WhatsApp Business API, live in days not weeks

The WhatsApp Business API is Meta's platform for businesses to send messages at scale, run marketing broadcasts, automate notifications, and handle support. Unlike the free WhatsApp Business app, the API supports automation, multiple agents, and integrations like Shopify.

You access the API through an official provider like Kanal. Kanal handles Meta Business verification, phone number provisioning, and template approval, so you can start sending without applying to Meta directly or hiring a developer.

Since July 1, 2025, Meta charges per delivered template message, and rates vary by the recipient's country and the category (marketing, utility, authentication). From October 1, 2026, service messages, the free-form replies inside the 24-hour customer service window, are billed at the market's utility rate beyond 1,000 free service messages per business phone number per month, and utility templates sent inside that window are billed too. Kanal shows these message costs transparently and adds a platform subscription, with no per-message markup.

No. With Kanal you connect your Shopify store and send campaigns from a visual dashboard. The API's technical layer is fully managed, so no code or engineering time is needed.

You can register a new number or migrate an existing one, as long as it is not currently tied to a personal WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app account. Kanal walks you through number setup during onboarding.

Yes. WhatsApp Business Platform is Meta's current name for what most people still call the WhatsApp Business API. It is the same official platform for business messaging at scale. Kanal connects your Shopify store to it, so you get a WhatsApp platform for business marketing, notifications, and support without touching the raw API.