Summary
Meta has discontinued the WhatsApp On-Premise API in favor of the WhatsApp Cloud API. If you still use the On-Premise API with Wati, this article explains the changes you need to be aware of and the technical updates required to continue using your integration.
Instructions
Why move to the WhatsApp Cloud API?
The WhatsApp Cloud API provides:
Improved reliability and scalability: The Cloud API uses WhatsApp's cloud infrastructure for a more stable and scalable service.
Access to the latest features: You can use the latest WhatsApp Business features and updates. See the full list of WhatsApp API features
Improved performance: The Cloud API uses optimized infrastructure for faster and more efficient message delivery.
What changes with the Cloud API?
If you still have an integration that uses the WhatsApp On-Premise API, there are 2 important technical changes to be aware of.
API requests
Direct API requests to WhatsApp API endpoints, such as /v1/messages and /v1/contacts, are no longer supported through the On-Premise setup.
Your API requests must be routed through Wati instead.
Webhooks
Direct webhook registrations for WhatsApp events are no longer supported through the On-Premise setup.
WhatsApp webhook events are processed and forwarded through Wati instead.
What happened to the Developer Plan?
As part of the original migration, customers on the Developer Plan were moved to the Growth Plan at no additional cost, while their subscription price remained unchanged.
This plan migration mainly applied to customers who were using the Developer Plan at the time of the transition. Most customers are now on newer Wati plans, so this information is provided for reference.
What do you need to do
If your WhatsApp integration still uses the On-Premise API, your development team needs to update the integration to work with the Wati WhatsApp Cloud API.
1. Update your API integration
Your existing connection to the On-Premise server is no longer supported. Your development team must create a new integration and update your API requests to work through Wati.
See the Wati API documentation for more information.
2. Update your webhooks
If your integration uses WhatsApp webhooks, update your webhook setup to receive WhatsApp events through Wati.
3. Prepare and test your changes
Wati can provide a trial environment for development and testing. You can use this environment to update and test your API requests and webhooks before making changes to your live integration.
Contact the Wati support team if you need access to the trial environment or need help with the migration.