Getting started with 1-way WhatsApp on BSG

This guide walks you from creating a BSG account to sending your first outbound WhatsApp message through the API. "1-way" means your business sends approved template messages to your customers; you can also receive delivery statuses (and, soon, inbound replies) at your callback URL.

What you'll do (at a glance)

1. Create or sign in to your BSG account.
2. Open the WhatsApp channel in the platform.
3. Connect your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) — Business Portfolio, WABA, and a phone number — through Meta's Embedded Signup.
4. Add a payment method on Meta so your messages can be sent.
5. (Recommended) Verify your Business Portfolio to lift the starter sending limit.
6. Create and get your templates approved in Meta's WhatsApp Manager.
7. Get your API key and set your WhatsApp callback URL in BSG.
8. Send your first message via the API.

How WhatsApp works on BSG

BSG is a Meta Tech Provider. In practice that means:

• You pay Meta directly for message traffic, at Meta's published rates — see Meta's pricing. BSG charges only for the platform; there's no markup on traffic. You'll receive a separate invoice from Meta (this differs from providers like Twilio or Infobip that bill you for traffic).
• You own your WhatsApp Business Account. BSG connects to it as a partner.
• Templates, senders, limits, and billing live on Meta. BSG syncs them read-only so you can send and track — but you create and manage them in Meta's tools (details below).
• This is a focused, API-first outbound channel for high-volume sending of approved templates. Delivery statuses are available now, and inbound message/button forwarding is coming in a later release. (Two-way inbox, chatbot, and template/campaign builders sit outside this channel.)

What you manage where

Before you begin

Make sure you have:

• A Meta (Facebook) Business account with admin rights to the Business Portfolio you'll connect.
• A phone number to use as your WhatsApp sender — either a fresh number, or an existing WABA/number you already use (you can select an existing WABA during signup).
• Your business details (and, ideally, a verified Business Portfolio — see Step 5).
• The ability to add a payment method on your Meta account.
• A BSG account (create one below).

Step 1 — Create or sign in to your BSG account

Sign up at the BSG cabinet and log in. If you already have an account for SMS, Viber, or other channels, use the same one.

Step 2 — Open the WhatsApp channel

In the left menu, go to Products → Channels → WhatsApp, then start the connection flow. (If your navigation differs, look for WhatsApp under Channels.)

Step 3 — Connect your account via Embedded Signup

Embedded Signup is Meta's official connection window. You'll be asked to:

1. Log in with the Facebook/Meta account that manages your business.
2. Review and accept the WhatsApp Business and Meta terms.
3. Choose your Business Portfolio.
4. Select your WhatsApp Business Account — pick an existing WABA, or create a new one.
5. Add or select the phone number you'll send from, and verify it.
6. Grant the requested permissions.

When you finish, BSG completes the technical setup automatically: it securely exchanges your authorization for an access token, subscribes to your account's notifications (webhooks), registers your number for sending, and syncs your templates, senders, and account status into the platform.

Connecting an existing WABA: if your WABA was created through another app or provider, Meta may not let you select it in the signup window — in that case, share it with BSG from Meta Business Suite → Business Settings → WhatsApp Accounts.

Already using another provider? You don't have to switch everything at once. WhatsApp lets you connect BSG as a second partner on the same WABA, so you can validate BSG with real sends while your current provider keeps running — then move your main number over when you're ready. For the full step-by-step (including the two-partner limit and how the cutover works), see Connecting to BSG as a parallel second provider.

Learn more about the flow in Meta's Embedded Signup documentation and about WhatsApp Business Accounts. If you hit a problem while connecting, see Common Embedded Signup errors.

Step 4 — Add a payment method on Meta

With BSG you get Meta's direct prices with no markup, so you pay for traffic on Meta's platform. Add a valid payment method to your Meta account (WhatsApp Manager → Account tools → Payment settings) so your messages are ready to send. This is separate from anything you pay BSG. See how Meta pricing works.

Step 5 — Verify your Business Portfolio (recommended)

We recommend starting with a verified Meta Business Portfolio.

• Unverified: your portfolio starts limited to 250 unique recipients per rolling 24-hour period. You can message up to this many recipients (any numbers) immediately after connecting your number — see Meta's Embedded Signup doc.
• Verified (and as you send quality traffic): your limit scales to 1,000 → 2,000 → 10,000 → 100,000 → unlimited.

These are Meta's messaging limits, calculated by Meta at the Business-Portfolio level (shared across all your numbers). See Meta's messaging limits. (This is separate from your BSG platform limit — see the FAQ.)

Step 6 — Create and approve your templates on Meta

WhatsApp requires pre-approved templates for business-initiated messages. You create, edit, and submit templates for approval in Meta's WhatsApp Manager (or via Meta's API) — not in BSG. Once approved, BSG syncs them read-only (roughly hourly) so you can send them.

• Categories: Marketing, Utility, Authentication. Approval typically takes ~24–48h for Utility/Authentication and up to a few days for Marketing.
• Pricing varies by category and country — Marketing is significantly more expensive than Utility/Authentication. Utility templates sent inside an open 24-hour window can be free. See pricing.

Learn more about creating and managing templates.

