What is WhatsApp coexistence?

It is Meta’s name for one WhatsApp business number running in two places at once: the WhatsApp Business App on a phone and the WhatsApp Cloud API that platforms like Fliok are built on. Messages to and from either side end up in the same conversation.

Do I lose my chats or contacts when I connect?

No. Meta can share up to six months of one-to-one chat history during setup, and Fliok imports it into the shared inbox. Contacts saved in the app are synced across by phone number. Group chats are the exception: they stay in the app and are not synced.

Will replies I send from my phone show up in Fliok?

Yes. A reply typed in the Business App appears in the same Fliok thread, labelled “phone”. It counts as an answer: the chat stops waiting, and response times and team performance treat it like a reply sent from the inbox.

Which features do not work on a coexistence number?

Meta’s list includes group chats (not synced), broadcast lists in the app (read-only), disappearing messages, view-once messages and live location in one-to-one chats, and calls, catalogs and orders through the API. In Fliok that means product messages need a number used only on the Cloud API. WhatsApp for Windows and Wear OS are unlinked when you connect.

What does coexistence cost?

Connecting a Business App number is included on every Fliok plan, the Free plan too. Meta says messages you send from the app itself stay free. Messages sent through the API are charged by Meta per delivered message, billed to your own WhatsApp Business account, and Fliok adds no margin. From 1 October 2026 that includes free-form replies sent through the API.

What happens if I stop opening the app?

Meta disconnects the shared number after about 14 days without the phone app being used. Fliok then shows WhatsApp as disconnected in Settings. Reconnect with the same Facebook account and pick the same number: your chats, contacts, templates and settings in Fliok stay as they are.

WhatsApp coexistence

Use the WhatsApp Business App and the API on the same number

Q: Can I use the WhatsApp Business App and the API on the same number?

Yes, that is exactly what coexistence does. In Fliok’s onboarding, choose “Keep using my WhatsApp Business App”, finish Meta’s embedded signup and confirm from the app on your phone. The app keeps working and the same number appears in the Fliok inbox.

Q: Does the AI agent reply when I have already answered from the phone?

No. On Basic and above, once you or a teammate reply, from the phone or the inbox, the AI agent stays out of that chat for 45 minutes after the last human message. You can also switch the AI off for one chat, or for the whole workspace.

WhatsApp coexistence lets one business number run in the WhatsApp Business App on your phone and on the WhatsApp Cloud API at the same time. You keep replying from the phone, your team answers the same chats from Fliok’s shared inbox, and every reply lands in one thread. It is included on every Fliok plan, Free too.

Start free How to set it up

Needs WhatsApp Business App 2.24.17 or newer, with the number in use in the app for 7+ days.

Rohan Kulkarni

Customer · via WhatsApp

Coexistence

Hi, is the teak 6-seater dining set in stock?

11:04

Yes, two left in the showroom. Sending photos now.

11:06

Great. What would delivery to Pune cost?

11:09

Priya from our sales team will share the full quote here in a few minutes.

11:10

The dashboard’s own interface, shown with sample data.

What you keep

Nothing you rely on goes away

Most people who hesitate are worried about losing the phone. You do not. Coexistence adds the API to the number you already use.

The app on your phone

The WhatsApp Business App keeps working on the same number. Reply from it whenever you like, exactly as you do today.

Your recent chat history

During setup Meta can share up to six months of your one-to-one chats. Fliok imports them into the shared inbox, without sending alerts or starting any bot.

Your contacts

Contacts saved in the Business App are synced across, by phone number, so the inbox starts with names instead of bare numbers.

One thread per customer

A reply typed in the app appears in the same Fliok thread, labelled “phone”, so the team sees what you already said.

