How to Connect WhatsApp to Ikvala

πŸ“± Step-by-Step Setup Guide

How to Connect Your
WhatsApp to Ikvala

A simple, beginner-friendly guide to connect your WhatsApp Business number so you can send and receive messages through Ikvala. No technical knowledge needed!

⏱️ Takes about 20–30 minutes to complete

πŸ“‹ What You'll Need Before You Start

πŸ“±
A WhatsApp Business Phone Number A SIM card number that is not currently linked to WhatsApp. It can be a mobile or landline number. You'll receive a verification code (OTP) on this number.
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Your Business Name & Details Legal business name, business category (e.g., Retail, Services), and your website URL or business description.
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A Facebook / Meta Account A personal or business Facebook account. This is required to access Meta's developer platform. If you don't have one, you can create a free account at facebook.com.
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A Valid Payment Method (for Meta) Meta may require a credit/debit card to activate the WhatsApp Business API. The first 1,000 conversations per month are usually free.
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Your Ikvala Account Login Your Ikvala username and password. You already have this from your subscription.
πŸš€ Your 4-Step Setup Journey
Follow each step in order. Don't skip ahead β€” each step builds on the previous one.
πŸ›οΈ

Phase 1: Create Your Meta Business Account

This is your official business identity on Meta's platform. It's free and takes 5 minutes.

1

Go to Meta Business Suite

Open your browser and visit the Meta Business Manager website.

  • A Open your browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari)
  • B Go to: business.facebook.com
  • C Click "Create Account" if you don't have one yet, or "Log In" with your Facebook account
  • D Enter your Business Name, your name, and your business email address
  • E Click "Submit" and verify your email
Meta Business Suite Homepage showing Create a Business Portfolio button
πŸ“Έ Meta Business Suite β€” Visit business.facebook.com and click "Create a Business Portfolio"
βœ… Tip: Use your real business email. Meta may ask you to verify it. Check your spam folder if you don't receive the confirmation email.
βš™οΈ

Phase 2: Set Up Your WhatsApp Business API

Create a Meta Developer App and link your WhatsApp Business number to it.

2

Create a Meta Developer App

This is the technical "app" that allows Ikvala to connect to your WhatsApp number.

  • A Go to: developers.facebook.com and log in with your Facebook account
  • B Click "My Apps" in the top right corner
  • C Click "Create App"
  • D When asked "What do you want your app to do?" β€” select "Other", then click Next
  • E Select app type: "Business" β†’ Next
  • F Enter your App Name (e.g., "MyBusiness WA"), select your Business Account, and click "Create App"
Meta Developers Create App dialog showing Other option selected
πŸ“Έ Meta for Developers β€” Select "Other" then click Next
3

Add WhatsApp to Your App

After creating the app, you'll see a dashboard with different products. Find WhatsApp and add it.

  • A On your App Dashboard, scroll down to find the "WhatsApp" product
  • B Click "Set Up" under WhatsApp
  • C You'll be asked to link a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) β€” click "Create new" or select your existing one
  • D Fill in your business details β€” Name, Country, Timezone, Currency
  • E Click "Continue"
πŸ“Έ

App Dashboard β€” Add WhatsApp Product

Find "WhatsApp" β†’ Click "Set Up"
4

Add Your Phone Number

This is the WhatsApp number your customers will message. Use a number that has never been registered on WhatsApp before.

  • A In the left sidebar, go to WhatsApp β†’ API Setup
  • B Under "Step 1: Select a phone number", click "Add phone number"
  • C Enter your Display Name (the name people see when you message them)
  • D Select your Business Category and write a short description
  • E Enter your phone number with country code (e.g., +91 98765 43210)
  • F Choose to receive the verification code via SMS or Voice call, then enter the OTP code you receive
Meta Developers Add a phone number dialog with Friendly name, Category and Phone number fields
πŸ“Έ WhatsApp β†’ API Setup β†’ Add a phone number β€” fill in your business details and phone number
⚠️ Important: The phone number must NOT be currently active on WhatsApp (personal or business app). If it is, you must first delete the WhatsApp account from that phone before adding it here.
πŸ”‘

Phase 3: Get Your API Keys

These are the secret codes that connect your WhatsApp to Ikvala. You need 3 pieces of information.

