Chat App Message Service:Register as a Meta tech provider

1. What is a tech provider?

A tech provider is a technology integrator authorized by Meta to provide enterprise customers with access to the WhatsApp Cloud API. Tech providers can develop their own integrations with the WhatsApp Business Platform, enabling their customers to send and receive messages.

2. Target users and benefits

2.1. Who this is for

This guide is intended for the following types of platforms and service providers:

• Independent software vendors (ISVs)

• Platform-based companies with self-built customer management systems

• Intermediary service providers that need to manage WhatsApp channels for multiple customers at scale

• Companies that need to manage WhatsApp channels for multiple customers but lack sufficient in-house technical resources

2.2. Benefits of being a tech provider

• Use the embedded signup flow to onboard customers and directly manage their WABAs.

• After you register as a tech provider, your company logo is displayed on the embedded signup page. For non-tech providers, the Alibaba Cloud logo appears.

• Integrate faster and reduce in-house development costs by using the Chat App Message Service API to shorten your feature launch cycle.

3. Register as a tech provider

If you have in-house development capabilities, we recommend you start here.

3.1. Create a business portfolio

Before you begin registration, ensure your business portfolio contains accurate company information, including your address, website, email, and other business-related details.

If you do not have a business portfolio, create a new one.

3.2. Register as a Meta developer

Use your Facebook account to access the Meta Developer Platform and complete the developer registration process. This converts your Facebook account into a Meta developer account, which is required to create an application.

After completing registration, you can create and manage applications from the developer platform dashboard.

3.3. Create a Meta application

Go to Meta's application creation page to create a new Business application:

1. In the application details, enter an Application Name and a Contact Email, then click Next.

2. For the use case, select Other, then click Next.

3. For the application type, select Business, then click Next.

4. In the details, verify the Application Name and Contact Email, and select your company's business portfolio from the dropdown menu.

5. Click Create Application.

3.4. Configure application details

After you create the application, the page automatically redirects to the application dashboard. In the left navigation pane, click App Settings > Basic and add the following information:

• App Icon

  Supported formats are JPG, GIF, or PNG. The image size must be between 512x512 and 1024x1024 pixels, and the file size cannot exceed 5 MB.

• Privacy Policy URL

  The URL of your company's privacy policy. This link is visible to customers during registration.

• Category

  From the category dropdown menu, select Messaging.

• At the bottom of the page, click Add Platform, select the platform where you will use the application (for example, Website), and configure the relevant settings.

• Click Save Changes.

3.5. Add the WhatsApp product

In the left navigation pane, click Products > Add Product, find the WhatsApp application, and click Set up.

Complete the setup process until the Quick Start panel appears.

3.6. Register as a tech provider

• In the Grow Your Business section, click the Get Started button and follow the prompts.

• Select Work with a Solution Partner.

3.7. Complete business verification

Select Start Verification to complete the business verification. This process typically takes 2 to 5 business days. If verification fails, you can resubmit based on Meta's feedback. During the review, you can check the verification status by visiting the Business Information panel.

3.8. Create a partner solution

On the Quick Start > Registration panel, in the App Review section, go to Create Partner Solution and click the Create Partner Solution button:

• Add a Solution Name.

• Enter the App ID for Chat App Message Service: 324633502517598.

• In Permission Configuration > Send Messages, select Partner Only.

  Important

  Chat App Message Service only accepts solution requests configured as Partner Only. Ensure you select the correct option to prevent your partner solution from being rejected.

• Click the Send Request button.

Your partner solution is created and sent to Chat App Message Service. Wait for the service to accept it. Once accepted, the solution status changes to Active. Copy the solution ID and add it to your embedded signup configuration.

You can then proceed with the following actions.

3.9. Prepare for application review

Application review is a necessary step for an application to access specific WhatsApp features. Meta's review team will review your submission and decide whether to approve it or request more information.

1. In the Quick Start > Onboarding panel, find the setting to review your application and click the corresponding button. In the window that appears, check that the application details are correct.

2. Record videos: As part of the application review, you must provide two videos:

   1. The first video must show a message being created and sent from your application and then received in a WhatsApp client (mobile or web app).

   2. The second video must show the process of creating a message template within your application.

3.10. Submit the application for review

On the Quick Start > App Review > Request page, you will see a pending application review request. Click the Edit button to access the review process.

You need to explain how your application uses enterprise customer data and why it requires advanced access for the whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management permissions.

When describing how your application uses each permission, attach the screen recording or video you created in the previous step:

• For whatsapp_business_messaging: Upload the screen recording or video that shows your application sending a message and the message being displayed in the WhatsApp client.

• For whatsapp_business_management: Upload the screen recording that shows your application creating a message template, or a screen recording of you using WhatsApp Manager to create a message template.

Complete the process and submit the request. Meta sends the review results via email and developer notifications, and the status updates in the App Review > Requests panel.

3.11. Complete access verification

This process collects basic information about your company to verify that it meets the standards for a tech provider.

In the Quick Start > Onboarding panel, find the row for completing access verification, click the Start Verification button, and then complete the process and submit it for review.

3.12. Confirm your status

After completing the preceding steps, the Quick Start > Onboarding panel should show that all steps are complete (indicated by a green check mark) and confirm that you are now a tech provider.

4. Onboard enterprise customers

Once you are confirmed as a tech provider, you can begin onboarding enterprise customers. Customers need to complete the embedded signup to grant you and Chat App Message Service access to their WhatsApp assets.

4.1. Configure Facebook Login for Business

Before onboarding customers, you must create a Facebook Login for Business product and configure its permissions to allow customers to log in with their Facebook accounts.

