Uptonica

Chat · WhatsApp

WhatsApp on Uptonica: how it works.

Connect your WhatsApp Business number, reply to customers in chat and send campaigns, all inside Uptonica. You pay Meta's cost for WhatsApp; we make money only on the AI.

How you start, in 3 steps

1

Connect your number

Click "Connect WhatsApp" and sign in with Meta: pick the number and add a card on your Meta account (messages are billed by Meta, at cost). It takes a couple of minutes.

2

Get your templates approved

Messages you send first (promotions, confirmations, codes) are reviewed by Meta once. Write the text, submit it, approval usually comes quickly. Then you reuse it forever.

3

Start selling in chat

Customers write to you and the AI replies, included in your plan. You send campaigns and automations with approved templates. All from a single inbox.

What you can do

Chat with customers

Incoming messages land in your inbox; the AI assistant replies in the customer's language, with products, sizes and prices right in the chat.

Approved templates

Send messages outside the 24-hour window too (confirmations, promotions, codes), using Meta-approved templates.

Campaigns

Send a template to a list of contacts, as a broadcast.

Automations

Send the right template at the right moment, without writing code.

How you connect the number

You need two things: an existing WhatsApp Business Account in your Meta Business Manager and an enabled number. From there, two paths.

Recommended

Official connection

Click "Connect WhatsApp", Meta's official window opens (Embedded Signup), you complete the flow and Uptonica automatically pulls in your account, numbers, verified name and quality rating. We also subscribe the message webhooks, so chats arrive in real time.

Alternative

Manual entry

If you prefer, enter your WhatsApp Business account ID, the phone number ID and your long-lived access token by hand. Same result, a few more steps.

The number and the account stay yours: the WABA lives in your Business Manager, with your payment method (so Meta bills you at cost). You need an existing WABA on Meta; if you're starting from scratch, you create it once in Meta Business Manager.

Templates: how they get approved

To message a customer before they message you (a promo, an order confirmation), Meta requires an approved template. It exists to prevent spam. You do it once per message type, then it's ready.

1

Write the text, with the changing fields in braces. E.g. "Hi {{name}}, your order #{{number}} is on its way."

2

Pick the category: promotion, confirmation/notice, or verification code.

3

Submit to Meta with one click. It usually answers within minutes, sometimes a few hours.

4

Approved: use it as many times as you want. If it's rejected, Meta tells you why: fix it and resubmit.

Replies within 24 hours of a customer's message need no template: write freely, like a normal chat.

Coexistence: the phone app and the platform

If you already use the WhatsApp Business app on your phone, you can keep it active alongside Uptonica on the same number (Meta's Coexistence mode). Messages sync both ways: reply from the phone or from the platform, interchangeably.

Good to know

  • ·Send speed is capped at 5 messages per second (very large campaigns go slower).
  • ·Groups, some broadcasts, edit/revoke and live location don't fully sync.
  • ·We detect it automatically when you connect and flag it on your numbers screen.

The 24-hour window

When a customer writes to you, a 24-hour window opens in which you can reply with free text, and it's free. Outside that window, or to write first to a contact who never messaged you, you need a Meta-approved template.

What it costs, and who you pay

You pay WhatsApp directly to Meta, at cost. Connect your WABA with your payment method and Meta bills you its official rates, with no markup from us on the message. It's the lowest possible price, because it's Meta's price.

No Meta cost

Replying to customers

Replies inside the 24-hour window carry no Meta cost. The AI that replies is included in your plan (it uses credits).

Meta rate

Writing first

A template (promotion, confirmation, code) costs Meta's rate, per category and per country. You pay it to Meta, not to us.

The comparison that matters

A marketing message in Italy, for example, costs Meta ~€0.06–0.07, and with us you pay exactly that: zero markup from us on the message. Tools that resell WhatsApp add a subscription or a margin on top. We make money on the AI that puts WhatsApp to work, not on reselling your messages.

Meta's rates vary by category (marketing, utility, authentication) and by destination country; you see them in the open on your Meta account.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an existing WhatsApp Business account?

Yes. You need a WhatsApp Business account on Meta Business Manager and an enabled number. Connecting it to Uptonica takes a few minutes.

Do I lose my conversations if I connect the platform?

No. In Coexistence mode the phone app stays active and messages sync both ways.

Can I message a customer first?

Yes, but you need an approved template (Marketing, Utility or Authentication category). Free text is only possible within 24 hours of a customer's message.

How much does replying in chat cost?

A message within the 24-hour window has no Meta cost; the AI that replies uses your plan's credits. Template sends are billed by Meta directly, at its rate, on your account: we add nothing on top of the message.

Can I use one number for multiple stores?

For now each number is tied to a single workspace.

Part of one brain

WhatsApp shares its brain with your catalog, orders and CRM: a chat reply knows what's in stock, what the customer bought and who they are.

Related

See it on your real store.

30-minute walkthrough. We connect your Shopify and show you WhatsApp live, alongside the rest of the platform.

Book a demo