Become a Tech Provider
This document describes the steps you must take to become a Tech Provider. Once you complete these steps, you can begin onboarding business customers onto the WhatsApp Business Platform, and access their WhatsApp data using our various APIs.
As a Tech Provider, you can independently provide all WhatsApp messaging services to business customers who you have onboarded, or you can work with a Solution Partner to jointly offer these services. If you are partnering with a Solution Partner, ask them for their app ID, as you will need it to complete these steps.
Step 1: Create a business portfolio
If you already have a business portfolio, you can skip this step.
Go to business.facebook.com and create a Meta Business Suite account using your Facebook credentials. This will generate a business portfolio, which will serve as a container for any WhatsApp related assets you will be creating later.
Step 2: Register as a Meta developer
If you are already registered as a Meta developer, you can skip this step.
Go to developers.facebook.com and click Get Started (upper-right corner) and complete the registration flow. This will convert your Facebook account to a Meta developer account, which is necessary for app creation.
Step 3: Create an app
Go to developers.facebook.com/apps and create a new Business app, which will generate your Meta app ID. If you are signed into your Meta Business Suite account, the app creation flow will present you with a list of existing business portfolios you have already created, or have been added to:
If you are not presented with a list of businesses, go to business.facebook.com and sign into your Meta Business Suite account, then reload developers.facebook.com/apps.
Select your business portfolio and continue. In the next screen, select Other, then Business app, and add an app name and your email address. Be sure to select your business portfolio in the Business portfolio dropdown menu before creating your app.
Step 4: Add basic data about your app
In the App Dashboard, navigate to App settings > Basic and add the following information:
- App icon
- Privacy Policy URL
- Category
- Platform
Be sure to save your changes. You can add additional information if you wish, but the information above is the only information required to complete the remaining steps.
Step 5: Add the WhatsApp product
In the App Dashboard panel, scroll down to Add products to your app, locate the WhatsApp product, and click its Set Up button.
Complete the flow until you are presented with the Quickstart panel:
Step 6: Indicate how you will work with customers
In the Quickstart panel, locate the Become a Tech Provider section and click the Start onboarding button:
Work through the flow until you are asked to choose between Independent Tech Provider and Working with a Solution Partner:
Choose the option (described below) that best matches how you will be working with your onboarded business customers. After making your choice and continuing, you will be taken to the Quickstart > Onboarding panel.
Note that by clicking the Start onboarding button, you are agreeing to our Tech Provider Terms.
Independent Tech Provider
Choose this option if you will be onboarding business customers onto the WhatsApp Business Platform and providing them with WhatsApp messaging services entirely on your own (i.e., without the help of another solution provider).
Note that choosing this option does not prevent you from partnering with other Solution Partners in the future, it just skips part of the setup process; you can always partner with a Solution Partner at a later date.
Working with a Solution Partner
Choose this option if you are partnering with a Solution Partner in order to provide WhatsApp messaging services to business customers, who can be onboarded by you or the Solution Partner. You must know your Solution Partner's app ID if you choose this option, as you will need it in a later step.
Note that choosing this option does not prevent you from terminating your partnership with the Solution Partner in the future; you can always switch Solution Partners or operate independently at a later date.
Step 6: Verify your business
If your business is already verified, (the Verify your business row has a green checkmark and a green Approved dropdown menu label) you can skip this step.
Before you can complete the remaining steps, your business must be verified and approved. In the Quickstart > Onboarding panel, click the Start verification button.
Complete the flow and submit your business for verification. As part of the verification process, you will be asked to provide information about your business. See our How to verify your business on Meta help center article, which lists all of the information you may be asked to provide.
The verification process can take several days. The article linked above describes the process in more detail, as well as how outcomes are communicated.
The Business Verification section of the Quickstart > Onboarding panel will also be updated once you submit for verification, indicating if the submission is still in progress or if your business has been verified.
You can also see your business's verification status in the Meta Business Suite > Business information panel:
Step 7: Create or Choose a Multi-Partner solution
Skip this step if you chose Independent Tech Provider in step 5.
In the Quickstart > Onboarding panel, locate the App Review section and the Create a partner solution row:
Note that if you already have a solution associated with this app, you will see a Choose solution button instead. Click the button and select an existing solution to complete this step.
