Plain-English guide
The WhatsApp Business API, minus the jargon
API, Cloud API, Business Platform, BSP, Embedded Signup — Meta's naming is a maze. Here's what each piece actually is, what it costs, and how a Shopify store connects in about two minutes.
The map
App vs API: which WhatsApp is which
Meta runs two products for businesses, and the names blur together:
- WhatsApp Business app (free). The phone app. Manual chat, catalogs, quick replies. Perfect at small scale; nothing is automated.
- WhatsApp Business Platform (the API). Programmatic sending and receiving: triggered automations, broadcasts, chatbots, team inboxes. No interface of its own — software provides it.
- Tech Providers / BSPs. The companies Meta authorizes to connect businesses to the API. Recoverly is one — the app you install is the interface on top of the platform.
- Coexistence mode. The newer option that lets ONE number run the app and the API at the same time, chats in sync. The either/or era is over.
One number · both products
WhatsApp Business app
Manual chats from your phone
Business Platform (API)
Automations, broadcasts, AI — via Recoverly
Sync
Same threads on both sides
Setup
Connecting Shopify to the API, step by step
The old way involved developer accounts, webhook servers, and certificate dances. Embedded Signup replaced all of it with a guided popup:
- 1 · Install a connected app. From the Shopify App Store — Recoverly installs like any app, no code.
- 2 · Continue with Meta. Log in with the Facebook account that administers your business in Meta Business Manager.
- 3 · Confirm your number. Pick or add the WhatsApp number. On-app numbers get a QR to scan (Settings › Linked devices) — that's coexistence engaging.
- 4 · Templates to review. Business-initiated messages use Meta-approved templates; ready-made ones submit for approval in one click, usually clearing within minutes.
Embedded Signup · ~2 minutes
Continue with Meta
Business Manager admin login
Number confirmed
+91 98••• ••210
QR scanned
Coexistence linked
First template
cart_reminder_1 · submitted
Costs
The API's real price list
- Meta's conversation fees. Billed per 24-hour conversation window, priced per country and category. Utility (order updates) is cheaper than marketing (promotions). Service conversations customers start are free in most regions.
- No Meta platform fee. The API itself costs nothing; you pay only for conversations you send.
- Software on top. This is where pricing models diverge. Some tools mark up every message; flat-plan tools don't. Recoverly is flat: $0 / $19 / $49 per month, zero per-message markup, no caps.
Where the money goes
Meta · utility conversations
Order + shipping updates
Meta · marketing conversations
Campaigns, cart reminders
Meta · service conversations
Customer-initiated chats
Recoverly markup per message
FAQ
API questions, answered
The WhatsApp Business API (now called the WhatsApp Business Platform, or Cloud API) is Meta's programmatic interface for sending and receiving WhatsApp messages at scale — automations, broadcasts, chatbots. Unlike the free WhatsApp Business app, it has no phone UI of its own; software like Recoverly provides the interface on top.
The app is free, manual, and built for small-scale one-on-one chat from a phone. The API is for automation: triggered messages, bulk broadcasts to opted-in lists, chatbots, and team inboxes. With coexistence mode you no longer have to choose — one number can run both at once.
Not anymore. Meta's Embedded Signup lets a Shopify app like Recoverly provision everything — WhatsApp Business Account, phone number registration, webhooks, templates — through a guided popup flow. The whole connection takes about two minutes and zero code.
Meta charges per 24-hour conversation window, with rates set per country and per message category (marketing conversations cost more than utility ones like order updates). There's no fee from Meta for the API itself. Your software subscription is separate — Recoverly charges flat plans with no per-message markup.
Three things: a Facebook account with admin access to your business's Meta Business Manager, your business verified (or verifiable) with Meta, and the WhatsApp number you want to use. If the number already runs on your WhatsApp Business app, coexistence keeps the app working after you connect.
Using the official API with proper consent — no. What gets numbers banned is gray-market software that puppets the consumer app, or spamming people who never opted in. Meta also scores every number's quality (green/yellow/red); good platforms pause sending automatically if quality drops.
Skip the jargon. Keep the API.
Recoverly connects your store to the WhatsApp Business Platform in about two minutes — number and app intact.
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