WhatsApp Setup

Prerequisites

• A Meta Business Account
• A Meta Developer Account
• A phone number for WhatsApp Business (can be a test number from Meta)

1. Create a Meta Business App

1. Go to developers.facebook.com and create a new app
2. Select Business as the app type
3. Add the WhatsApp product to your app

2. Get your credentials

From the WhatsApp product page in your Meta app, you'll need:

Credential	Where to find it
WABA ID	WhatsApp > Getting Started > WhatsApp Business Account ID
Phone Number ID	WhatsApp > Getting Started > Phone number ID
Access Token	WhatsApp > Getting Started > Temporary access token (or create a permanent System User token)
App Secret	App Settings > Basic > App Secret

Permanent Access Token

The temporary token from the Getting Started page expires after 24 hours. For production:

1. Go to Business Settings > System Users
2. Create a System User with Admin access
3. Assign the WhatsApp Business Account
4. Generate a token with whatsapp_business_management and whatsapp_business_messaging permissions

3. Create an Account in Pons

1. Sign in to pons.chat with Google
2. Click Setup Account (or the + button if you already have accounts)
3. Fill in:
   • Account Name — a friendly name (e.g., "My Business")
   • WABA ID — WhatsApp Business Account ID
   • Phone Number ID — from Meta dashboard
   • Phone Number — your WhatsApp number (e.g., +1 555 123 4567)
   • Access Token — your permanent token
   • App Secret — for webhook signature verification
   • Webhook Verify Token — auto-generated, you'll need this for Meta

4. Configure the Webhook

1. Copy the Webhook URL shown after creating your account: https://pons.chat/api/webhook
2. Copy the Webhook Verify Token
3. In Meta Developer Console, go to WhatsApp > Configuration > Webhook
4. Paste the callback URL and verify token
5. Click Verify and Save
6. Subscribe to the messages webhook field

5. Test it

Send a message to your WhatsApp Business number from any phone. You should see it appear in the Pons dashboard in real-time.

Troubleshooting

Webhook not receiving messages

• Ensure you subscribed to the messages field in Meta webhook configuration
• Check that your App Secret is correct (used for signature verification)
• Verify the webhook URL is https://pons.chat/api/webhook (no trailing slash)

"Access token expired" errors

• Use a permanent System User token instead of the temporary one
• Ensure the token has whatsapp_business_messaging permission

Messages not showing in dashboard

• Check that the Phone Number ID in Pons matches the one in Meta
• Ensure you're looking at the correct account in the account switcher

Display name rejected and number recreated

If Meta rejects your display name and you have to delete/recreate the number:

1. Open Account Settings in Pons
2. Click Detach from WhatsApp Cloud Configuration
3. Click Attach to WhatsApp Cloud
4. Complete the standard setup flow to connect the replacement number

This swaps the Meta connection on the existing Pons account and keeps your conversations, contacts, members, webhook targets, and API keys.