How to add WhatsApp to your Lovable app

You can't call the WhatsApp Business API directly from an app built on Lovable — it needs a messaging layer that handles sender registration, the 24-hour session window, message templates, delivery receipts and Meta's compliance rules, and keeps them working as those rules change. The quickest way to add WhatsApp to a Lovable app is to drop in an Arino One messaging instance, which runs on Lovable and connects to WhatsApp through Infobip, so that entire layer already exists and you only connect your number.

This guide takes you from a fresh instance to a live, two-way WhatsApp sender.

Why you don't build WhatsApp inside the app

WhatsApp Business messaging is a compliance process before it is a technical one. To run it properly you register a sender with Meta, pass Business Verification, get a display name approved, create and submit message templates for each use case, respect the 24-hour customer-service window, handle inbound webhooks and delivery receipts, and record opt-in as evidence. Building and maintaining all of that inside a single Lovable app is a project in itself — and it has to keep working every time Meta changes the rules.

Arino One is that layer, pre-built: a messaging instance you own that already contains the WhatsApp-through-Infobip integration. You're adding a proven engine, not renting someone else's inbox, and the data stays in your instance.

Before you start

You'll need a Meta (Facebook) Business account, a phone number that isn't currently active on the consumer or Business WhatsApp app, access to an Infobip account (your own on Bring Your Own and self-built setups, or Arino's on a fully managed plan), and an Arino One instance.

Step 1 — Set up your Arino One instance

Get your Arino One instance running on Lovable. However you get there, it ships with the WhatsApp and Infobip plumbing already in place, so there is no Business API integration for you to write.

Step 2 — Connect Infobip

WhatsApp messages flow through Infobip. In your instance, open Channels → WhatsApp, add your Infobip API key and base URL, and run the built-in connection test. On a managed plan, Arino connects this for you.

Step 3 — Register your sender and verify your business

In Infobip, register your number as a WhatsApp sender. This starts Meta Business Verification and display-name review — a one-time approval that usually takes a few days. Use a number that isn't already active on WhatsApp, and a display name that matches your brand.

Step 4 — Create and submit message templates

Any message your app starts — confirmations, reminders, alerts — must use an approved WhatsApp template. Create templates in the right category (utility, authentication or marketing) and submit them to Meta. Approvals here are usually quick once your business is verified.

Step 5 — Understand the 24-hour window

When a contact messages you, a 24-hour customer-service window opens and you can reply freely with any content. Outside that window, business-initiated messages must use an approved template and are billed by conversation category. Designing around this window is the key to keeping WhatsApp both compliant and cost-effective.

Step 6 — Record opt-in

Collect and store explicit opt-in before you send marketing. The consent record on the contact is your evidence if a message is ever challenged, and it keeps you on the right side of both Meta's policy and data-protection law.

Step 7 — Test and go live

Use your instance's messaging self-test to send a test WhatsApp and confirm an inbound reply lands in the inbox. When both directions work, switch your sender live — your Lovable app is now sending and receiving WhatsApp.

Next steps

Register additional numbers, build automations on top of your templates, or add more channels alongside WhatsApp. A good next read is how Infobip and Lovable work together, which explains what's happening under the hood.

Steps at a glance

1. Set up your Arino One instanceGet an Arino One messaging instance running on Lovable. It ships with the WhatsApp-through-Infobip integration already built.
2. Connect InfobipAdd your Infobip API key and base URL in Channels → WhatsApp, or have Arino connect it on a managed plan.
3. Register your WhatsApp senderRegister your number as a WhatsApp sender in Infobip, which triggers Meta Business Verification and display-name review.
4. Create message templatesCreate and submit WhatsApp message templates by category — utility, authentication, marketing — for Meta approval.
5. Record opt-inCollect and store explicit opt-in on the contact before sending marketing messages; the consent record is your evidence.
6. Test and go liveUse the instance messaging self-test to send a WhatsApp and confirm inbound replies arrive, then switch the sender live.

Frequently asked