How to activate a purchased number for WhatsApp

After you purchase a phone number in AskHandle, you need to activate it for WhatsApp before it can receive and send WhatsApp messages through your AI agent.

Activation connects your purchased number to WhatsApp through Facebook/Meta’s standard business setup flow. Once the Facebook setup is complete, AskHandle will finish the technical setup in the background.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

• A phone number already purchased in AskHandle
• Access to the Facebook/Meta business account you want to connect
• Access to an email inbox where you can receive the verification code
• Permission to create or connect a WhatsApp Business account in Meta

Do not close the setup windows while the activation is in progress.

Step 1: Open your purchased number

1. In your AskHandle portal, go to your WhatsApp numbers section.
2. Find the phone number you purchased.
3. On the number card, click Activate.

This starts the WhatsApp activation process.

Step 2: Enter an email address for the verification code

After clicking Activate, AskHandle will ask where to send the verification code.

1. Enter an email address where you can receive the code.
2. Click Continue to Facebook.

A Facebook setup window will open. You will also see a small setup guide window in AskHandle, usually shown in the bottom-right corner of the page.

The verification code will be shown in the AskHandle setup guide window when it arrives, and it will also be sent to the email address you entered.

Step 3: Continue through the Facebook setup

In the Facebook window, follow the setup steps shown on the screen.

You may be asked to:

1. Continue the connection between AskHandle and Facebook/Meta.
2. Select or create the business assets you want to share.
3. Choose a Business portfolio.
4. Select an existing WhatsApp Business account or create a new one.
5. Enter or confirm your business information.
6. Add your WhatsApp phone number.
7. Choose how you want to verify the number.

This is a standard Facebook/Meta setup flow, so some screens may look slightly different depending on your account, existing business assets, or previous Meta setup.

Step 4: Add the purchased phone number

When Facebook asks you to add a WhatsApp phone number:

1. Select Add a new number.
2. Enter the phone number you purchased in AskHandle.
3. Enter your WhatsApp Business display name.
4. Choose the verification method.
5. Click Next.

Use Text message for the verification method.

Step 5: Enter the verification code

Facebook will send a verification code for the phone number.

You can find the code in either of these places:

• The email address you entered at the beginning of the activation process
• The AskHandle setup guide window shown on the page

Once you receive the code:

1. Enter the code in the Facebook verification screen.
2. Click Next.
3. Continue through the remaining Facebook confirmation screens.
4. Click Finish when Facebook asks you to complete the setup.

After this step, the number is connected to WhatsApp through Facebook/Meta.

Step 6: Wait for AskHandle to finish the setup

After the Facebook setup is completed, AskHandle will automatically process the activation in the background.

You may see an AskHandle popup window moving through several setup steps. This usually takes about one to two minutes.

Keep this window open until the process is fully finished. Closing the window too early may interrupt the final setup.

Step 7: Assign the number to an AI agent flow

Once AskHandle finishes the setup, your WhatsApp number is fully activated and ready to use.

The final step is to assign the number to the AI agent flow where you want to use it.

To do this:

1. Go back to the WhatsApp number in AskHandle.
2. Find the AI agent assignment section.
3. Select the AI agent or flow you want to connect the number to.
4. Click Assign.

After the number is assigned, messages sent to that WhatsApp number will be routed to the selected AI agent flow.

What happens after activation?

After activation is complete:

• The number is connected to WhatsApp.
• AskHandle completes the backend setup automatically.
• The number becomes available for assignment to an AI agent flow.
• Once assigned, the number can be used as a WhatsApp communication channel.

Troubleshooting

I did not receive the verification code

Check the email address you entered at the beginning of the activation process. Also check the AskHandle setup guide window on the page, because the code may appear there as well.

If the code still does not arrive, wait until Facebook allows you to request a new code or change the verification method.

The Facebook window closed before I finished

Go back to your purchased number in AskHandle and click Activate again to restart or continue the activation process.

The AskHandle setup window is still processing

Wait for the process to finish. The final AskHandle setup can take around one to two minutes. Do not close the window while it is processing.

The number is activated, but messages are not going to my AI agent

Make sure the number is assigned to the correct AI agent flow. Activation makes the number available, but the number still needs to be assigned before it can route WhatsApp conversations to a flow.