1. Click Facebook Login for Business > Configure, and select Create Configuration.

2. In the Name field, enter a Configuration Name and click Next.

3. For Login Method, select WhatsApp Embedded Signup and click Next.

4. For Access Token, select 60 days and click Next.

5. For Select Assets, select WhatsApp Account and click Next.

6. For Permissions, select whatsapp_business_management and whatsapp_business_messaging.

7. Click the Create button and copy the Configuration ID.

4.2. Manage login authorization

Go to Facebook Login for Business > Settings > Client OAuth Settings and set the following toggles to Yes:

• Client OAuth login

• Web OAuth login

• Enforce HTTPS

• Embedded browser OAuth login

• Use strict mode for redirect URIs

• Login with JavaScript SDK

Add your domain to the Valid OAuth redirect URIs and Allowed Domains for the JavaScript SDK fields, then click the Save Changes button.

4.3. Add embedded signup

1. Load the Facebook JavaScript SDK

   The Facebook JavaScript SDK does not require you to download or install any files. You only need to add a short snippet of standard JavaScript to your HTML to load the SDK asynchronously on your page.

   <script>
     window.fbAsyncInit = function() {
       FB.init({
         appId            : '<APP_ID>',
         autoLogAppEvents : true,
         xfbml            : true,
         version          : 'v23.0'
       });
     };
   </script>
   <script async defer crossorigin="anonymous"
     src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js">
   </script>

2. Configure embedded signup

   In the launch method and callback registration section of your embedded signup code, assign the solution ID to the solutionID property within the extras.setup object.

   // Launch method and callback registration
   const launchWhatsAppSignup = () => {
     FB.login(fbLoginCallback, {
       config_id: '<CONFIGURATION_ID>', // your configuration ID goes here, ensure it is in quotes
       response_type: 'code',
       override_default_response_type: true,
       extras: {
         setup: {
           solutionID: '<SOLUTION_ID>' // add solution ID here, ensure it is in quotes
         },
         featureType: '',
         sessionInfoVersion: '3',
       }
     };

After configuration, present the custom embedded signup flow to customers at the appropriate location on your platform.

Once your customers complete registration on your embedded signup page, you can start calling the Chat App Message Service API.

5. Use CPaaS for quick registration

To quickly register as a tech provider using the CPaaS platform, you must first activate your CPaaS service. You only need to complete 3.1. Create a business portfolio, 3.2. Register as a Meta developer, and 3.7. Complete business verification. Afterward, you can grant us access to your Meta application. We will then handle the rest of the tech provider registration process on your behalf, including creating the Meta application, configuring its details, adding the WhatsApp product, preparing and submitting the application review, and completing access verification. You only need to provide the necessary application information.

Before authorizing us to register on your behalf, contact your business manager or technical support to obtain the email address of the support staff. Then, grant application permissions in WhatsApp Business Manager by following these steps:

• In WhatsApp Business Manager, click Invite People in the upper-right corner.

• In the Add People section, enter the email address of the support staff.

  In More settings, you can enable the Temporary access toggle, then click Next.

• In the Assign access section, under Partial access, enable Apps and integrations.

  Under full control, enable Everything.

• In the Assign business assets section, select Apps from the Select asset type column, and then select the application you want to authorize from the Select Assets column.

• In the Check invitation information section, confirm the details.

Our support staff will then handle the remaining tech provider registration steps for you. Once the process is complete, you can start onboarding customers in CPaaS through your embedded signup page. When your customers use the embedded signup, your application icon is displayed. The page redirects to the Facebook OAuth authorization screen, where the WhaleCloud application requests access to the user's name and profile picture. Click the blue Continue as... button to grant authorization, or click Cancel to deny it.

On the embedded signup page, your customers will see the permissions accessible to you as a tech provider, as well as the permissions for Alibaba Cloud.

The embedded signup authorization page displays the title Connect your account to WhaleCloud's Market. The permissions list includes two items: WhatsApp Business account access (to add or link phone numbers, create message templates, send and receive messages, assign users, and access metrics) and billing management permission (Alibaba Cloud Singapore will be authorized to attach a line of credit and bill you directly). The bottom of the page provides links to the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service, Meta Terms of Service, and Business Tool Terms. The blue Get Started button is in the bottom-right corner.

6. FAQ

6.1. Cannot find the WhatsApp application card

Meta only allows you to access and add the WhatsApp application from countries or regions where it is supported. You must perform this operation from a network in one of these locations, or contact technical support to authorize our support staff to assist you.

6.2. Migrating existing customer WABAs

After you become a tech provider, contact technical support to request the migration of your customers' WABAs to your own application. The migration is initiated by Chat App Message Service. After it is complete, your customers will receive a confirmation email from Meta. They can approve the migration by clicking a button in the email, or it will be automatically confirmed after 90 days.

6.3. Why did business verification fail?

Meta requires business entities to have authentic and verifiable credentials. To improve your chances of approval, ensure that the information you provide is consistent with your business license and corporate email.

6.4. Pending partner solution request

After submitting a partner solution request, you must wait for Chat App Message Service to confirm it. This typically takes 2 to 3 business days. If your request remains pending for an extended period, you can contact technical support for an update.

6.5. Rejected partner solution request

Chat App Message Service only accepts partner solution requests where the permission is configured as Partner Only. If your request was rejected, create a new partner solution and select Partner Only in the permission settings. For more information, see 3.8. Create a partner solution.

7. Related documentation

• Become a tech provider

• Embedded Signup

• Onboarding Customers as a Tech Provider

• App Review for WhatsApp Business

• Embedded Signup Overview

• Manage Message Templates

• Send Messages