Most shops start on an unofficial tool because it works in an afternoon and asks no questions. That is a reasonable way to begin. It is a poor place to stay once the number matters.
Why move at all
| Unofficial tool | Official platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Permitted by Meta | No | Yes |
| Risk of losing the number | Real | None from the method itself |
| Monthly fee per number | Usually charged | None from Meta |
| Business name shown to customers | No | Yes |
| Setup effort | Minutes | Verification, then minutes |
The cost argument surprises people: unofficial providers commonly charge around USD 12 per number per month, roughly LKR 3,600, while Meta charges nothing to host the number. You can pay less and be safer at the same time.
The order that avoids a gap
- 1Start business verification with Meta. This is the slow step — begin it while everything still runs as normal.
- 2Prepare your documents: business registration, and proof of address in the business name.
- 3Make sure your website and registration show the same name and address. Mismatches are the usual rejection reason.
- 4Once verified, connect the number using coexistence so the phone app keeps working.
- 5Run both for a few days and watch that replies still arrive.
- 6Only then cancel the unofficial subscription.
Cancelling first is the mistake to avoid. Verification can take a fortnight, and a shop with no working WhatsApp for a fortnight is a shop with no sales.
What you keep
Your number, your chat history in the app, and your customers. Coexistence carries up to six months of history across and keeps the phone app usable, so from the customer’s side nothing changes at all.