Keep the Business app? You do not delete the account to use the API and the WhatsApp Business app together. That path is WhatsApp coexistence. Delete the account only when this number should live on the API alone.
Before you delete anything
Cloud API registration fails while the same SIM is still logged into WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app. Meta will not issue a fresh registration until that account is gone.
- Export any chat you still need on a phone. A Google Drive or iCloud backup restores history onto another phone. It does not load into OneBox.
- Save the address book. Download contacts from Google Contacts (or the phone) as a CSV, then upload that file when you build a campaign. Old chats are not a contact import.
- If this number is already on coexistence with another provider, leave the WhatsApp Business account in place. Switching the API partner is a number migration, not a delete.
- A brand-new SIM avoids the “this person no longer uses WhatsApp” glitch described below. Reusing a deleted number is allowed, and it is the usual choice when customers already know the number.
Delete the WhatsApp account
- Open WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business on the phone that uses this number.
- Go to Settings, then Account.
- Tap Delete my account.
- Enter the phone number in full international form (country code included).
- Choose a reason, then confirm Delete my account.
Wait until the number is free. On Best SMS Bulk that is usually a few minutes, and sometimes up to about 15, before Meta will send a new SMS or voice code. Then follow Connect WhatsApp Cloud API.
After the API is live, do not scan a WhatsApp Web QR code or log the same number back into the phone app. That registration fights Cloud API and the number drops offline.
What moves, and what stays on the phone
| Item | After a full move to the API |
|---|---|
| Chat history | Stays in the phone backup only. OneBox starts from new API traffic. Coexistence is the option that can share recent Business app chats during signup. |
| Contacts | Import a CSV or Excel file into a campaign. The API does not read the phone address book by itself. |
| Display name and profile | You set these again in WhatsApp Manager during or after signup. See display name. |
| Broadcast lists | They do not transfer. Promotions go out as approved marketing templates. See promotional messaging. |
FAQ
What should I do before deleting, so I do not lose messages?
Back up chats inside WhatsApp (iPhone or Android backup) if you still want them on a phone. That backup cannot be uploaded into the API inbox. Download contacts separately as a CSV if you want them in Best SMS Bulk.
Can I import WhatsApp chat history into OneBox?
On a full migration, no. Phone backups restore to another handset, not to the Cloud API. If you need recent Business app chats in the team inbox, use coexistence and accept Meta’s history share during signup instead of deleting the account.
Can I import contacts?
Yes. Export the address book to CSV or Excel and upload it when you send a WhatsApp campaign. Only people who agreed to hear from you should be in a marketing list.
Why do some people see “This person no longer uses WhatsApp”?
Deleting the app account closes that registration. People who already had a chat with the number can keep the old thread until their app refreshes it. New chats are fine. Coexistence does not cause this, because the original account is never deleted. A brand-new API number also avoids it.
How customers refresh an old thread
- Send an approved template to that person. When the message arrives, their app checks the registration again.
- Share a click-to-chat link (
https://wa.me/plus the number, country code, no plus or spaces) by SMS, email, or your site so they start a new chat. - Ask them to delete the contact and save it again, or to open the chat in WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp Desktop, which rechecks the number when the chat opens.
This is a Meta client cache, not a Best SMS Bulk block. We cannot clear it from our side.
What’s next
- Connect the number on Best SMS Bulk
- Keep the Business app with coexistence
- API vs the Business app
- Short version in the Help Center
Connect WhatsApp on the official API. Start free trial · Talk to us
