WhatsApp Business — the official channel, with your phone still in the loop

Two WhatsApp channels, your choice#

Until now Quick Release sent WhatsApp messages through a linked device, the same mechanism as WhatsApp Web. It is free, but the connection drops now and then, and Meta occasionally blocks numbers that send many messages this way.

You now have a second option: WhatsApp Business, over Meta’s official Business API. Both remain standing choices under Settings → WhatsApp. Nothing is forced, and you can switch in either direction at any time.

Your phone keeps working#

The number you use today in the WhatsApp Business app is the number you connect. Meta’s coexistence mode keeps the app on your phone fully working: your chat history stays, messages sent from Quick Release show up in the app, and replies you type on your phone show up in the booking’s conversation in Quick Release. Customers keep seeing the same number and business name.

What you gain#

• Official and stable. No linked device to re-pair, no block risk.
• Delivery confirmations. Every message reports sent and delivered; failures still fall back to SMS.
• Faster sending. Reminders to a full flight go out in seconds instead of minutes.
• Your own Meta account. You connect your own Meta business account and payment method. Meta bills you directly; Quick Release charges nothing for these messages.
• A big free part. Replies within 24 hours of a customer’s last message are free. Only messages outside that window are paid (a few cents each) and use templates approved by Meta.

Templates come from your own wording#

You do not write anything new. Your existing WhatsApp/SMS templates are submitted to Meta for approval automatically, in every language you maintain, and you can keep several variants of the same message type. When a recipient has not messaged you in the last 24 hours, they receive the approved template wording, even if you edit the text in the send dialog. The dialog tells you how many recipients that concerns and warns you before sending.

How to switch#

WhatsApp Business is rolled out operator by operator. Ask me to enable it, prepare three things at Meta (a business account, a payment method, and the phone with your WhatsApp Business app), then follow four steps in Settings → WhatsApp:

1. connect with Meta and scan the QR code with your WhatsApp Business app.
2. Confirm your payment method.
3. Wait for Meta to approve your templates (minutes to a day).
4. activate WhatsApp Business.

The full checklist, with timings and first-day checks, is in the manual: Switching to WhatsApp Business — step by step. Switching back to WhatsApp free is a guided step in the same screen.

Not sure which channel fits your operation? Get in touch, happy to think along. 🎈