> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.askyazi.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.askyazi.com/set-up-whatsapp/whatsapp-number-options.md). # WhatsApp number options Decide between Yazi's shared WhatsApp number and your own dedicated number, and what you need before connecting your own. Every message a participant receives comes from a WhatsApp business number. You can run studies from Yazi's shared number, or connect a dedicated number of your own. This page helps you choose and tells you what you need for your own number. {% hint style="info" %} **In short:** every new organisation starts on Yazi's shared number, so you can test and run studies straight away. Connect your own number when you want participants to see your name and picture, need higher sending volumes, or are messaging your own customers. You need full control of a Meta Business Manager and a mobile number that is not already on WhatsApp. {% endhint %} ## How WhatsApp business numbers work WhatsApp does not let software like Yazi send messages from a personal WhatsApp account. Business messaging goes through Meta's **WhatsApp Business Platform**, and every business number belongs to a **WhatsApp Business Account (WABA)** inside a company's **Meta Business Manager** (Meta also calls this a business portfolio). Each number has its own: * **Display name and profile picture**, which participants see at the top of the chat. * **Quality rating** (Green, Yellow or Red), based on how people react to its messages. * **Messaging limit**, the number of new conversations it can start in 24 hours. * **Templates**, the pre-approved messages it can send as broadcasts. These belong to the number, not to a study. That is the main thing to understand when choosing. ## Compare the options | | Yazi's shared number | Your own number | | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Ready to use** | Immediately, from sign-up. | After setup: about 15 to 30 minutes of your time, then usually a few working days (often 1 to 3) for Meta to activate the number. | | **Name participants see** | Yazi's. You cannot change it. | Your own business name, reviewed by Meta. | | **Profile picture** | Yazi's. | Your own logo or artwork. | | **Quality rating** | Shared with every organisation on the number. Other organisations' sending affects it. | Yours alone. | | **Messaging limits** | Shared with other organisations, and carries messaging restrictions. Not the right choice for messaging your own customer lists. | Your own, rising as Meta verifies your business and as you send good-quality messages. | | **Meta message costs** | Separate from Yazi's platform fee. See [Plans, billing and usage](/start-here/plans-billing-and-usage.md#whatsapp-message-costs-are-separate). | Billed by Meta to your payment method, or passed through on your Yazi invoice. | | **Best for** | Trying Yazi, pilots, internal studies, studies recruited from Yazi's panels. | Messaging your own customers, branded research, high volumes, long-running programmes. | ### When to move to your own number Choose your own number if any of these apply: * **You are inviting your own customers or members.** People are far more likely to open, and far less likely to block, a message from a name they recognise. Messages from an unfamiliar sender can get a number flagged by Meta. [Number health and limits](/set-up-whatsapp/number-health-and-limits.md) * **You need your brand on the chat.** On the shared number, participants see Yazi's name and picture. * **You will send at volume.** Your own verified number has its own, higher messaging limit. * **You run several clients.** An agency that wants each client's picture on the chat needs a number per client, because the picture belongs to the number. If your company's rules make it hard to set up your own number straight away, you can run a pilot on Yazi's number first and move to your own when the project goes ahead. ## What you need for your own number {% hint style="warning" %} **Get the phone number sorted first.** Obtaining a suitable SIM is the step that most often holds up setup. Do it before anything else. {% endhint %} * **Full control of your company's Meta Business Manager.** This is where your company manages its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp business assets. If you do not have full control, ask whoever administers it. If your company has none, you can create one during setup. You sign in with a personal Facebook login, but your personal profile is not linked to the business or to participants. * **A mobile number that is not already on WhatsApp.** Not on personal WhatsApp, and not on the WhatsApp Business app. If it is, talk to Yazi before you start. * It must be able to **receive an SMS or a phone call**, because Meta sends a one-time code to verify it. A landline or switchboard number will stall. * An **eSIM** is fine. Yazi can issue a South African eSIM for you. For a number in another country, such as Kenya or Nigeria, get it locally. * A **local number** for the country you are researching usually works best. Participants in some markets treat foreign numbers as spam. For many studies a South African number works well. * **Your business details:** legal business name, website, address and a business category. * **Someone who can answer the company phone and email on file with Meta**, because Meta may contact them during business verification. [Business verification](/set-up-whatsapp/business-verification.md) * **A payment method in Meta**, added once the number is connected. [Add a payment method](/set-up-whatsapp/add-a-payment-method-in-meta.md) You do not need to keep the SIM in a phone after setup. Keep it safe, though: you will need it to receive a code if you ever move the number to a different Business Manager. ## Timeline | Stage | Typical time | | --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Connecting the number in Yazi | 15 to 30 minutes once you have the prerequisites. | | Meta activating the number and reviewing the display name | Usually a few working days (often 1 to 3). New business accounts are often flagged for extra review, which can add days. | | Business verification (needed to send at volume) | Can only start after the WhatsApp Business Account exists. Can take several working days, so start early. | | Creating and approving templates | Minutes to 24 hours per template. Budget a day. | You do not have to wait. Build and test your study on the shared number while your own number is being set up. When you connect your number, the links for studies you already created move across to it automatically. ## Limits and things to know * **You cannot change the name on the shared number.** It belongs to Yazi's WhatsApp business. Participants on the shared number will always see Yazi's name. * **Templates do not move between numbers.** When you switch to a new number, create and get approval for your templates again on that number. * **Quality on the shared number is shared.** The rating in your **WhatsApp Number Quality** widget reflects every organisation sending from that number. * **Some countries cannot be reached at all.** Meta does not allow WhatsApp business messaging to some countries (for example Syria). * **If someone else manages your WhatsApp Business Account** (for example an agency or another messaging provider), talk to Yazi before starting. Moving a number between providers is a separate process. [Number health and limits](/set-up-whatsapp/number-health-and-limits.md) ## Related * [Connect your own number](/set-up-whatsapp/connect-your-own-number.md) * [WhatsApp profile and branding](/set-up-whatsapp/whatsapp-profile-and-branding.md) * [Business verification](/set-up-whatsapp/business-verification.md) * [Plans, billing and usage](/start-here/plans-billing-and-usage.md)