Step 7 — Get your API key and set your WhatsApp callback

In the left menu, go to Management → Integrations & API → SMPP/API – password:

• Live API Key — used to authenticate your real send requests. Keep it secret.
• Test API Key — a safe sandbox for building your integration: it returns sample data so you can test freely, without sending real messages or incurring charges.
• Callback URL For WhatsApp — enter the HTTPS URL (including https://) where BSG should post your WhatsApp reports. As each message progresses, BSG posts an update here carrying the message ID, your reference, the current delivery status (sent → delivered → read → failed), and, on failure, an error code. (Inbound message and button-tap forwarding will arrive here in a later release.) For the exact payload and fields, see WhatsApp callbacks on BSG. Click Save.

Step 8 — Send your first message

With your Live API key and an approved template, you're ready to send via the API. Use the OneAPI method that fits your case — each page has the full request format, parameters, and examples:

• Send Single WhatsApp Message — one message, right now.
• Send WhatsApp campaign — bulk send (up to 5,000 recipients), with scheduling and SMS fallback.

For an orientation to the send methods, template structure, and delivery tracking, see BSG WhatsApp API Overview.

Optional: SMS fallback

If a WhatsApp message can't be delivered, BSG can automatically resend it as an SMS — useful for time-sensitive messages such as one-time passwords.

• It's opt-in per send request. Include the SMS fallback (alternative-channel) parameters — the SMS text and sender — in the same API call whenever you want a backup delivery path. Leave them out for a WhatsApp-only send.
• SMS is billed separately. WhatsApp traffic is billed by Meta; the SMS fallback is billed by BSG at its standard SMS rates for the destination country.

You include the SMS fallback parameters in the Send Single WhatsApp Message or Send WhatsApp campaign request — see those OneAPI methods for the exact fields.

Understanding your limits

Two independent limits apply, and they're counted separately:

• Meta's messaging limit — how many unique recipients you can start conversations with per rolling 24h, at the Business-Portfolio level. Starts at 250 (unverified) and scales with verification and quality.
• Your BSG platform limit — your plan's included volume (the Free default is up to 1,000 delivered messages); raise it via your account manager.

For how each one works, how to scale, and how they interact, see WhatsApp limits on BSG.

Good to know

• Meta is the single source of truth for your templates, senders, and WABA. You manage them on Meta, and BSG mirrors them (synced ~hourly) so you can send and track — allow a short delay after making changes on Meta.
• BSG is API-first. You send through the API and create templates on Meta; there's no in-BSG template or campaign builder.
• Outbound (1-way) today. Send approved templates and receive delivery statuses now; inbound forwarding is coming in a later release.
• Keep a valid Meta payment method on file so your messages keep flowing.
• A few rich template types are created via Meta's API rather than the WhatsApp Manager UI.

FAQ

1. Why is my message count/limit in BSG different from what Meta shows? 
   They're measured independently. BSG's 1,000 default counts delivered messages sent through BSG, while Meta calculates its messaging limit on its own side at the portfolio level. If you have two providers connected to the same WABA in parallel, BSG only reflects the messages sent through BSG — not the ones sent via the other provider — so the two counts won't match.

2. How do I increase the 1,000-message default? 
   Contact your account manager — the BSG platform limit is raised on request.

3. How do I increase my Meta messaging limit (e.g., past 250)? 
   Verify your Business Portfolio with Meta and keep sending quality traffic; Meta scales the limit automatically (250 → 2,000 → 10,000 → 100,000 → unlimited). See messaging limits.

4. Who bills me for messages? 
   Meta, directly, at its published rates. BSG charges only for the platform — no traffic markup. Make sure a payment method is on file with Meta.

5. Where do I create and edit templates? 
   In Meta's WhatsApp Manager (or via Meta's API). BSG syncs your approved templates so you can send them right away — no need to recreate anything on our side.

6. Don't see your existing WhatsApp account in the signup window? 
   If your WABA was created through a different app or provider, Meta has you share it via Meta Business Suite → Business Settings → WhatsApp Accounts (using BSG's Business Portfolio ID) rather than selecting it in the signup window.

7. Can I only send to my own number at first? 
   No. Once you connect your own number through Embedded Signup, you can immediately message up to 250 unique recipients per rolling 24 hours (any numbers), scaling further as you verify and send quality traffic — see Embedded Signup and messaging limits. (Meta's free test number, used only for sandbox API testing, is limited to a few allow-listed recipients — that's a separate thing and not part of connecting your real number).

8. Does SMS fallback cost extra? 
   Yes. SMS fallback is billed by BSG at standard SMS rates for the destination country, separately from the WhatsApp traffic you pay Meta for. It only triggers if you include the fallback parameters in your send request.

9. Which number should I test with? 
   Meta doesn't currently deliver marketing templates to US (+1) numbers, so use a non-US number to test marketing sends. Utility and authentication templates work everywhere. See per-user limits.

Next steps & related guides

• BSG WhatsApp API Overview — available send methods and what each provides.
• Connecting to BSG as a parallel second provider — if you're switching from another provider and want to validate BSG alongside it first.
• Common Embedded Signup errors — the most likely issues while connecting your account, and how to fix them.
• Common WhatsApp API errors — the sending errors you're most likely to see once you're live.
• WhatsApp callbacks on BSG — the delivery-status callback payload and fields.
• Meta references: Embedded Signup · WhatsApp Business Accounts · Business phone numbers · Messaging limits · Pricing · Templates