This is the Meta side of getting started — the part where most people get stuck because the
dashboard recently changed. Follow it once and your WhatsApp number is production-ready.
The big concept: Business Portfolio
Think of your Business Portfolio as the central building everything hangs off —
Instagram, WhatsApp, ad accounts, and developer apps all live inside one portfolio so they
can work together. Create this first; nothing connects without it.
Set it up
Create your Business Portfolio
At business.facebook.com — this is the hub for everything that follows.
Create a Meta app
In the new UI, go to Business Messaging → “Connect with customers through WhatsApp”
(this replaces the old “Other” option path).
Add your phone number
It must not already be active on any WhatsApp app. Verify it with the OTP, then set your
display name.
Generate a permanent access token
The temporary developer token expires in ~1 hour and is not safe for production. Create
a System User in business.facebook.com (Settings → System User) and generate a
token with the WhatsApp Business Messaging permission. See
Access tokens for the full walkthrough. Confirm business verification status
You can start without it (250 unique customers/day); verify later to raise limits.
Don’t use the temporary token you see in the developer dashboard for anything real — it
dies in about an hour. Always use the System User permanent token for a live setup.
The phone number must be completely free of any existing WhatsApp account. If it’s been
used before, remove WhatsApp from it first, then add it here — this is the #1 thing that
blocks beginners at the number step.
About the webhook & “going live” parts
The video continues into webhooks, going live, and sending messages via code/n8n. With
ChatSyncs you don’t have to do any of that by hand — connecting your number does the
webhook and live-mode wiring for you. Those developer steps are covered separately in the
Advanced module if you ever want to drive the API directly.
What’s next
Your Meta account is ready. Head to Getting Started to
connect this number to ChatSyncs and send your first message. 