5

Find Your Phone Number ID

This is a number that uniquely identifies your WhatsApp phone number inside Meta's system.

  • A In your App Dashboard, go to WhatsApp β†’ API Setup
  • B Look at the section titled "Step 1: Select a phone number"
  • C You will see a dropdown showing your phone number. Below it, you'll see "Phone number ID"
  • D It looks like a long number: e.g., 123456789012345
  • E Copy it and save it somewhere (like in Notepad)
πŸ“‹ Phone Number ID β€” looks like this:
123456789012345
πŸ“ Copy & save
WhatsApp API Setup page showing Phone Number ID and WhatsApp Business Account ID
πŸ“Έ WhatsApp β†’ API Setup β€” your Phone Number ID and WABA ID are both visible here
6

Find Your WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID)

This identifies your WhatsApp Business Account β€” the container that holds all your phone numbers.

  • A Still on the WhatsApp β†’ API Setup page
  • B Look for "WhatsApp Business Account ID" β€” it's usually displayed just below the Phone Number ID
  • C It's another long number like: 987654321098765
  • D Copy it and save it along with your Phone Number ID
πŸ“‹ WhatsApp Business Account ID β€” looks like this:
987654321098765
πŸ“ Copy & save
7

Create a Permanent Access Token

This is the "password" that allows Ikvala to send messages through your WhatsApp number. You need a permanent token β€” not a temporary one.

  • A Go to: business.facebook.com β†’ Settings (gear icon at bottom left)
  • B Click "System Users" from the left sidebar
  • C Click "Add" to create a new System User
  • D Give it a name (e.g., "IkvalaBot"), set role as "Admin", and click "Create System User"
  • E Click "Add Assets" β†’ Select "Apps" β†’ choose your app β†’ enable "Full Control" β†’ Save
  • F Click "Generate New Token"
  • G Select your App, set expiry to "Never", and check these permissions: whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management
  • H Click "Generate Token" and copy the token immediately β€” it will only show once!
πŸ”‘ Access Token β€” looks like this (much longer):
EAABsbCS1iHgBOxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...
⚠️ Only shown once!
Meta Business Manager System Users page showing Generate Access Token dialog with whatsapp_business_messaging permission
πŸ“Έ Business Settings β†’ System Users β†’ Generate New Token β€” set Expiration to "Never" and check both WhatsApp permissions
⚠️ Very Important: Copy and save the token immediately after it is shown. Meta will NEVER show it again. If you lose it, you'll need to generate a new one and update Ikvala with the new token.
🎯

Phase 4: Enter Your Keys into Ikvala

Now take all the information you saved and add it to your Ikvala account.

8

Go to WhatsApp Account Settings in Ikvala

Log in to your Ikvala dashboard and find the WhatsApp account section.

  • A Log in to your Ikvala account at app.ikvala.com
  • B From the left sidebar, click "WhatsApp Account"
  • C Click the "Add Account" or "New Account" button
  • D Select account type: "WhatsApp Business API (WABA)"

πŸ”— Your Ikvala Login URL

Bookmark this link so you can always find your dashboard:

https://app.ikvala.com/user/login
9

Fill In Your API Details

Enter the 3 pieces of information you saved in Phase 3.

  • A In the "Phone Number ID" field β†’ paste your Phone Number ID
  • B In the "WABA ID" field β†’ paste your WhatsApp Business Account ID
  • C In the "Access Token" field β†’ paste your Permanent Access Token
  • D Enter a friendly Account Name (e.g., "My Business WhatsApp")
  • E Click "Save" or "Connect"
βœ… Success Signal: Once connected, you will see a green "Connected" badge next to your account. You can then send a test message to verify it works!
10

Webhook URL (For Receiving Messages)

To receive incoming replies from your customers, you need to enter Ikvala's webhook URL into Meta. This is a one-time setup.

