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A WhatsApp sender is a phone number linked to GrowthxAI as a linked device. Sequences can message people who have agreed to hear from you, and every reply lands in the Inbox. The number owner links it themselves on a secure page, so nothing is shared beyond the link.
Only Owners and Managers can connect senders.

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Before you start

  • GrowthxAI Outreach is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta.
  • WhatsApp restricts numbers that start many chats which get no reply. The number owner carries the risk of a restriction.
  • The number must be at least 6 months old and have real conversations on it. Fresh numbers are often restricted after only two or three new chats. You confirm this when you connect.
  • Have the phone with the number to hand. You’ll scan a QR code with it.
  • WhatsApp only reaches people who agreed. A new chat needs a recorded consent. See Consent below.

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How to connect

  1. Go to Senders and click Connect sender.
  2. Under What would you like to connect?, choose WhatsApp, tick the box confirming you have the owner’s permission, and click Continue.
  3. Fill in the account details:
    • Display name: for example Jane’s WhatsApp. The real number is filled in once the account is connected.
    • Owner email: the person who owns the number. We email them here if it ever needs to be linked again.
    • Timezone: outreach is sent during the owner’s working hours in this timezone.
    • Client (optional): the client this number works for.
  4. Under Number age (required), tick This number is at least 6 months old and has real conversations on it and enter the Months in use (a whole number, 6 or more). This is recorded with your name and the date, and it appears on the number’s page.
  5. Click Continue, then Connect WhatsApp. You’ll be taken to a secure page that shows a QR code (or a pairing code).
  6. On the phone, open WhatsApp → Linked devices → Link a device and scan the code. Then return to GrowthxAI.
The sender shows Connecting until the link is complete, then Connected. Conversations and contact names follow within a few minutes.
The link expires after 15 minutes. If it expires, go back and create a new one.
You can’t continue past the details step without the number-age confirmation. If you later find the number was younger than you said, update it on the sender’s Overview tab.

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Connecting someone else’s number?

Click Copy sign-in link instead of opening it yourself, and send it to the number owner. They need the phone with the number next to them, because the QR code is scanned from WhatsApp on that phone. See How to Securely Connect Someone Else’s LinkedIn Account for the same approach in more detail.

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What happens after connecting

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A 24-hour quiet period

Every time a WhatsApp sender connects or reconnects, outreach waits 24 hours. The sender’s page shows Outreach starts in … with a countdown. Replies still go out, and people who write in aren’t held back.

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Warm-up: new chats a day

WhatsApp levels follow reply rate, not time. A new sender starts at level 0: Messages in chats that already exist are capped at 100 a day at every level. A sender drops a level straight away if its reply rate falls below 25%, someone blocks it, or it’s logged out within 24 hours of sending. Messages go out 20 to 90 seconds apart. See Channel Limits & Restrictions.
Write the first message so it invites a reply: ask a short question instead of pitching. Replies are what raise a sender’s level.

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Using a WhatsApp sender in a sequence

Add the WhatsApp number to the sequence’s Pool, then use the steps under WhatsApp actions in the builder: Check the number, Check consent and Send message. The WhatsApp follow-up for consented leads template puts them together. See Sequence Nodes and Sequence Templates. The safest way to reach WhatsApp is through a conversation that already happened: a lead replies on LinkedIn and shares their number, you record that as consent, and the conversation carries on on WhatsApp. The LinkedIn first, WhatsApp through the conversation template is built around this. Everything said in WhatsApp chats, including replies, quotes, reactions and forwards, is handled in the Inbox. A sequence can only start a WhatsApp conversation with someone who has a recorded reason to hear from you. No consent, no first message. The check runs when the message is planned and again when it’s sent.
  • Consent is recorded on the lead (Leads → the lead → Consent), or automatically when the person messages the number first.
  • Replies to people who write in are always allowed.
  • Anyone who replies “stop” or “unsubscribe” has their consent withdrawn and their number suppressed, and they leave every WhatsApp sequence.
  • Every number is checked before a new chat. Numbers that aren’t on WhatsApp are skipped without using the day’s allowance.
Settings → Safety explains each consent basis. The Consent report under Reports lists everyone contacted on WhatsApp with the basis and evidence, ready to export. See Channel Limits & Restrictions.

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What you’ll see on the sender

  • Senders list: for a WhatsApp sender, today’s New conversations and Messages (used / cap).
  • Overview tab: the Number, warm-up level (out of 4), health, the Number age confirmation and the quiet-period countdown.
  • Number age card: shows the months and the date it was confirmed. If it’s missing, the number stays at level 0 (2 new chats a day) until a manager confirms it is at least 6 months old. Only managers can update it.
  • Budgets tab: a New-conversation governor card showing the current level and what it takes to reach the next one, plus today’s usage. You can set a lower manual cap. You can’t go above the platform ceiling.
  • Profile and Session tabs don’t appear. They are for LinkedIn senders only.

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Reconnecting

If the number is logged out of linked devices, the sender shows Re-login needed and its actions are held. Open the sender, go to the Overview tab and click Send re-login link (valid for 1 hour), then scan the new QR code from WhatsApp → Linked devices. A fresh quiet period of 24 hours starts. See Sender Statuses and Errors.

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Troubleshooting

1. “WhatsApp numbers need at least 6 months of real use before outreach”
  • The number-age confirmation is missing or under 6 months.
✅ Solution: Use a number that has been in real use for 6 months or more. Then tick the confirmation and enter the months in use. 2. The QR code expired or won’t scan
  • The link is only valid for 15 minutes, and a QR code refreshes on its own.
✅ Solution: Generate a new link. Scan it with the phone that has the number, from WhatsApp → Linked devices → Link a device. 3. The sender is Connected but nothing goes out
  • It’s inside the 24-hour quiet period, the lead has no recorded consent, or the day’s new chats are used up.
✅ Solution: Open the sender and click Why isn’t this sending? on the Overview tab. It gives the exact reason in plain words. If it says consent is missing, record a basis on the lead. Don’t guess one. 4. The sender dropped a level
  • Its reply rate fell below 25%, someone blocked it, or it was logged out within 24 hours of sending.
✅ Solution: Shorten and soften the first message, and only message people who expect to hear from you. The level climbs back as the reply rate recovers. 5. “Trial workspaces can connect up to 3 senders”
  • Trials are limited to 3 active senders.
✅ Solution: Add billing under Settings → Billing to connect more. See Pricing Plans.