Connect a WhatsApp Number by Code or QR

Link any WhatsApp number by code or QR.

Everything starts with a linked number: a QR code or a pairing code, a session Wapito keeps alive, and a webhook telling you what state it is in. No business verification, no Meta review, any number.

Last reviewed September 15, 2026

Can the official WhatsApp Cloud API do this?

No. Meta registers the number and takes it off the app.

Read the full comparison

How it works

Read the state, request a pairing code, use the QR only as a fallback, and drive everything else from the channel webhook.

Check the channel state
Read the state before you ask for anything. A code can only be issued while the session is waiting to be linked, so polling for one against a connected channel just produces errors.
API reference for this step
Request a pairing code
Ask for a code for the number you intend to link, and have the person type it into the linked-devices screen on that phone. Codes expire quickly, so request one while they are already looking at the phone.
API reference for this step
Fall back to a QR if you need to
The QR refreshes every few seconds, so stream it to the browser rather than emailing a screenshot. New-device QR linking has been unreliable across engines since mid-2026, which is why the code is the primary path.
API reference for this step
Watch the connection over the webhook
Every state change arrives as an event carrying the new state, the previous one and a reason. A ban needs a human and a restart does not, so branch on the reason rather than treating every disconnect the same.

curl --request GET \
  --url https://api.wapito.com/v1/channel \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer wpt_YOUR_TOKEN'

Endpoints

Webhook events

channelChannel connection state changedonChannel()

What you can build with it

Automate the number customers already know
A shop that has printed its WhatsApp number on every receipt for five years links that same number, so the history, the saved contacts and the reputation come with it instead of starting again on a number nobody recognises.
Onboard a client without a screen share
An agency reads the pairing code over the phone to a client who types it on their own handset, which takes under a minute and avoids photographing a QR from a laptop screen that refreshes while they aim the camera.
Monitor session health in production
An operations dashboard polls the health endpoint and subscribes to the channel webhook, so an unlinked device raises an alert within seconds rather than being discovered when a customer complains that nobody replied.

What the official WhatsApp Cloud API does here

Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API is built for business messaging: templates, customer-service windows and per-conversation pricing. A large part of what WhatsApp itself can do — groups, channels, status, presence, contact lookups — has no endpoint there at all, which is why so many teams end up looking past it. Everything below is checked against Meta's own published reference, with the link and the date we checked it.

Restricted on the Cloud API

No. Meta registers the number and takes it off the app.

On the official platform a number is registered with Meta rather than paired from a phone, and Meta's own documentation is explicit that a registered number can no longer be used with WhatsApp Messenger. Advanced access generally requires business verification as well, so the number, the onboarding and the ownership are all different in kind.

"Registered numbers can still be used for everyday purposes, such as calling and text messages, but cannot be used with WhatsApp Messenger." (verbatim)

Meta's WhatsApp documentation — checked September 15, 2026

The official workaround

Register a second, dedicated number with Meta and keep the human-facing one on the phone. That is a real answer for many businesses - it just is not the same thing as automating the number your customers already message.

Wapito is an independent product. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or certified by WhatsApp or Meta Platforms, Inc. WhatsApp is a trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc.

Medium ban risk — pace this one

Wapito is an unofficial API: it speaks WhatsApp's own protocol rather than Meta's Cloud API, and WhatsApp may ban a number it decides is being automated. This operation changes things other people can see, so doing it in bursts from a new number is the pattern most likely to draw a restriction. Volume, not the endpoint, is what gets numbers banned.

Wapito spaces sends per channel, ramps a new number through a warm-up ladder before it runs at full rate, and blocks cold sends to people who have never messaged you — the three controls that separate a working number from a banned one.

Linking a device is normal; what you do afterwards decides the risk. A brand-new number that starts sending at volume on its first day is the classic ban profile, which is why Wapito counts a warm-up ladder from the moment a number first connects and enforces it on every plan. Link the number, let it hold real conversations, then automate.

Read the anti-ban guide

Gotchas

WhatsApp drops a linked device if the phone has not been seen for roughly two weeks, so the phone has to stay charged and online - act on the reminders before the deadline rather than re-pairing afterwards.
A pairing code is short-lived and single-use. Request it when the person is already on the linked-devices screen, not in advance, or it will have expired by the time they look.

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Frequently asked questions

Should I use a pairing code or a QR?

A pairing code, in almost every case. It can be read aloud, pasted into a chat or typed from a support ticket, and it does not depend on a camera pointed at a refreshing image. QR linking of new devices has also been unreliable across engine libraries since mid-2026, so treat it as the fallback.

Can I keep using WhatsApp on the phone afterwards?

Yes - that is the central difference from the official platform. Wapito links a companion device, exactly like WhatsApp Web, so the human keeps their app, their chats and their history while your automation works alongside them on the same number.

What happens if the session drops?

The channel webhook fires with the new state, the previous state and a reason. A transient engine restart reconnects by itself; a logout by the phone's owner or a ban does not, and both need a person. Branch on the reason rather than retrying blindly into a session that is gone.

Can one phone number be linked to two channels?

A phone supports several linked devices, and a Wapito channel occupies one of those slots, so in principle yes - but running two automations against one number is a good way to double-send and to confuse your own records. Use one channel per number unless you have a specific reason.

Related features

Errors you may hit

Glossary

Try it on your own number

Create a channel, link a WhatsApp number by QR or pairing code, and call the API in a couple of minutes. The Sandbox plan is free and needs no card.

Create a free channel Read the docs