Updated on October 25, 2026
Since Meta’s new account model, switching WhatsApp Business API providers no longer requires migrating your number. You share your WhatsApp account, which holds the number, with the new provider; the provider gets its own Messaging account for templates and billing, and the number keeps working without interruption. The previous provider can stay or be removed later, whenever you choose. What needs care are templates, which do not move over automatically, the payment method and the integrations that still point to the old provider.
This guide explains what changed, the step-by-step switch, what happens to templates, billing and limits, and how to avoid a gap in sending along the way. In the market, these providers are often called BSPs (Business Solution Providers).
What changed: the WABA became two accounts
Until 2026, the WhatsApp Business account (WABA) bundled everything: numbers, templates, billing, webhooks and partner access. Switching providers meant migrating the number from one WABA to another.
The Updates to WhatsApp Business accounts page describes the new model, which began rolling out on September 23, 2026 and was scheduled to reach all businesses by mid-October 2026. The WABA was split in two:
- WhatsApp account (WAAC): holds the phone number, business profile and catalog. It always belongs to the business and can be shared with several partners.
- Messaging account: holds templates, payment method and webhook subscriptions. Each partner has its own. The old WABA ID became the Messaging account ID.
| Item | Before (WABA) | After (new model) |
|---|---|---|
| Phone number | In the WABA | In the WhatsApp account |
| Templates | In the WABA | In each partner’s Messaging account |
| Billing and payment method | In the WABA | In the Messaging account |
| Conversation history | On the number | On the number (unchanged) |
| Quality rating | On the number | On the number (unchanged) |
| Business verification | In the portfolio | In the portfolio (unchanged) |
| Webhooks | In the WABA | In the Messaging account |
The practical consequence is spelled out in the documentation: migrating a number from one partner to another is not supported in the new model, because it is no longer needed. The business shares its WhatsApp account with the new partner, the number stays put and conversations are not interrupted.
To understand who is who among intermediaries, see what BSPs and Tech Providers are.
Step by step: switching providers
- Take inventory of your current provider. List approved templates (name, language, category, text and buttons), webhook URLs, the systems that use the current token and the payment method.
- Connect the new provider. Through the new provider’s Embedded Signup, you sign in with the number you already use. According to Meta’s onboarding changes page, clients already onboarded with one partner can onboard with another using their existing number, and the flow automatically creates a Messaging account for the new partner.
- Recreate or copy your templates. Templates belong to the Messaging account where they were created. Recreate them with the new provider or use the template migration API (details below).
- Set up billing. Each Messaging account has its own payment method. Without an active one, billable sends stop.
- Point your integrations to the new provider. Change the base URL, token and webhooks in your system. If your code follows the Cloud API format, the change is usually configuration only.
- Test before you switch over. Send test templates, check statuses in the webhook and confirm incoming messages arrive where they should.
- Decide what to do with the old provider. To end the relationship, the business unshares in Meta Business Suite: first the Messaging account, then the WhatsApp account tied to the number, as described in Migrating customers off a Multi-Partner Solution.
Keeping both for a while is allowed: sharing is additive, and Meta says removing the previous partner is not a prerequisite for onboarding a new one.
What happens to your templates
Templates are not shared across Messaging accounts. You have two options: recreate them and submit for approval, or use the template migration API, which recreates them in the destination account:
curl -X POST "https://graph.facebook.com/v26.0/<DESTINATION_WABA_ID>/migrate_message_templates" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"source_waba_id": "<SOURCE_WABA_ID>",
"page_number": 0
}'The response lists what was copied and what failed, with the reason:
{
"migrated_templates": ["1473688840035974", "6162904357082268"],
"failed_templates": {
"1019496902803242": "Incorrect category",
"259672276895259": "Formatting error - dangling parameter"
}
}Documented limitations:
- it only works between Messaging accounts owned by the same business portfolio;
- only templates with status
APPROVEDand qualityGREENorUNKNOWNmigrate; - up to 500 templates per migration page.
