You need a personal Facebook account, a phone number that can receive an SMS or a call and is not on any WhatsApp app, and a payment card for Meta. For Messenger you need a Facebook Page you manage; for Instagram, a professional account. In Yusr open Channels, press Add channel, and follow Meta's sign-in window. It takes about 15 minutes, and your business does not need to be verified to start.
What do I need before I start?
Prepare these first. Most connections that fail are missing one of them.
| You need | Why |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp, Messenger: A personal Facebook account in your own name | Meta only lets a real person connect a business. Turn on two-factor login; new or suspicious accounts get blocked more often. |
| WhatsApp: A phone number that can receive an SMS or a phone call | Meta sends it a code. A landline works if it can take calls. |
| WhatsApp: That number removed from the WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps | A number still on a WhatsApp app cannot be connected here. Back up your chats, then delete the WhatsApp account on that number. |
| WhatsApp: Your business name, display name and category | Customers see the display name. Meta reviews it, so use your real business name. |
| WhatsApp: A payment card | Meta charges you directly for messages you start (templates). Yusr does not add to it. |
| Messenger: A Facebook Page where you are a full admin | Yusr can only connect Pages you fully control. |
| Instagram: An Instagram professional account | Personal accounts cannot be connected. Switching is free. |
Do I need a verified business or a business portfolio?
No to both, to start. If you don't have a business portfolio (Meta's name for your company account), Meta's sign-in window creates one for you with your business name, email and country.
Business verification is optional. You can answer customers without it. Verifying later, in Meta Business Suite under Security Center, raises how many new conversations you may start each day.
Step 1: Create your Facebook account and Page
Skip this if you already have them.
- Create a personal account at facebook.com in your real name, and confirm your email and phone number.
- Turn on two-factor login: Settings, then Accounts Center, then Password and security.
- For Messenger, create a Page for your business: Menu, then Pages, then Create. Add your business name, logo and category.
Step 2: Connect your WhatsApp number
In Yusr open Channels, press Add channel, choose WhatsApp, then Official, and press Connect WhatsApp API. A Facebook window opens; if nothing appears, allow pop-ups for yusr-ai.com. In that window:
- Log in with your Facebook account.
- Choose your business portfolio, or create one.
- Create a WhatsApp Business account: display name, category and time zone.
- Add your phone number and choose Text message or Phone call for the code. If no text arrives within a minute, go back and choose Phone call. Don't ask for codes many times in a row: Meta pauses them for a few hours.
- Enter the code, approve the permissions and press Finish.
- Back in Yusr, the number appears on the Channels page. Choose which AI employee answers it.
- Open WhatsApp Manager (business.facebook.com/wa/manage) and press Add payment method. You can answer customers before this; the card is needed for messages you start.
Step 3: Connect your Facebook Page (Messenger)
- In Yusr open Channels, press Add channel, choose Facebook Messenger and press Continue with Facebook.
- Log in, tick your Page and leave every permission switched on. Switching one off is the most common reason a Page is missing from the list.
- Choose which AI employee answers it.
Step 4: Connect Instagram
- In the Instagram app: Settings, then Account type and tools, then Switch to professional account (Business is best for shops).
- In the same app: Settings, then Messages and story replies, then Message controls, and switch on Allow access to messages under Connected tools.
- In Yusr open Channels, press Add channel, choose Instagram DMs and press Continue with Instagram. No Facebook Page is needed this way. If your Instagram is already linked to your Page, connecting the Page also brings Instagram.
- Choose which AI employee answers it.
Step 5: Test it
From another phone or account, message your WhatsApp number, your Page and your Instagram. Your AI employee should answer within seconds, and each conversation appears in Yusr's Inbox.
What if something goes wrong?
| What happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| The code never arrives | Choose Phone call instead of a text message. Make sure the number is not on any WhatsApp app. After many attempts, wait a few hours and try once. |
| Meta says the number is already registered | It is still on WhatsApp. Delete the WhatsApp account on that number, wait a few minutes and try again. |
| Meta rejects the display name | Use your real business name, the one on your shop sign, website or registration. |
| My Page is not in the list | You are not a full admin of that Page, or a permission was switched off. Connect again and leave everything on. |
| Instagram is connected but no messages come in | Switch on Allow access to messages in the Instagram app (Step 4). |
| The number connected but Yusr says Meta hasn't switched it on | If the number already had a two-step verification PIN, turn it off in WhatsApp Manager, then connect again. |
| Anything else | Press Report a problem in Yusr. Every unfinished attempt is recorded, so we can see exactly where it stopped. |
Questions fréquentes
Can I keep using my number on the WhatsApp Business app?
Not with the official connection in Yusr today. The number has to leave the app first. If you want to keep the app, Yusr can connect the same number by QR code instead.
Does Yusr charge for WhatsApp messages?
No. Your Yusr plan covers the AI employee. Meta bills its own message charges directly to the card in WhatsApp Manager, mainly for messages you start with a template.
How long does connecting take?
About 15 minutes for all three if you prepared everything in the first table. Most of it is Meta's sign-in window.
Can I connect more than one number or Page?
Yes, as many as your plan allows. Repeat the same steps from Add channel.
