Coexistence

Keep your phone. Add your team.

For years the WhatsApp API came with a hard trade: move to the API and lose the app, the history, and sometimes the number itself. Coexistence removes that trade. Your WhatsApp Business app keeps working on the phone, and TicAte runs the same number for everyone else — simultaneously.

Ask about your number

On the handset

The WhatsApp Business app, unchanged.

  • The owner replies from the phone as always
  • Business profile, catalogue and away messages intact
  • Works offline, on the move, in a customer’s showroom
  • Nothing is deleted and nothing is locked
ONE
NUMBER

In TicAte

The same conversations, for the whole team.

  • Every agent works one shared, assignable queue
  • Tags, custom fields, notes and deal pipelines
  • Template broadcasts to thousands of contacts
  • Automations that reply when nobody is at a desk
What it means in practice

Nothing breaks on day one

The most common reason a WhatsApp rollout fails is that it asks a business to change how it already works. Coexistence doesn’t.

Your history comes with you

Existing chats are imported when the number is connected, so the first message an agent sees already has months of context behind it.

Your contacts come with you

The address book from the Business app becomes real contact records — with fields, tags and history — instead of a CSV nobody gets round to importing.

Your number stays your number

Same digits on your cards, your website and your Google listing. Customers notice nothing except that replies get faster.

Both sides see the same thread

If the owner answers from the phone, the team sees it in the inbox. If an agent answers in the inbox, it appears on the phone. One conversation, not two.

Automation joins in quietly

Keyword replies, out-of-hours acknowledgements and follow-ups run behind the same number, so nobody waits until Monday.

It is reversible

Coexistence is additive. If you decide to go back to phone-only, the app on the handset is still there, still working, still yours.

How we turn it on

Four steps, one short call

1

Check the number

We confirm the number is on the WhatsApp Business app and eligible for Coexistence, and that you hold admin on the Facebook Business account.

2

Run Embedded Signup

A Meta popup handles sign-in, WABA selection and number verification. No developer console and no access token ever touches your hands.

3

Scan to link the app

You approve the link from the Business app on the handset. That approval is what puts the two surfaces on one number.

4

History and contacts sync

Chats and contacts flow into the workspace. When the sync finishes, you invite the team and start assigning conversations.

Coexistence status
Number eligibleWhatsApp Business app detected
Pass
WABA connectedVia Embedded Signup
Pass
Handset linkedApproved on device
Pass
History import6 months of chats
Syncing
Contacts import2,184 records
Done
The comparison

Coexistence against the old way

  Business app alone Classic API migration TicAte with Coexistence
Keep the app on your phoneYesNo — the app stops workingYes
Keep your chat historyYesUsually lostImported
Keep the same numberYesOften needs a new oneYes
Multiple agents at onceUp to a handful of linked devicesYesUnlimited agents
Assign & track ownershipNoYesYes
Bulk template broadcastsLimited to 256 saved contactsYesYes, with delivery reporting
Automations & chatbotsCanned replies onlyYesVisual builder, no code
CRM & pipelineNoDepends on the vendorBuilt in
Rollback if you change your mindPainfulThe phone app never left
Good to know

Coexistence questions

Does my customer see anything different?
No. Same number, same profile, same chat thread on their phone. The only visible change is that replies arrive faster and after hours.
Which number can use Coexistence?
A number currently running on the WhatsApp Business app, where you have admin access to the associated Facebook Business account. Numbers on the consumer WhatsApp app need to move to the Business app first — we walk you through it.
How much history is imported?
Recent chat history is brought across at connection time, and everything from that moment on is captured live. We confirm the exact window for your account during setup, since Meta adjusts it.
Can I still use WhatsApp Web on the phone number?
Yes. Linked devices continue to work for the person holding the handset, while the team works from the TicAte inbox.
Do broadcasts still need approved templates?
Yes — that is a Meta rule, not ours. Outside the 24-hour customer service window you must send an approved template. TicAte writes, submits and tracks those for you.
What happens if I later want the full API only?
Nothing needs to be rebuilt. Your workspace, contacts, templates and automations stay exactly as they are; you simply stop replying from the handset.

Put your team on one WhatsApp number.

Keep the number you have, keep the app on your phone, and give the whole team a proper inbox behind it.

Chat with us