Connect your WhatsApp number to Piaflo
Everything you need to go from install to your first automated message: which number to use, what Meta asks for, what you pay, and how to fix the errors people run into.
1What you are about to create
The regular WhatsApp app cannot send automated messages. For that you need a WhatsApp Business Platform account (often called the "WhatsApp API"). During the connection, Meta creates three things for you in a single window:
- A Meta business portfolio (formerly "Business Manager"): your company's folder at Meta. If you already have one for your Facebook or Instagram ads, you can reuse it.
- A WhatsApp Business account (WABA) attached to that portfolio.
- Your number and its display name, the name your customers see.
Piaflo only receives permission to send and receive messages and to manage message templates on that account. Piaflo has no access to your Facebook pages, your ads or your personal WhatsApp conversations.
2Before you start: choose your number
This is the only important decision. In Piaflo, the question is "Do you already use this number in the WhatsApp Business app?"
You already use this number in the WhatsApp Business app on your phone
Choose "Yes, keep using my WhatsApp Business app". This is called coexistence.
- You keep replying from your phone, as you do today.
- Piaflo sends the automated messages (order confirmation, abandoned checkout and so on) from the same number.
- Messages you send from your phone also appear in the Piaflo inbox.
Requirements: the WhatsApp Business app (not the regular WhatsApp app), up to date, version 2.24.17 or later; your phone at hand during the connection, to approve it in the app. Availability depends on your country: if the option is not offered for your number, use case B.
Limits: up to 20 messages per second (plenty for a store), no groups or calls through the API.
You want a number dedicated to your store's messages
Choose "No, I use a dedicated number that is not on WhatsApp".
- The number must not be registered in any WhatsApp app (WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business). If it is, first delete the account in the app: Settings → Account → Delete my account. This erases that account's history.
- It must be able to receive an SMS or a call for the verification code. A landline works (choose "voice call"). A virtual number works if it receives SMS or calls.
- Short codes and premium-rate numbers do not work.
- You will no longer be able to use this number in the WhatsApp app. You reply from the Piaflo inbox, on desktop or in the Shopify mobile app.
Your number is already connected to another WhatsApp tool
- The number can be moved, but the previous tool has to release it.
- In the previous tool (or in WhatsApp Manager → Phone numbers → your number → Settings), turn off two-step verification or write down the 6-digit PIN.
- Keep the same business portfolio: your approved message templates are kept, because they belong to your WhatsApp Business account, not to the tool.
- Contact us before you start: we help you switch off the previous tool without a gap in sending.
Tip: for a small store that already answers customers on WhatsApp, case A is the simplest. For a brand with a support team, case B keeps personal and store messages apart.
3Prepare (5 minutes)
- Log in to your personal Facebook account in your browser. Meta uses it to identify you; nothing gets posted.
- Keep the phone for that number at hand, for the verification code (case B) or the approval in the app (case A).
- Know your company's legal name, address and website. Meta asks for them to create the business portfolio.
- Choose your display name (see section 6). It has to follow Meta's rules.
- Have a business card ready, to add right after (see section 5).
- Allow pop-up windows for admin.shopify.com and piaflo.com: the connection opens in a separate window.
4Connect the number, step by step
- In Shopify, open Apps → Piaflo → Settings (or follow the setup guide on the app's home page).
- Answer "Do you already use this number in the WhatsApp Business app?" (see section 2), then click Connect WhatsApp.
- A window opens. It is operated by Zernio, our technical partner for the WhatsApp Business Platform, so its logo appears next to Piaflo. Click Continue with Facebook.
- Facebook login: sign in with your personal account, then click Get started.
- Business portfolio: select your company in the list, or choose Create a business portfolio and fill in the legal name, business email, website and country.
- WhatsApp Business account: choose Create a WhatsApp Business account (or an existing account, case C).
- Profile: enter the display name (section 6), the business category (for example "Retail") and, optionally, a description.
- Number:
- Case A (coexistence): enter your number, then open the WhatsApp Business app on your phone. Meta asks you to confirm the connection there; depending on the app version, it is a notification, a message or a QR code to scan. You can choose to share your recent chat history with Piaflo; this is optional.
- Case B (new number): enter the number, choose SMS or Voice call, then type the code you receive.
- Permissions: Meta shows what Piaflo will be able to do (send and receive messages, manage templates). Leave everything ticked and click Confirm, then Finish.
- The window closes. In Piaflo, click I finished, check my connection if needed. The WhatsApp health block on the app's home page shows your number with a green dot: you are connected.
- In Settings → Send a test message, enter your personal number and click Send test. The message should arrive within a minute.
5Add a payment method at Meta (required)
Without a payment method, Meta refuses to send automated messages (confirmations, reminders, campaigns). Only your replies to customers who write to you remain possible.
- Go to business.facebook.com and select your portfolio.
- Open Settings → Billing and payments. Depending on Meta's interface, it can also be under WhatsApp Manager → Settings → Payment methods.
- Click Add payment method and add your company card.
- Choose the currency carefully: it cannot be changed later.
- Back in Piaflo, refresh the settings page: the payment step turns green.
What Meta charges
Meta charges per delivered template message. The price depends on the message category and on your customer's country:
| Category | Examples | Price level |
|---|---|---|
| Utility | order confirmation, shipping update, cash on delivery confirmation | lower rate |
| Marketing | abandoned checkout reminder, promotion, campaign | higher rate |
| Service | your replies to a customer who wrote to you, within 24 hours | covered by Meta's customer service rules |
Rates change over time, so always check Meta's official pricing page. Piaflo shows an estimate before each campaign and the actual cost in your stats. Meta bills you directly; Piaflo adds no markup.
