WhatsApp: FAQs

Answers to the questions managers ask most about WhatsApp in COHO. For how WhatsApp works, see WhatsApp; for step-by-step instructions, see WhatsApp: how-to; for problems, see WhatsApp: troubleshooting.

Can I connect my existing WhatsApp groups, for example one per property?

No. COHO doesn’t support WhatsApp groups. Every WhatsApp conversation in COHO is between your organisation and one mobile number.

If you pick several tenants when you start a WhatsApp message, each tenant gets their own message in their own conversation. Each tenant’s replies come back only into their own conversation, and the other tenants don’t see them. See WhatsApp conversations.

Will my existing WhatsApp chats and media come into COHO?

Not at the moment. Nothing is imported when you connect, including messages, photos and files. This is true even if Meta asks during sign-up whether to share your chat history.

COHO only shows messages from the point you start a WhatsApp conversation with someone in COHO.

If I choose Coexistence, will messages I send from the WhatsApp Business app on my phone show in COHO?

Not at the moment. Messages you send from the phone app don’t sync into COHO. Replies from the person still come into the COHO conversation.

Because COHO and the app would show different parts of the same chat, we recommend Cloud API only with a dedicated number. See Can I use the WhatsApp Business app alongside COHO without risking restrictions?

Can I send a photo or file with a caption?

Not at the moment. Photos and files are sent on their own, without text.

• To add a note, send it as a separate text message. That message uses its own conversation credit (see What uses a credit).
• Send the text and the file separately. If you type text and attach a file in the same send, only the file goes.

Files people send you with a caption arrive fine, and the caption shows in COHO. See What they can send you.

What can COHO see, and how do I keep my personal WhatsApp separate?

COHO only connects to the WhatsApp Business number you choose in the Facebook window. It can’t see any other number or account, including your personal WhatsApp.

Once connected, COHO receives every incoming message to that number. If there’s a WhatsApp conversation in COHO with the sender, the message is added to it. To keep personal chats separate, use a separate number for your business and never connect your personal number.

COHO handles this data in the same way as the rest of your COHO data. You are the data controller and COHO is your data processor, and Meta is a sub-processor for delivering messages. Data is kept and deleted in line with our terms and conditions (see “Our role when you manage other people’s data”) and our WhatsApp terms.

What happens when I run out of conversation credits?

You can’t send WhatsApp messages from COHO until you top up.

• Tenants can still message you, and their messages still come into COHO.
• Automatic notifications such as viewing invitations and rent reminders carry on, because they never use credits.

See Conversation credits for how credits work.

Do WhatsApp messages sent from our number include COHO branding?

No. None of the WhatsApp message templates COHO uses contain COHO branding or wording. They’re deliberately generic so they read as coming from you.

Where a template needs to say who the message is from, COHO adds your company name automatically. For example:

• Viewing invites read “[Your company] has invited you to view…”.
• Messages, documents, images, videos, rent reminders, maintenance updates and signing requests read “…from [Your company]”.
• Other templates, such as viewing updates, don’t name a sender.

The rest of the template is filled in with the details of that message: the tenant’s name, the property, the date and time, or your message text. Where there’s a button, it opens the relevant page, for example the viewing details. See Notifications by WhatsApp.

Can we edit the WhatsApp templates so they’re in our own words?

You don’t need to. The templates are generic, and COHO adds your company name wherever the sender is named (see Do WhatsApp messages sent from our number include COHO branding?).

• COHO-provided number: the templates are managed by COHO and can’t be edited.
• Your own connected number: copies of COHO’s templates are created in your own WhatsApp Business account, so you can technically edit them in Meta’s WhatsApp Manager. We strongly advise against it. See Two ways to set it up.

Why we advise against editing them:

• Sending stops while it’s reviewed. Any edit sends the template back to WhatsApp for review. While it’s pending, messages that use it can’t be sent. WhatsApp may also reject the edit, or reclassify the template as Marketing, which costs more and has stricter delivery rules.
• Mistakes are slow to undo. WhatsApp limits how often a template can be edited.
• Messages can stop sending. COHO sends each template with a fixed set of details (such as the tenant’s name, property and date) and, where there is one, a link button. Adding or removing a placeholder, changing or removing the button, adding an image or document, or renaming or deleting the template stops those messages from sending.
• You can’t switch over safely. When COHO updates a template, we create a new version and only switch to it once WhatsApp has approved it, so messages never stop. COHO always sends its own template names, so you can’t do the same with your own versions.
• Your changes stay as they are. We don’t overwrite changes you make, so if an edited template stops working it stays broken until you fix it in WhatsApp Manager.

Caution

Editing templates is at your own risk. If something in a template doesn’t suit you, contact COHO support and we’ll look at updating it for everyone.

Can I use the WhatsApp Business app alongside COHO without risking restrictions?

You can with Coexistence, but there are trade-offs and risks, so we recommend Cloud API only with a dedicated number. With Coexistence:

• COHO counts as one of your linked devices.
• You must open the WhatsApp Business app on your main phone at least once every 14 days. If you don’t, Meta disconnects the link and COHO stops sending and receiving until you reconnect.
• Some app features are switched off for one-to-one chats: disappearing messages, view-once photos and videos, and live location. You can’t create new broadcast lists, and existing ones become read-only.
• Groups keep working in the app but never appear in COHO.
• Messages you send from the phone don’t appear in COHO.
• Switching quickly between messaging in the app and messaging through COHO on the same number can look like spam to WhatsApp. WhatsApp may then apply temporary restrictions while it investigates.

Meta watches the quality of messages from your number. Your number can be limited or restricted if many people block or report you. Common causes are messaging people who haven’t agreed to hear from you on WhatsApp, sending lots of near-identical messages, and marketing-style blasts.

To reduce the risk:

• Only message tenants, applicants, owners and suppliers who have given you their number for this.
• Keep messages personal and relevant.
• Don’t send promotions.
• Keep your WhatsApp Business profile complete.
• Respect STOP requests. COHO opts the number out automatically (see Opting out).

Caution

If Meta restricts your number, check the account quality and status in Meta’s WhatsApp Manager and follow Meta’s steps to request a review. COHO can’t lift a Meta restriction. Until it’s lifted, COHO’s automatic notifications fall back to SMS, and you can reach people through COHO Messenger, email or SMS.