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WhatsApp sending FAQ

Quick answers to the questions almost everyone asks when they start sending WhatsApp through Bird. Each answer links to the full article if you want the details.

Can I send WhatsApp without buying a phone number?

Yes. Every workspace can send from Bird's own WhatsApp numbers using a set of templates Bird has already registered and had approved by Meta. Nothing to connect, nothing to submit: pick a template, call the API, and the message goes out.
The trade-off is that you send Bird's content from Bird's sender. Template text and branding are fixed, and you choose a template rather than a sender, because the template's category decides which number the message leaves from. Your own number and your own templates are the step after that.
See Phone number setup for how the managed numbers work, and WhatsApp templates for what the catalog holds.

What are the Notify and Verify numbers?

They are the two Bird-owned senders behind the managed catalog, split by what they carry:
  • Bird Verify sends authentication templates, the one-time passcodes and sign-in alerts. It is the same sender Bird's Verify product delivers WhatsApp codes from.
  • Bird Notify sends utility templates, the order confirmations, delivery updates, and reminders.
You never name either one on a send. Bird resolves the sender from the template's category and your region, which is why a send that uses Bird's pre-registered templates carries no from field. The number a given message actually used is on the message itself, in the send response and the WhatsApp log.
Both are US numbers shared across workspaces, so they suit transactional messaging where the content matters more than the sender's identity. When your brand needs to be the sender, connect your own number.

How do I set up my own phone number?

Through Meta's Embedded Signup popup, which you open from the Numbers page of the WhatsApp app in the dashboard. There are two ways in, and the difference is who proves the number belongs to you:
  • Use a number you already own. Meta sends a verification code to that number by SMS or voice call, and you enter it in the popup. The number cannot be active on the WhatsApp consumer app or WhatsApp Business app at the time, so delete the account on it first.
  • Use a number you buy from Bird. Bird holds the number and receives its messages, so Bird completes Meta's verification for you. There is no code for you to find and type.
Either way you finish inside the same popup: pick the business portfolio the number belongs to, accept Meta's terms, and Bird takes over from there. The number arrives in your workspace ready to send once Meta registers it.
Phone number setup covers the whole flow, including what to do when the popup closes early.

Do my customers have to opt in?

Yes, for anything you start. Meta requires an opt-in before you message someone on WhatsApp, and the opt-in has to be explicit about the fact that they will hear from your business on WhatsApp. A customer who messages you first has effectively opted in to that conversation.
Opt-in is Meta's rule rather than Bird's, and Meta enforces it after the fact: recipients who did not expect your message report it, the template's quality rating falls, and Meta pauses the template. Abuse and compliance covers what Bird expects of your sending in return.

Why do I need a template to reach someone?

Because outside an open conversation, WhatsApp only carries content Meta has already reviewed. When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens and you can reply freely inside it, from a number of your own. Once it closes, an approved template is the only thing that reaches them again, and Bird's shared numbers send templates only.
See the WhatsApp customer service window for when the window opens and resets.

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