  • A Go back to your Meta App Dashboard at developers.facebook.com
  • B In the left sidebar: WhatsApp β†’ Configuration
  • C Under "Webhook", click "Edit"
  • D In "Callback URL", enter:

πŸ“‘ Ikvala Webhook URL (Callback URL)

Copy and paste this exactly into Meta's "Callback URL" field:

https://app.ikvala.com/webhook
  • E In "Verify Token", enter the token shown in your Ikvala β†’ WhatsApp Account settings page
  • F Click "Verify and Save"
  • G Scroll down to "Webhook Fields" and toggle "messages" to Subscribed
  • H Click "Save"
Meta App Configuration page showing Callback URL set to https://app.ikvala.com/webhook and messages field Subscribed
πŸ“Έ WhatsApp β†’ Configuration β€” paste the Callback URL, enter Verify Token, then subscribe "messages"
πŸŽ‰ All done! Once the webhook is saved and the "messages" field is subscribed, your customers' replies will automatically appear in your Ikvala inbox in real time!

πŸ“Œ Quick Reference β€” What Goes Where

What You Need Where to Find It Where to Enter It
πŸ“ž Phone Number ID developers.facebook.com β†’ WhatsApp β†’ API Setup Ikvala β†’ WhatsApp Account β†’ Add Account
🏒 WABA ID developers.facebook.com β†’ WhatsApp β†’ API Setup Ikvala β†’ WhatsApp Account β†’ Add Account
πŸ”‘ Access Token business.facebook.com β†’ Settings β†’ System Users Ikvala β†’ WhatsApp Account β†’ Add Account
πŸ“‘ Webhook URL Already set: https://app.ikvala.com/webhook Meta β†’ WhatsApp β†’ Configuration β†’ Callback URL
πŸ” Verify Token Ikvala β†’ Admin Settings β†’ Webhook Meta β†’ WhatsApp β†’ Configuration β†’ Verify Token

πŸŽ‰ You're All Set!

Once everything is connected, log in to Ikvala and start sending and receiving WhatsApp messages from your dashboard.

πŸš€ Go to Ikvala Dashboard

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my personal WhatsApp number? οΌ‹
No. The WhatsApp Business API requires a number that is NOT currently linked to any WhatsApp account (personal or business). If you want to use your existing business number, you must first delete the WhatsApp app from that phone and unlink it from WhatsApp. You can then add that number to Meta's API.
Do I need a GST number or business registration? οΌ‹
No, Meta does not require a GST number or formal business registration to set up the WhatsApp Business API. However, your business name and description must be accurate and represent a real business. For India-based businesses, Meta may request business verification documents later for higher messaging limits.
Is it free to use the WhatsApp Business API? οΌ‹
Meta allows 1,000 free conversations per month. Beyond that, charges apply per conversation (usually a few rupees/cents). Check Meta's latest pricing at their official website. Your Ikvala subscription covers the platform usage β€” the WhatsApp conversation costs are billed separately by Meta.
What if I lose my Access Token? οΌ‹
If you lose your access token, go to Meta Business Settings β†’ System Users β†’ click on your system user β†’ Generate New Token. Then update the new token in your Ikvala WhatsApp Account settings. Your phone number and account won't be affected.
I entered everything but still can't receive messages. What to do? οΌ‹
Check these 3 things: (1) Go to Meta App β†’ WhatsApp β†’ Configuration β†’ confirm the Callback URL shows https://app.ikvala.com/webhook and it has a green verified checkmark. (2) Scroll to "Webhook Fields" and confirm "messages" is toggled to Subscribed. (3) Make sure your Access Token has the whatsapp_business_messaging permission. If still stuck, contact Ikvala support.
Need help? How do I contact Ikvala support? οΌ‹
You can reach us through the support ticket system inside your Ikvala dashboard, or visit our contact page at app.ikvala.com/contact. Our team is happy to walk you through the setup process!