Short answer: The WhatsApp Business app is a free app for small businesses, on Android and iPhone. Download it, register a phone number you own and fill in your business profile. Then turn on greeting and away messages and save quick replies for the questions you get most.
What the WhatsApp Business app is
WhatsApp Business is a free app built for small business owners, on Android and iPhone. It works like WhatsApp Messenger and adds a business profile, lists to organize your contacts and chats, and tools to answer customers quickly.
WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business are two different apps. You can use both, but each one needs its own phone number, because a number can’t be on both at the same time. If you’re not a business, WhatsApp says you don’t need the separate app.
WhatsApp says the app lets a small business talk to customers from a single device, and that it’s free to use. For medium and large businesses with high volumes of conversations, it points to the WhatsApp Business Platform, used directly or through a Business Solution Provider. Our guide to WhatsApp Business API pricing covers what the Platform charges.
How to set up the WhatsApp Business app
- Download WhatsApp Business from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
- Open the app, review the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service and tap Agree and continue.
- Choose your country and enter your phone number, without a 0 in front.
- Enter the 6-digit registration code you get by SMS or phone call.
- If WhatsApp finds a backup for that number, you may be able to restore your chat history.
- Enter your business name and choose up to three business categories.
- Add your business hours, a profile photo, your address and website and a description, then finish.
WhatsApp only registers a mobile or landline number you own that can receive calls or SMS. VoIP, toll-free, paid premium and universal access numbers can’t be registered. With a landline, tap Call me to get the code by phone, and use a number without an extension.
If the number already has a WhatsApp Messenger account, you can move it to WhatsApp Business with its chat history and media. If you stop using the business app later, you can move the account back to Messenger.
What customers see in your business profile
Customers see your business name, description, address, business hours and category, plus the month and year you joined the WhatsApp Business app. You can add a business email and your website, and link your Facebook Page or Instagram business profile.
WhatsApp says a complete profile can also reduce the questions you get about things like your hours. To see or change it later, go to the Tools tab and tap Profile. Categories come from WhatsApp’s list and you can’t create your own, so pick a more general one or Other Business.
Your business account is visible to anyone who has your number saved, even people you blocked. A blocked user can’t message you, but can still view your business profile and your catalog.
Greeting messages, away messages and quick replies
You set them up in the Tools tab of the app. Greeting and away messages answer on their own, and quick replies save you typing the same answer again.
| Tool | When it goes out | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting message | A customer writes for the first time, or after 14 days without messages in that chat | It turns off while Meta Business Agent is connected |
| Away message | Always, on a custom schedule or outside your business hours | The business hours option needs your hours in the profile |
| Quick replies | You type “/” in a chat and pick one | Up to 50 saved; a deleted one can’t be recovered |
Our own summary of the WhatsApp Help Center pages on these tools, read on November 6, 2026.
A greeting message goes out on its own when a customer writes for the first time, or after 14 days without messages in that chat. Turn on Send greeting message, write the text and choose the recipients: everyone, people not in your address book, everyone except some or only some.
An away message tells customers you’re busy or away from your phone. You can send it always, on a custom schedule or outside your business hours, an option that is only available once your hours are in the profile. Both messages need an internet connection on your device.
Quick replies are shortcuts for messages you send often, images and videos included, and you can save up to 50. On WhatsApp Web and the desktop app, quick replies can’t include images or videos. In a chat, type “/” to see them all, including default replies the app builds from your profile with your hours and address. A deleted quick reply can’t be recovered, so keep a copy of the ones that matter.
Answering from more than one device
You can link WhatsApp Web, the desktop app and other devices to your phone, up to four linked devices and one phone at a time. WhatsApp says this lets more employees answer customer messages from anywhere.
Linked devices work without your phone online, but they log out if the phone goes unused for more than 14 days. WhatsApp also disconnects a linked device after 30 days of inactivity. On linked devices you can’t use broadcast lists or live location, or add a status. Check your Linked devices list from time to time and log out any device you don’t recognize.
To bring people from your website into the chat, our guide to WhatsApp links shows how to create a link that opens it. If you pay for that traffic, our guide to ads that click to WhatsApp explains how they work.
Before you share your business number
- The number is yours, receives calls or SMS, and isn’t VoIP or toll-free.
- Your profile has the name, categories, hours, address, website and description.
- The greeting message is on and says how you can help.
- The away message covers the hours when nobody answers.
- Quick replies cover the questions customers ask most.
- Every linked device belongs to someone on your team.
RememberThe WhatsApp Business app is free and made for small businesses. Register a number you own, complete your profile, and let greeting messages, away messages and quick replies answer while you’re busy.
Our marketing automation service sets up an AI assistant for your chat and WhatsApp. It answers common questions in English and Spanish and hands over to a person when you want one. The accounts are yours. Write to us on WhatsApp or send the form.
Quick answers about the WhatsApp Business app
Is the WhatsApp Business app free?
Yes. WhatsApp says the WhatsApp Business app is free to download, on Android and iPhone, and built for small businesses. For medium and large businesses with high volumes of conversations, WhatsApp points to the WhatsApp Business Platform instead.
Can I use the same number on WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?
Not at the same time. WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business are two different apps, and a number can only be on one of them. You can move a Messenger account to WhatsApp Business, chat history and media included, and move it back later.
Which phone numbers can I register on WhatsApp Business?
A mobile or landline number you own that can receive calls or SMS. WhatsApp doesn’t register VoIP, toll-free, paid premium or universal access numbers. With a landline, tap Call me to get the code by phone, and use a number without an extension.
When does a WhatsApp Business greeting message go out?
When a customer writes to you for the first time, or after 14 days without messages in that chat. A customer who wrote in the last 14 days doesn’t get it, and greeting messages turn off while Meta Business Agent is connected.
How many people can answer from one WhatsApp Business account?
WhatsApp lets you use up to four linked devices and one phone at a time, such as WhatsApp Web or the desktop app. Linked devices log out if the phone goes unused for more than 14 days.
Sources
Sources from the WhatsApp Help Center, read on November 6, 2026: About WhatsApp Business. How to download the WhatsApp Business app. How to register for the WhatsApp Business app. About your business profile. How to edit your business profile. How to use greeting messages. How to use away messages. How to use quick replies. About linked devices on the WhatsApp Business app. About WhatsApp Business products.