Chat API WhatsApp
Connecting a Chat API account to chat with customers over Whatsapp. Chat
Chat API is not an Official WhatsApp Partner. Chat API should only be used as a temporary solution while you are waiting for WhatsApp API account approval.
Chat API allows you to connect your current WhatsApp account to our platform. Instructions for setting it up are below.
In order to connect WhatsApp to your space via Chat API, you will need the following:
- A WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business account
Step 1: Login to Chat API
If you do not already have a Chat API account, visit their registration page and fill out the required fields. You may proceed to login if you have an account with Chat API.
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Step 2: Create a new Instance
Once you are logged in, you will have to create a new Instance. In doing so, you will be asked to scan your WhatsApp Web code to connect your WhatsApp account to Chat API.
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Step 1: Navigate to Channel Settings
From Settings Module, navigate to the menu item, Channels
Step 2: Add Channel
Press Add Channel and choose WhatsApp. Select Chat API on the second step
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Step 3: Sign in to Chat API
Sign in with your user credentials at Chat API
Step 4: Locate the Instance ID and Token
Locate the Instance ID and token and add it to the corresponding fields at respond.io platform.
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Step 5: Key in WhatsApp Phone Number
Add WhatsApp Number to connect the channel
Step 6: Complete the setup at respond.io
Press DONE to complete the setup
Once you completed the setup, any messages sent to your Chat API WhatsApp Number will now be received in your Space.
Chat API WhatsApp channel can be configured with a unique channel name
Step 1: Navigate to Channel Settings
From Settings Module, navigate to the menu item, Channels
Step 2: Locate the Chat API WhatsApp channel
Once you have located the Chat API WhatsApp channel, press Configure
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Step 3: Make the necessary configuration
You can configure the following:
- Channel name - Name used internally to identify the account
Important: As for the other details, take extra note while updating as it might fail to receive messages from your Chat API WhatsApp account.
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Step 4: Update the configuration
Press Done to update the channel configuration
Yes. You will need the device where WhatsApp is installed to remain connected to the internet for the integration to work, functioning similarly to WhatsApp Web. If the device is disconnected, the messages received while inaccessible won't be available on the respond.io platform.
No. If you open WhatsApp on a web browser the connection with Chat API will be interrupted and you will have to go back to your Chat API account and reconnect it by scanning the code once again.
Chat API provides a free 3 days trial which you can use to test the integration. After that, a paid subscription will be necessary. The current price for Chat API is $39 and includes 6,000 messages per day. Note that the Chat API prices are excluded from the respond.io subscription.
No. Chat API uses the WhatsApp Web interface to pass messages between WhatsApp & respond.io. Since you can only have one WhatsApp Web open at a time, using WhatsApp Web after connecting to Chat API will break the connection between your phone and Chat API.
Yes, you can send and receive videos in Chat API. To ensure you are receiving videos, turn on video uploading in the Chat API dashboard.
The Chat API WhatsApp integration relies on receiving WhatsApp messages from your mobile phone and passing them to respond.io. Since this process is reliant on a mobile phone which may be on the move and may not have have a consistent internet connection, there may be some troubleshooting required.
If no messages are being passed to respond.io you should check the following items:
If messages are arriving in respond.io delayed, you should check the following items:
This may seem simple, but there are several situations where a mobile phone may seem to be connected to the internet when it is not. For example, you may be connected to Wifi, but the Wifi is not connected to the internet. Use Speedtest to ensure you have a strong and stable internet connection.
Something more difficult to check is if the internet connection is stable. Generally, to ensure you have a stable connection, you will want to have a dedicated phone that is always connected to a stable Wifi. Using a personal phone that you carry around will reduce your reliability.
If this message is not shown, it may be that you have WhatsApp Web open in another location. If this is the case, you may connect your WhatsApp to Chat API once again by scanning the QR code & refrain from using WhatsApp Web in other places. Remember WhatsApp Web cannot be used while you are using Chat API.
Chat API uses a webhook as part of their integration with respond.io. When connecting to Chat API in respond.io settings this automatically added to Chat API.
https://app.respond.io/whatsapp/webhook/<instancenumber>
Android phones can optimise apps for battery life. This will affect your Chat API integration as the phone may pause WhatsApp when your phone has been inactive for a long time. To turn off battery optimisation for WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business App:
- 1.Go to Settings
- 2.Navigate to Battery
- 3.Navigate to Battery Optimisation
- 4.Find WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business App in the list
- 5.Select Don't Optimize
Last modified 4mo ago