
The Owner/Admin runs the whole flow in TimelinesAI and Meta — up to the point where a QR code appears.
The team member whose number it is taps a confirmation on their phone and scans that QR code from their own WhatsApp Business App.
Note: Only the team member's phone can complete the linking step. The number lives in the WhatsApp Business App on their device, so the QR code has to be scanned from that phone — which is why the admin hands it over at that point.
When to use this
Use this flow when a team member wants their WhatsApp Business App number in your shared inbox but isn't the one starting the connection in TimelinesAI. If you're connecting your own number, follow WhatsApp Coexistence: setup guide instead.
Before you start
✅ You have the Owner or Admin role in TimelinesAI
✅ You have admin access to a Meta Business Portfolio, with a payment method added — Meta bills template messages directly, and the number can't send templates without it
✅ Your workspace has a free seat — every connected number, WABA or QR, takes one seat. If you're at your limit, disconnect the QR version of the same number first and reconnect it as WABA
✅ The team member has the number active in the WhatsApp Business App on their phone (app version 2.24.17 or later, number active in the app for at least 7 days)
✅ You and the team member can reach each other during setup — in person, on a call, on screen share, or over chat — so the confirmation and the QR code can be handled while the flow is open
Important: Coexistence works with the WhatsApp Business App (the free business app), not the personal WhatsApp app.
Note: During onboarding, all of the team member's other linked devices are unlinked — including WhatsApp Web. They can re-link them right after setup finishes.
Step 1 — Admin: start the connection in TimelinesAI
Open TimelinesAI → WABA accounts.
Click the button to connect a new WABA account.
Read the requirements and limitations, tick the acknowledgement checkbox, and continue. TimelinesAI hands you over to Meta's embedded sign-up window.
Step 2 — Admin: complete the Meta sign-up flow
Log in and continue with your Facebook profile.
Select the Business Portfolio you want the number to belong to.
In the WhatsApp Business account dropdown, choose "Connect a WhatsApp Business App". This is the option that enables Coexistence — it connects an existing app number instead of creating a new one.
Enter the team member's phone number, including the country code, and make sure "Connect your existing WhatsApp Business App" is checked.
Continue.
Step 3 — Team member: confirm the request on their phone
The team member receives a WhatsApp message from Meta / Facebook Business on the number being connected, asking them to connect to a business platform.
They should open it and tap Connect.
Step 4 — Hand the QR code to the team member
A QR code appears in the Meta window on your screen. Get it to the team member:
Have them scan it straight off your screen if you're together, or
Share your screen on a call, or
Send them a screenshot of the QR code.
Step 5 — Team member: scan and finish on the phone
On their phone:
Open the WhatsApp Business App.
Go to Linked Devices → Link a device.
Scan the QR code shared by the admin.
Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm the link.
Step 6 — Admin: finish setup
Back in the Meta window, the WhatsApp Business account name and timezone are now pre-filled from the team member's device. Review them and continue.
If prompted, add a payment method to the Business Portfolio.
Review the permissions summary, click Confirm, then Finish.
TimelinesAI reopens with a Connect WhatsApp Number dialog. Select the correct WABA account and the phone number you just connected, then click Connect.
The number now appears as an active WABA account in WABA accounts, and its chats start syncing into your shared inbox with a WABA label so your team can tell them apart from regular QR-number chats.
After connecting
The team member keeps using the WhatsApp Business App on their phone as usual. Anything they send from the phone or WhatsApp Web syncs into the TimelinesAI chat.
To start a conversation with a new contact from TimelinesAI, an approved template is required. Once the contact replies, a 24-hour service window opens and free-form messages are allowed — each new reply resets the window. See WABA Templates in TimelinesAI.
Ask the team member to open the WhatsApp Business App at least once every 13–14 days. If they don't, the Coexistence link can drop and the number has to be re-onboarded.
Disconnecting
Disconnecting takes two steps, and it's fully reversible:
In TimelinesAI, disable the number. This stops it being used inside TimelinesAI, but doesn't end the Meta connection.
In Meta Business Portfolio, find the number, open the Partners tab, click Manage, and remove access. TimelinesAI no longer has access to the number.
The team member can then reconnect the same number as a regular QR number if they prefer — so trying Coexistence isn't a one-way decision.
Troubleshooting
The team member never got the Meta message. Confirm the phone number was entered with the correct country code and that it's the number currently active in their WhatsApp Business App.
The QR code won't scan or the link fails. Make sure they're scanning from WhatsApp Business App → Linked Devices → Link a device — not the personal WhatsApp app — with an internet connection and an up-to-date app. If the code expired, generate a fresh one.
The team member can't see the number after connecting. Check their role — an Admin role is currently required to use a WABA number (see above).
There's no free seat. Disconnect an unused or banned number in your workspace, or add a seat, then retry.
A campaign message failed with an unusual error. Meta occasionally excludes individual recipients from business messaging as part of its anti-spam experiments. The only way through is for that contact to message you first. See WABA Mass Messaging best practices.
FAQ
Why does the team member have to scan the QR code — can't the admin do it? No. The number lives in the WhatsApp Business App on their phone, and linking a device requires scanning from that phone. The admin runs everything up to and after that point.
Will the team member lose WhatsApp on their phone? No. That's the point of Coexistence — the app keeps working normally on the phone while the number also runs on the API.
Will their chat history be preserved? Existing 1:1 history stays on the phone. Once Coexistence is active, new 1:1 messages are mirrored into TimelinesAI. Group chats are not synced.
Can we connect a personal WhatsApp number this way? No. Coexistence is for the WhatsApp Business App only.
Are messages sent from the phone billed by Meta? No. Meta bills API-initiated conversations. Messages the team member sends from the WhatsApp Business App on their phone are free — which makes the phone a handy way to keep in-window conversations going at no cost.
How long does template approval take? Marketing templates are usually approved within minutes. Utility templates get more scrutiny. The number can be used normally while templates are under review.
Can a Coexistence number be migrated to a standard WABA number later? No. WABA-to-WABA migration isn't supported for numbers onboarded via Coexistence. If you need a standard WABA number, register a different number from scratch.