Migrating a Phone Number

What is a number Migration Process?

A Migration Process refers to the necessary steps taken when there is a need to move a number from one WABA (WhatsApp Business Account) to another.

It is applicable in various scenarios, such as Migrating a number from one BSP (Business Solution Provider) to another, migrating from Classic signup to Embedded signup WABA, or making changes to payment settings like WABA currency.

Making sure the account is registered as WhatsApp Business API

These steps are only for numbers registered as WhatsApp Business API accounts. If you are not sure your client's number is registered as a WhatsApp Business API, try messaging it.

If the Call icon appears in the top right of the app, it means that this is a WhatsApp Business App account. If the Call icon is not available, it means that it is registered in the WhatsApp Business API.

Note: In some cases, the call icon may not appear correctly on the business accounts of the current desktop version of WhatsApp. If this occurs, you can verify whether the number is registered by checking the message that appears when starting the conversation.

If the message is similar to the one below, it means that the number is still registered on the WhatsApp App. In this case, you should follow the steps outlined here.

How to identify if the WABA is registered in On-premise or Cloud API?

To determine whether a number is registered On-premise or on Cloud API, there are a few methods you can use. One option is to utilize the Partner API or the 360dialog Hub (if the number is already registered with 360dialog). Another option is to start a new conversation with the number and check the message that appears when starting the conversation.

If the WABA is registered in Cloud API

This is the standard message when starting a conversation with a WABA registered on the Cloud API:

[will be deprecated] If the WABA is registered in On-premise API

This is the standard message when starting a conversation with a WABA registered on the On-premise API:

Migration Types

When migrating an account, there are the following possibilities:

Migrate number (alternate BSP or Meta) to 360dialog API

If the current number is registered in On-premise API, once migrated, it will have Cloud hosting with 360dialog, unless the Hosting type is specified during the Account Creation, or, if the Partner Account is not enabled for Cloud API. See our documentation about this here.

To migrate a number from an alternate BSP or Meta to 360dialog API, please follow these steps.

If you have Cloud Enabled to your Partner Account, any number that is migrated to your Partner Hub will automatically be hosted in the Cloud API.

Migrate a phone number from Classic Signup WABA to Embedded Signup WABA

You can migrate numbers onboarded on the deprecated Classic Signup (On Behalf-of) model to Embedded Signup (Shared WABA). For this, please follow the steps described here.

Migrate a phone number to a new WABA with another currency set

To allow for Conversation fees charges in a different currency, the number has to be migrated to a new WABA with the new currency set. For this, please follow the steps described here.

Other Possible Changes

In addition to migrations, there are other scenarios that may require adjustments to a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) while maintaining the same phone number within the same WABA. These instances involve making Account changes, which are distinct from Migration processes.

Rather than transferring a phone number from one WABA to another, these changes focus on updating specific configurations or functionalities within the existing WABA. For instance, it could involve upgrading a number to a Multi-Connect Setup or moving the number from On-premise to Cloud API (vice versa).

When changing the settings of a WABA, there are the following possibilities:

Hosting type Change

To change an existing number’s hosting type from 360dialog On-premise to Cloud API, please refer to this process.

Partner Change (between 360dialog Partners)

To transfer management of an existing WhatsApp Business Account to a new partner, the Partner Change process must be initiated by the client through the 360dialog Client Hub. The change request can then be accepted via the 360dialog Partner Hub notification center. See Partner Change process.