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Connect WhatsApp, step by step.

⏱ 10–15 minutesStarter plan and aboveNo code needed

By the end of this guide, customer messages to your WhatsApp Business number will be answered by your AI — in your tone, from your FAQs, around the clock.

Before you start, have these ready

Your business WhatsApp number — the one you already use is fine. You keep the app, your chats and your history
A Facebook account you control (used only to authorise the connection)
Your business details handy: name, category, opening hours
An AutoReply AI plan — WhatsApp is included from Starter (₹499/mo)

Create your AutoReply AI account

Go to autoreplyai.in/app and click Sign up.
Click Continue with Google and pick your Google account. No password, no card.
You land in onboarding automatically.

Tip: use the Google account you check daily — payment receipts and alerts go there.

Tell the AI about your business

Onboarding asks a short set of questions. Answer them like you'd brief a new employee:

Business name & category — e.g. "Sweet Crumbs Bakery", Food & Beverage.
What you sell — one or two plain sentences.
Hours & tone — when you're open, and whether the AI should sound friendly, formal or playful.

Everything is editable later under Settings, so don't overthink it.

Add your FAQs

In the dashboard sidebar, open FAQs.
Click Add FAQ and write the question the way a customer actually asks it ("cake price?", "do you deliver?").
Write the answer exactly how you want it sent — prices, timings, delivery charges.
Add at least 5 FAQs before going live; 10–15 is the sweet spot.

The AI answers from your FAQs first and only improvises when nothing matches — so better FAQs = better replies.

Use the number you already have

This is the question everyone asks first, so here it is plainly: you do not have to delete WhatsApp, and you do not need a second SIM. The number running in your WhatsApp Business app right now is the one to connect.

Your app keeps working. You can still open WhatsApp Business on your phone and reply by hand whenever you want.
Your chat history stays. Nothing is deleted, exported or moved.
Your customers see no change. Same number, same display name, same profile.

This is Meta's official coexistence onboarding — the AI answers alongside your app rather than replacing it. If you have read older guides anywhere telling you to delete your WhatsApp account first, that was the old way of connecting, and it is not what happens here.

A brand-new number works too, if you would rather keep business and personal completely apart. Either path uses the same button in the next step.

Pick your plan

Open Plan & billing in the sidebar.
Choose Starter or higher and pay by UPI or card (Razorpay checkout, INR). WhatsApp is included from Starter.
Your plan activates instantly — you'll see it reflected at the top of Billing.

Connect the number

Open Connect in the sidebar and click the WhatsApp card.
Click Connect WhatsApp. A window from Meta opens — this is Facebook's own setup, not ours, so your number and password never pass through us.
Sign in with the Facebook account you control and follow Meta's steps. Pick the number you already use, and Meta will offer to bring it across with your chats intact.
When Meta finishes, the window closes by itself and the card turns to Connected.

Keep the popup open until it closes on its own. If you close it early nothing breaks — click Connect WhatsApp again and pick up where you left off.

Occasionally Meta puts a brand-new number through a short review. Your dashboard shows the live status while that clears; you do not have to do anything.

Test it like a customer

From a different phone, message your business number: "Hi, what are your prices?"
Watch the AI reply within seconds, using your FAQ answer.
Open Chats in your dashboard — the conversation is there, labelled with what the AI did.
Try "I want to talk to a human" — the chat flags Needs Attention and you get an alert. That's the handover working.

Common questions

Can I use my personal WhatsApp number?

Yes — your existing number connects as it is, and you keep the app and your chats. Many owners still prefer a separate business number so personal messages stay personal, but that is a choice, not a requirement.

Do my customers need to do anything?

Nothing. They message your number exactly as before — the AI just answers faster than you could.

Can I take over a conversation?

Anytime. Open the chat in your dashboard and reply yourself — the AI steps back automatically, and you can hand it back when done.

What does Meta charge?

Meta bills conversation fees for the Cloud API separately on your Meta account; service conversations started by customers have a free tier. AutoReply AI's plan price is separate from Meta's fees.

Does my WhatsApp Business app stop working?

No. You keep the app, your chats and your history, and you can reply by hand any time. The AI works alongside it.

What does Meta charge me per message?

Nothing for these replies. Answering a customer inside the 24-hour window they opened is free on Meta's side — the AI only ever replies to someone who messaged you first, so it stays in that window.

What if a customer sends a photo?

It lands in your inbox labelled as a photo and flagged for you, and the customer is told someone will look. The AI does not try to guess what is in an image.

Will it reply at 3am?

Only if you let it. Settings → Reply settings has an around-the-clock switch, opening and closing hours, and your timezone.

What happens once it's live

It answers from your FAQs first. The AI only improvises when nothing matches, so the answers customers get are the ones you wrote.
It knows when you're closed. Set your opening hours in Settings → Reply settings and pick your timezone; outside those hours you choose whether it still replies.
It hands over when it should. Ask for a human, or say something it cannot safely answer, and the chat is flagged for you instead of guessed at.
Photos and voice notes reach you. The AI does not read attachments, so when a customer sends one it is saved to your inbox, labelled, and marked as needing you — the customer gets a short note saying you will look.
STOP is honoured. A customer who replies STOP stops getting automatic replies, on every channel, until they say START. You can still answer them by hand.
You can take over any chat. Reply yourself and the AI steps back for that conversation. "Stop AI replies" keeps it out until you say otherwise.

Getting better answers out of it

Write FAQs the way customers type. "cake price?" earns its keep more than "What is your pricing structure?".
Put the numbers in. Prices, delivery charges, timings. A vague FAQ produces a vague reply — the AI will not invent a figure you did not give it.
Ten to fifteen FAQs is the sweet spot. Five is enough to go live; beyond fifteen you are usually better off improving the ones you have.
Read the first day's chats. Every question it handled badly is an FAQ you have not written yet.

Ready when you are.

Create your account and set your FAQs and tone up first — you pick a plan when you connect a channel.

Create your account →