What it is
WhatsApp connects your constructor bot to WhatsApp Business via Meta Cloud API. Customers write to your business number; Botconsole runs the same scenarios and can show chats in the account inbox.
WhatsApp has stricter rules than Telegram: button limits, file sizes, and a 24-hour messaging window.
Requirements
- A constructor bot in Botconsole
- A Meta Developer App with WhatsApp Cloud API (your team or agency sets this up)
- WhatsApp Business number linked in Meta
- Access to Phone number ID and a long-lived access token
Some plans may require a paid tariff that includes Meta channels.
How to connect
- Open Bots → your bot → Settings.
- Add connection → WhatsApp.
- Open the Connection setup (Meta) tab.
- Copy Webhook URL and Verify token into your Meta App → Webhooks (if you manage the app).
- Fill in:
- Phone number ID (required)
- Access token (required)
- App secret (recommended)
- WABA ID / display phone (optional)
- Click Save credentials. Status should show that setup is complete.
- In Meta, confirm the webhook is subscribed to messages.
- Send a test WhatsApp message from a phone to your business number — the scenario should reply.
Message types and limits
Available message types
| Type | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Yes | |
| Image | Yes | |
| Video | Yes | |
| Audio | Yes | |
| Voice message | Yes | Sent as WhatsApp audio |
| Document | Yes | |
| Sticker | Yes | Prefer static WebP |
| Location | Yes | Coordinates |
| Contact | Yes | Needs name and phone |
| Media group | Yes | Sent as separate messages (not a native album) |
| Poll | No | |
| Invoice | No | Use other payment flows if needed |
Buttons
- Yes, mapped to WhatsApp interactive messages
- Up to 3 quick reply buttons under a message
- More than 3 (up to 10) → list menu style
- Button title up to 20 characters
- URL buttons are not native WhatsApp “CTA buttons” here — the link is usually appended as text
- Media with buttons: media is sent first, then a separate interactive message with buttons
Extra message options
| Option | Available |
|---|---|
| Message effects | No |
| Reply to message | No |
| Link preview toggle | No (previews work by default when applicable) |
| Forward to another chat | No |
| Forum threads | No |
| AI streaming | No (full reply is sent at once) |
| Edit / delete message | No |
Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Text | up to 4 096 characters |
| Caption | up to 1 024 |
| Interactive message body | up to 1 024 |
| Image | ~5 MB |
| Video / audio | ~16 MB |
| Document | ~100 MB |
| Sticker | ~500 KB, WebP preferred |
Formatting
WhatsApp-style markup is supported for many styles:
- Bold (
*text*), italic (_text_),strikethrough(~text~) - Code blocks
- Blockquotes
- Markdown links like
[label](url)become plain label + URL
Underline and spoilers are not available as on Telegram.
Message templates
Outside the 24-hour window you can only message a customer with a template approved by Meta. Templates live in the bot settings: WhatsApp → Message templates.
- Click Sync to pull templates from your WhatsApp Business Account (the connection needs a WABA ID), or Create template right there — it goes to Meta for review.
- Open a template and choose a source for each
{{1}},{{2}}… variable: a contact field (name, phone, city…), a field of the last order (number, total, delivery date, items…) or fixed text. Set a default value — Meta rejects empty variables. - Check the result in the preview and with a test send to your own number.
In a WhatsApp chat, click the WhatsApp templates icon in the composer: variables are already filled with the customer's data and can be edited before sending.
Notes and limitations
24-hour window. It counts from the customer's last message: each new message from them (including a reply to a template) reopens it for another 24 hours. While it is open you can write free text; once it closes, the chat shows a warning and offers to send a template. Sending a template does not open the window.
Customers usually need to message you first. Cold free-form “spam” is not allowed.
This is not a Telegram BotFather token. You need Meta Cloud API credentials.
Keep button labels short (20 characters). Long Telegram-style keyboards will be simplified on WhatsApp.