Connecting WhatsApp, one screen at a time

First, pick the right path

There are three ways to connect, and choosing wrong costs you an hour. Read these three lines:

Your situation	Use this
A number that is NOT on WhatsApp today (new SIM, landline, or a number you never used for WhatsApp)	Quick Connect
A number you already use every day in the WhatsApp Business app, and you want to keep your chats and keep using the app	Coexistence
You already have your own Meta developer app and a permanent token	Manual Connect

Quick Connect — step by step

1. Open Channels in 6rsh and press Connect WhatsApp Number Sign in to 6rsh, open Channels (called Numbers in some menus), then press the green Connect WhatsApp Number button. Pick the Quick Connect card.
2. A Facebook window opens — sign in as the person who owns the business Use the personal Facebook account that manages your business, not a staff account. If nothing opens, your browser blocked the pop-up: allow pop-ups for 6rsh.com and press the button again.
3. Choose your business, or create one Meta shows the businesses you manage. Pick the real one — the name customers know. Everything later (verification, billing) attaches to whatever you pick here.
4. Choose your WhatsApp number Meta asks for a phone number that can receive a code by SMS or call. It must not be active on WhatsApp — if it is, delete that WhatsApp account first, or use Coexistence instead.
5. Enter the 6-digit code The code arrives by SMS or voice call within a minute or two. If it never arrives, try the voice-call option, and check the number can receive international SMS.
6. Finish, and let the window close by itself Do not close the Facebook window yourself — it hands the connection back to 6rsh on the last step. When it closes, your number appears in Channels.

What the number step looks like

Coexistence — keeping the WhatsApp Business app

Coexistence connects a number that is already live in the WhatsApp Business app. You keep answering on your phone, and the same chats appear in 6rsh. Meta is strict about who qualifies:

• The number has been active in the WhatsApp Business app for about a week or more, with real conversations.
• The app is version 2.24.17 or newer — update it from the App Store or Play Store first.
• The number is not already attached to another WhatsApp Business account.
• Keep your phone online with the app open for the first few minutes after connecting, while your chat history syncs.

In 6rsh, choose the Coexistence card instead of Quick Connect, then follow the same Facebook steps. Your last six months of 1:1 chats and your contacts come across. Group chats do not sync, and broadcast lists become read-only.

The two Meta steps that block sending

A connected number can receive and reply to customers immediately. To start conversations — campaigns, template messages, order updates — Meta requires two more things, and they are done in Meta's portal, not in 6rsh.

1. Business verification

Meta checks that your business is real, using documents (trade licence, utility bill, bank letter). Before starting, make sure your business details in Meta match those documents exactly — the review compares them, and a mismatched address is the most common rejection.

• Business info: Business settings → Business info — legal name, address, phone, website.
• Then verification: Business settings → Security Centre → Start verification, and upload the documents.
• Review usually takes minutes to a few days. Meta emails you the result.

2. Payment method

WhatsApp charges per conversation you start, so Meta needs a card on the WhatsApp Business account. Without it, every campaign is blocked while replies keep working.

• Business settings → Billing & payments → Payment settings → Add payment method.
• Use a card that allows international charges in your business name.
• If Meta already has a card but reports an error, remove it and add it again — an expired card reads the same as none.

Then check the go-live checklist

Open Channels in 6rsh. Every number shows a checklist with a progress ring, refreshed from Meta. It tells you which single step is holding you back, and each step has a button that opens the right page in Meta's portal.

• A step marked “On us — nothing for you to do” is our work, not yours. Leave it with us.
• “Waiting on Meta” means a review is in progress. Nobody can speed it up.
• “Not blocking” is advice for later — it is not stopping anything today.
• Press Re-check after finishing a step in Meta; the checklist asks Meta again immediately.

When something goes wrong

What you see	What it means
The Facebook window opens, then closes with nothing connected	The handoff back to 6rsh did not finish. Try again without closing the window yourself; if it repeats, use Manual Connect.
“Feature unavailable” from Facebook	A temporary block on Meta's side. Wait a few minutes and retry — nothing is wrong with your account.
The number is connected but the inbox stays empty	Check the Receiving customer messages row in the checklist. If it is marked as ours, we are on it; press Re-check in a minute.
Campaigns fail while replies work	Business verification or the payment method is missing. The checklist names which one.
“Setup incomplete” on the number	One last step. On the Numbers page, choose any 6 digits and press Finish setup. They become the number’s security PIN at Meta, so keep them. It will not clear on its own.
“Content in this language already exists”	A template with that name and language already exists. Rename the new template.

Still stuck? Email hello@6rsh.com with your number and a photo of the screen. If the blocker is on our side, we will say so plainly.