6Choose your display name
This is the name your customers see at the top of the conversation. Meta reviews it, usually within 1 to 2 days. In the meantime, your messages go out normally and show your number.
Accepted
- Your brand name as it appears on your website ("Maison Lune").
- Your brand plus a precision ("Maison Lune Paris", "Maison Lune Customer Care").
Rejected
- A name with no visible link to your website or business.
- A generic word on its own ("Shop", "Fashion", "Deals").
- A name in all caps (unless it is an acronym), with emojis or unnecessary punctuation.
- A person's name on its own, unless it is the brand.
- The word "WhatsApp", or a brand you do not own.
If the name is rejected, change it in WhatsApp Manager → Phone numbers → Profile → Display name, or ask us for help.
7Verify your business (recommended)
Without verification, a new number can reach 250 different customers per 24 hours with automated messages (replies to customers who write to you are not limited). Verification quickly unlocks 2,000, then 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited, depending on the quality of your messages.
- Go to business.facebook.com → Settings → Security center (or Business info → Verification, depending on the interface).
- Click Start verification.
- Enter the exact legal name (with the company type, for example "Maison Lune SAS" or "Maison Lune Ltd"), the address and phone number, identical to your documents.
- Upload a recent official document, such as your company registration certificate or articles of association. A utility or internet bill in the company's name can prove the address.
- Confirm your link to the company: email on your website's domain (not Gmail), SMS, call or domain verification.
It takes from a few minutes to a few days. Common reasons for rejection: the name differs by one letter between Meta and your registration document, a cropped or unreadable document, a website without legal notices, a free email address.
Another way to raise the limit: send 2,000 quality messages within 30 days, without recipients reporting them.
8Your first message templates
Automated messages use templates approved by Meta.
- When you turn on a recipe (for example "Abandoned checkout recovery"), Piaflo submits its templates in English and French automatically.
- Approval takes from a few minutes to 24 hours. You can follow the status in Piaflo → Templates.
- While approval is pending, the recipe is active and its messages wait (24 hours at most), then go out as soon as the template is approved.
- If a template is rejected, Piaflo shows the reason given by Meta.
Good practice: a "utility" template (order, shipping) must contain no promotion, otherwise Meta reclassifies it as marketing, which costs more. Marketing messages include "Reply STOP to unsubscribe", already present in Piaflo's templates.
9Collect your customers' consent
WhatsApp requires that your customers agreed to receive your marketing messages. Piaflo helps you:
- Order messages (confirmation, shipping, cash on delivery): in Settings, tick "I inform customers at checkout that order updates are sent on WhatsApp", and add a sentence saying so at checkout or in your terms.
- Marketing messages (reminders, promotions): only for subscribed customers. Subscriptions come from the WhatsApp popup on your store, a "START" keyword sent by the customer, or an import with proof of consent. The status is saved in the Shopify customer record (WhatsApp marketing consent).
- A customer who replies STOP is unsubscribed immediately, everywhere.
10Troubleshooting
| Message or symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| The window does not open | Pop-ups are blocked | Allow pop-ups for admin.shopify.com and piaflo.com, then try again. |
| "Connection cancelled" | The window was closed before the end | Start again from Piaflo. The business portfolio you already created will be offered. |
| "Session expired" | More than 30 minutes between opening and finishing | Start again. |
| "This number is already connected" | The number is registered in a WhatsApp app or with another tool | Case A: choose "Yes, keep using my WhatsApp Business app". Case B: delete the account in the app. Case C: release it in the previous tool (section 2). |
| "One number per account" | A number is already connected to Piaflo | Disconnect the previous number in Settings, or move to the Pro plan (3 numbers). |
| Verification code never arrives | SMS blocked, or a landline | Choose "Voice call" and wait 2 minutes between two requests. |
| "Enter the PIN" | Two-step verification turned on at a previous provider | Enter the 6-digit PIN, or turn it off in WhatsApp Manager. |
| Messages "pending" in Piaflo | The template is not approved yet | Wait (24 hours at most). Check the status in Templates. |
| Messages "failed" mentioning a payment method | No card at Meta | See section 5. |
| Display name "rejected" | Meta's naming rules | Change the name in WhatsApp Manager (section 6). |
| "Limit reached" failures | 250 contacts per 24 hours on a new number | Verify your business (section 7). Piaflo spreads campaigns out automatically. |
| Number quality "low" (orange or red) | Too many reports or blocks | Piaflo pauses campaigns. Space out your sends, target engaged customers and take care of your messages. |
| A customer says they receive nothing | They blocked the number, do not have WhatsApp, or Meta limits the marketing messages they receive from all brands combined | Check the message status in the Piaflo inbox. Order messages are not affected by this limit. |
11Frequently asked questions
Do I lose my number if I uninstall Piaflo?
No. The number and the WhatsApp Business account belong to you. With coexistence, you keep your app as before. With a dedicated number, you can connect it to another tool or put it back in the WhatsApp Business app.
Can I use my personal number?
Technically yes (case B), but you will no longer be able to use it in the WhatsApp app. A business number is a better choice.
How long before I send my first messages?
The same day: the connection takes about 15 minutes, and templates are usually approved in less than an hour.
Will my customers see "Piaflo"?
No. They see your shop's display name and your number.
Can I reply from my phone?
With coexistence (case A), yes, from the WhatsApp Business app. In every case, the Piaflo inbox works in the Shopify mobile app.
Who pays what?
Your Piaflo subscription is billed by Shopify. Messages are billed by Meta to your card, at Meta's official rates, with no markup from Piaflo.
How do I disconnect Piaflo?
In Piaflo, open Settings and disconnect your WhatsApp account. To remove the access entirely, go to business.facebook.com → Settings → Integrations → Connected apps.