Connecting WhatsApp

What this is for in Lazycom

WhatsApp lets your store send and receive WhatsApp Business messages through Lazycom's inbox. Go to Settings → Apps, the WhatsApp card, and press Switch on (settings/apps#whatsapp). You'll paste an Access Token, a Phone Number ID, and an App Secret; saving them switches WhatsApp on.

Finding the values in Meta's dashboard

1. Sign in at developers.facebook.com and open your app's WhatsApp → API Setup (or Configuration) page.
2. Phone Number ID is shown right there under your WhatsApp business phone number — copy it into Lazycom's Phone Number ID field.
3. Access Token — the token shown by default on that page is temporary (expires in ~24 hours). For a token that doesn't expire, create one through a System User: in Meta Business Settings → System Users, add a system user, assign it your app and WhatsApp Business Account with full control, then generate its token. Copy that permanent token into Lazycom's Access Token field.
4. App Secret — in Meta Business Settings → your app → Settings → Basic, copy the App Secret into Lazycom's App Secret field. This is what Lazycom uses to verify that inbound webhook calls really came from Meta.
5. WhatsApp Business Account ID (needed for message templates, and so Lazycom can subscribe your app to the account) — on the same API Setup page, next to your Phone Number ID. Paste it into Lazycom's WhatsApp Business Account ID field, then press Test Connection again.
6. Set up the webhook: in the app's WhatsApp Configuration page, click Edit next to Webhook and paste Lazycom's Webhook URL and Verify token. Both are shown on the WhatsApp card in Settings → Apps, each with a Copy button, and are the same for every shop. Press Verify and save. If the card says the verify token is "not set up yet", Lazycom has not added it: contact support, nothing to change on your side. Then, under Webhook fields, switch on messages (Subscribe) so inbound conversations reach Lazycom's inbox.

Testing the connection

Use the Test Connection button after saving your credentials. It makes a read-only, authenticated call to Meta's Graph API for your phone number — "Connection OK" confirms the access token and phone number ID are valid together. It also does two things that messages need: it connects your phone number to your store (so each incoming message finds the right shop), and, if your WhatsApp Business Account ID is saved, it asks Meta to subscribe your app to that account. The card line reads "Connection: Connected" afterwards. Until it does, it reads "Not connected yet. Press Test Connection." and no messages arrive. Saving any WhatsApp field again puts it back to "not connected yet", so press Test Connection again after every change. One WhatsApp number can be connected to one store at a time; if it is used by another store you get a message saying so.

Meta's charges and your payment method

Meta now charges for replies you send to customers (free-form replies inside the 24-hour window and some template messages). The first 1,000 each month per number are free; after that Meta bills the WhatsApp account directly, not Lazycom. Add a payment method to your WhatsApp account in Meta WhatsApp Manager (Payment methods). With none on file, Meta stops delivering your replies once the free ones are used up, and Lazycom cannot see that from here, so a reply may look sent and never arrive. The WhatsApp card shows this reminder. Check Meta's current pricing page for the exact rates in your country.

Pictures

In the Inbox, a WhatsApp chat has a Pictures button and an Attach a picture button. A picture is a free-form message, so it follows the same 24-hour rule as text and counts towards the same monthly allowance. WhatsApp accepts JPEG pictures up to 5 MB (Lazycom converts WebP, PNG and GIF and shrinks large photos), with a caption of up to 1,024 characters.

Troubleshooting

• Replies stop reaching customers part-way through the month — check there is a payment method on the WhatsApp account in Meta WhatsApp Manager; the free allowance may be used up.
• Test Connection fails with a Meta error message — the access token has usually expired (a temporary token from the API Setup page, not a System User token) or the Phone Number ID belongs to a different app.
• Inbound messages aren't reaching the inbox — check, in order: the card says "Connection: Connected" (press Test Connection if not); Meta accepted the Webhook URL and Verify token; the webhook is subscribed to the messages field, not just configured. A saved-but-unsubscribed webhook receives nothing.
• Signature/verification errors — the App Secret in Lazycom must match the app the Phone Number ID belongs to; a mismatch fails every inbound webhook silently from the tenant's point of view.

Safety

Never paste your Access Token or App Secret into this chat — paste them directly into the Lazycom fields on the WhatsApp card in Settings → Apps. If either was ever exposed elsewhere, generate a new System User token / regenerate the App Secret in Meta Business Settings and update both in Lazycom.