What changes

Meta’s rules for a shared number

Coexistence is Meta’s feature, and Meta sets its rules. These are the ones that matter day to day, from Meta’s coexistence documentation (read on 4 October 2026):

Open the app regularly. Meta disconnects a shared number when the phone app has been inactive for about 14 days. Opening the WhatsApp Business App at least once every 13 days keeps it linked.
Linked devices are signed out once. Every linked device is signed out when you connect; you can link them again, except WhatsApp for Windows and WhatsApp for Wear OS, which Meta does not support with coexistence.
Groups stay on the phone. Group chats are not synced to the API, so they do not appear in the Fliok inbox. They carry on as normal in the app.
App broadcast lists stop. You cannot create new broadcast lists in the app, and existing ones become read-only. Template broadcasts in Fliok take over (Basic plan and above).
A few chat features switch off. Disappearing messages, view-once messages and live location are turned off for one-to-one chats. Meta also lists calls, catalogs and orders among the app features coexistence does not support through the API.
API sends follow API rules. Anything sent through Fliok follows Cloud API rules: outside a customer’s 24-hour service window it must be an approved template, and Meta charges per delivered message. Messages you send from the app itself stay free, Meta says.
A fixed sending speed. Meta fixes a shared number at 20 messages a second, so a large broadcast takes longer than it would from a number used only on the API.

None of this touches your number, your WhatsApp Business account or your customers’ chats in the app.

Built for it

How Fliok handles a shared number

Two people answering the same customer from two places needs care. This is what Fliok does about it.

A phone reply counts as an answer

It stops the chat’s waiting clock, so response times, waiting alerts and team performance treat it like a reply from the inbox.

The AI agent steps back

On Basic and above, after you or a teammate reply, the AI agent stays out of that chat for 45 minutes after the last human message.

Imported history stays quiet

Old messages Meta shares at setup never trigger a notification, an auto reply, a chatbot or the AI.

Warned before Meta refuses

Meta does not allow product messages from a shared number. Fliok says so before you try, and carts customers send from the app’s catalog still arrive as orders.

Setup

Connect your number in four steps

The signup is short. Meta’s own reviews, such as business verification and display name approval, run on Meta’s timetable.

01
Check the requirements
WhatsApp Business App 2.24.17 or newer, the number in use in the app for at least 7 days, and not connected to another API provider.
02
Create a Fliok account
Sign up on the Free plan. It is enough to connect a number and try the shared inbox.
03
Choose “Keep using my WhatsApp Business App”
Meta’s embedded signup opens. Sign in with Facebook and pick or create your business portfolio and WhatsApp Business Account.
04
Confirm on your phone
Open the Business App, scan the QR code Meta shows and choose whether to share your chat history. Keep the app open while history syncs.

Requirements

Before you connect

The same list Fliok’s onboarding shows. The app version is Meta’s requirement; the rest keeps the connection from failing halfway.

App version: WhatsApp Business App 2.24.17 or newer, on a phone with a camera (you scan a QR code).
Number in use: Live in the WhatsApp Business App and used for at least 7 days.
Other providers: Not connected to another API provider. Disconnect it first in the app under Settings → Account → Business platform.
Two-step verification: Have the 6-digit PIN ready, or turn it off before you start.
Meta business: A verified Meta business portfolio with a Facebook Page you administer is recommended.

Compare

Coexistence or a fresh API number?

Both run on Meta’s official Cloud API and both work in Fliok. The difference is what happens to the phone.

Feature	Coexistence (keep the app)	Fresh Cloud API number
The phone app	Keeps working on the same number	None: the number is used only through the platform
Chat history	Up to six months can be shared and imported	Starts empty
Contacts	Synced from the app	Imported by you, or created as customers message
Replies from the phone	Shown in the Fliok thread, labelled “phone”	Not applicable
Groups	Stay in the app, not in the inbox	Not available through the API
Product messages from Fliok	Not allowed by Meta (carts from the app’s catalog still arrive)	Available
Sending speed	Fixed by Meta at 20 messages a second	Meta’s standard Cloud API throughput
Best for	A number your customers already know	A new number just for the API

Meta’s rules from its coexistence documentation, read on 4 October 2026. If anything here disagrees with Meta’s current page, Meta is right.

Got questions?

Frequently asked questions

The long version is in how coexistence works. Anything else, ask us.

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