If you see the Create a partner solution button, click it to display the solution creation window:
Enter a name for the partner solution and add the Solution Partner's app ID. Use a name that will help you distinguish the solution from other solutions you may create in the future. Note that only Solution Partner app IDs will be accepted; Tech Provider app IDs will be rejected.
Once your solution has been created it will appear in the Create a partner solution row with a Pending Acceptance status. You can proceed to the next steps while it is in a pending state.
Step 7: Review app settings
In the Quickstart > Onboarding panel, locate the Review your app settings row and click the Review app settings button:
In the interface that appears, confirm that the information you supplied in step 4 is still accurate, and update if necessary.
Step 8: Capture videos for App Review
In the Quickstart > Onboarding panel, locate the Record video documentation row.
As part of the App Review process you will be asked to provide two video recordings:
- The first video must show a message created and sent from your app and received in the WhatsApp client (mobile app or web app).
- The second video must show your app being used to create a message template.
If you are partnering with a Solution Partner, you can use your current integration with them to show these actions.
Clicking the Record video buttons in the panel will display helpful information for creating these videos (the buttons don't actually capture any video, you must do this on your own).
As an alternative, you can capture a screen recording of the API Setup cURL script being used by you to send a message to a WhatsApp user number you have added as a test recipient number, in lieu of sending a message using your or your partner's app. Similarly, you can capture a screen recording of the WhatsApp Manager being used by you to create a template message, instead of your or your partner's app.
Whichever method you decide upon to generate your videos or screen recordings, save the recordings for the next step.
Step 8: Submit for App Review
In the Quickstart > Onboarding panel, locate the Submit documentation for App Review row and click the Begin App Review button. This flow will load the App Review > Requests panel, where you should see an app review request ready for you to edit:
Click the Edit button to access the App Review flow. As part of this process, you will be asked to explain how your, or your Solution Partner's app, uses your business customer's data, and why your app needs advanced access for the whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management permissions.
When describing how your app uses each of these permissions, attach the appropriate screen recording or video you created in the previous step:
- For whatsapp_business_messaging, attach the screen recording or video showing a message being sent with your or your Solution Partner's app and appearing in the WhatsApp client, or the screen recording of the API Setup cURL script being used by you.
- For whatsapp_business_management, attach the screen recording or video showing your or your Solution Partner's app being used to create a message template, or the screen recording of the WhatsApp Manager being used by you to create a message template.
Important: For the App verification details dialog, when your app review submission only involves whatsapp_business_messaging and/or whatsapp_business_management you do not need to provide the testing instructions. For e.g:
Complete the flow and submit your request. Outcomes will be communicated via email, developer alert, and its status will be updated in the App Review > Requests panel.
Step 9: Complete Access Verification
In the Quickstart > Onboarding panel, locate the Complete access verification row and click the Start verification button.
This flow gathers basic information about your business in order to verify that it qualifies as a Tech Provider.
Complete the flow and submit for verification.
Step 10: Confirm status
After you have completed the steps above, the Quickstart > Onboarding panel should indicate that all steps are complete (with a green checkmark) and and congratulate you on your status as a Tech Provider:
Next Steps
Onboarding Business Customers
Once you have confirmed your status as a Tech Provider, you can begin onboarding business customers via Embedded Signup.
If you are working as an independent tech provider, you must implement Embedded Signup and surface it to potential customers on your own. See our Embedded Signup document to learn how to implement and test with a sandbox account, and how to use the data that Embedded Signup generates to onboard business customers.
If you are working with a Solution Partner, your partner can implement Embedded Singup to onboard business customers for you. However, if you also want to surface Embedded Signup somewhere on your website or customer portal and onboard business customers, you can do so, but it will require a Multi-Partner Solution. Work with your Solution Partner if you are choosing this option.
Webooks
If you are working as an independent tech provider, before your app users can use your app to send and receive messages or manage templates, you must set up Webhooks.
If you are working with a solution partner who has already set up webhooks, work with your partner to determine if you need to set up webhooks as well.
Billing
If you are partnering with a Solution Partner, your partner will share their line of credit with onboarded business customers.
If you are working independently, your onboarded business customers must add a payment method to their WhatsApp Business Account. They can do this by following the steps described in our Add a credit card to your WhatsApp Business Platform account help center article.
Support
Confirmed Tech Providers have access to all support channels. See Support.