In practice, the API helps when both Messaging accounts belong to your business. If the old provider owned its Messaging account, plan to recreate your templates. Common rejection reasons are covered in rejected WhatsApp templates, and choosing a category in marketing, utility or authentication.
An important warning from Meta: templates migrated to a new Messaging account start with their quality reset and need a ramp-up period estimated at 2 to 4 weeks. Avoid switching providers right before a big campaign.
Billing, limits and throughput during the transition
| Topic | How it works in the new model |
|---|---|
| Billing | Each partner is billed through its own Messaging account. A message is charged to the account tied to the app that sent it. |
| Delivery receipts | Go back to the app that sent the message |
| Messaging limit | Still at the business portfolio level, shared by all partners on the number |
| Throughput | Still at the number level, shared by the partners |
| Quality and display name | Unchanged; they stay with the number |
| Business verification | Unchanged; it stays with the portfolio |
If your token has access to more than one Messaging account on the same number, Meta recommends sending the messaging_account_id parameter in send calls so the charge goes to the right account. It is optional today and becomes required in those scenarios in the next Graph API version, expected in the first half of 2027.
How to avoid a gap in sending
- Do not delete the number from the app or deregister it. That is not needed to switch providers in the new model and can take your support channel down.
- Remove the old provider’s access when you are done. Meta’s documentation says that, for now, any partner with access can deregister the number. Do not leave stray access behind.
- Old credit line. Meta warns that if a business still shares a previous partner’s credit line, it may see an error when switching partners, and points to its business customer support guide.
- Coexistence. Numbers that use the WhatsApp Business app alongside the API were also moved to the new model.
- Export your data. WhatsApp-side history stays with the number, but the data your old provider stored (contacts, labels, reports) stays with them. Export it before you leave.
- Tokens and webhooks. Each provider has its own credentials and URLs. Plan the change in your system; see permanent tokens with a system user if you integrate directly with Meta.
What if my account is still on the old model?
Meta migrates businesses in stages. Until a business moves to the new model, WhatsApp Manager and Meta Business Suite keep showing the old single-WABA view. If that is your case, confirm the current procedure with your new provider before touching the number. Meta’s old pages on migrating numbers between partners now state that the procedure they describe applies only to the previous model.
Switching to Vectalk
Vectalk is a proxy for Meta’s official Cloud API: the customer pays Vectalk and Vectalk pays Meta. To connect a number you already use:
- Create an account at apps.vectalk.com.br/register.
- Under Instances, click Connect account and complete Meta’s Embedded Signup with your number. Vectalk imports the
phone_number_id,waba_idand token. - Recreate your templates with
POST /api/templatesand check them withGET /api/templates. - Register your webhooks with
POST /api/webhooks. - In your system, change the base URL to
https://apis.vectalk.com.br/apiand swap the token. Payloads are the same as Meta’s.
The full walkthrough is in the quickstart. To plan the switch with the team, use the contact page. For general selection criteria, see how to choose a WhatsApp API provider.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my number or conversations when switching providers?
Not under the new model. The number stays in your WhatsApp account, which you share with the new partner. Meta states that existing conversations are not interrupted when a new partner is added.
Do I need to verify my business again?
No. Verification lives in the business portfolio and does not change when you switch providers.
Do the display name and quality rating change?
Meta lists display names and quality ratings among the things that do not change in the new model; they stay with the number.
Can I use two providers on the same number at once?
Yes. The new model was built for that: each partner has its own Messaging account, with separate templates and billing. They share the portfolio’s messaging limit and the number’s throughput.
Do my approved templates come along?
Not automatically. Recreate them with the new provider or use the migration API, which only works between Messaging accounts in the same portfolio and only for approved templates rated green or unknown.
Official sources consulted on October 25, 2026: Updates to WhatsApp Business accounts (changelog updated September 22, 2026), Onboarding changes, Managing messaging accounts, Template migration, Migrate numbers among partners via Embedded Signup, Migrating customers off a Multi-Partner Solution, Onboard WhatsApp Business app users.