Step by step

AI on WhatsApp: how to connect it to your number and answer customers

Quick answer

For AI to answer on WhatsApp, link an AI agent to the business number and teach it services, prices and hours. The Meta AI in the app doesn't do this: it talks to you, not to the customer. The agent can be Meta's own, available only to some businesses, or an outside one, linked through the official API or by QR code.

About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in. Create my agent

For AI to answer customers on the business's WhatsApp, you link an AI agent to the business number. The Meta AI that shows up in the app doesn't do this: it talks to you, not to your customer. Here are the three paths, what each one does and the step by step on CertuAI.

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Updated on September 23, 2026 · Written by Bernardo Villela, CEO of CertuAI · Florianópolis (SC) · CertuAI serves all of Brazil

Summary in 7 facts

For AI to answer customers on the business's WhatsApp, you link an AI agent to the business number.
The Meta AI that shows up in the app doesn't do this: it talks to you, not to your customer.
Quick answer For AI to answer on WhatsApp, link an AI agent to the business number and teach it services, prices and hours.
The Meta AI in the app doesn't do this: it talks to you, not to the customer.
There are 4 steps on CertuAI: Build the agent from Instagram or the website, Test and fix before connecting, Connect the business number and Let the AI answer.
Step 1 of 4Build the agent from Instagram or the website At certu.com.br/criar-meu-agente, paste the business's Instagram @handle or website, or describe what you do, and answer a few questions, such as what the AI should do and the business name.
The greeting and away messages are the cheapest start, but they don't hold a conversation: the customer asks the price and gets the same notice as always.

By the numbers

Number	What it means
4 steps	There are 4 steps on CertuAI: Build the agent from Instagram or the website, Test and fix before connecting, Connect the business number and Let the AI answer.
R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month	The official connection comes with Pro, Max and Max +, and on Start it is an add-on of R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month.

How do I use AI to answer on WhatsApp?

What do you need before you start?

Three things. The first is the one most people forget.

Estimated time: a few minutes
Difficulty: easy, no coding required
Steps: 4

A number used only for the businessThe AI answers whoever messages that number. If you use the same WhatsApp for family and for customers, it will answer both. Separate them before linking.
What your business sells and chargesServices, prices, hours, what's included and what you don't do. On CertuAI this becomes the Brain, the knowledge base that makes the AI answer like your company. If you have Instagram or a website, CertuAI starts from them.
The phone for the number in handTo type into WhatsApp the code that appears on the screen, or to scan the QR code, the little square code that appears on the computer. In the official connection, Meta's confirmation code arrives on it.

How do I connect WhatsApp with AI, step by step?

There are 4 steps on CertuAI: Build the agent from Instagram or the website, Test and fix before connecting, Connect the business number and Let the AI answer.

Step 1 of 4
Build the agent from Instagram or the website
At certu.com.br/criar-meu-agente, paste the business's Instagram @handle or website, or describe what you do, and answer a few questions, such as what the AI should do and the business name. CertuAI builds the agent and the Brain, the knowledge base with your services, prices and hours.
Step 2 of 4
Test and fix before connecting
Chat with the CertuAI agent as if you were a customer and fix, on the same screen, whatever it answers wrong. No customer talks to it at this stage.
Step 3 of 4
Connect the company number
After the plans screen, link the number to the CertuAI agent. On your phone, open WhatsApp, go to Linked devices, tap Link with phone number instead and type the code that appears on the screen. On a computer, scan the QR code. On Pro and above, you can also link through Meta's official window, signing in with Facebook. The number stays the same.
Step 4 of 4
Let the AI answer
The CertuAI AI starts answering every WhatsApp message with what it learned about your business, and each conversation becomes a contact in your CertuAI customer list. When the subject calls for a person, it calls you, and you step into the same conversation whenever you want.

Result when you finish

The CertuAI AI starts answering every WhatsApp message with what it learned about your business, and each conversation becomes a contact in your CertuAI customer list. When the subject calls for a person, it calls you, and you step into the same conversation whenever you want. This is the expected result of this CertuAI guide.

Do this now on CertuAI

What are the ways for WhatsApp to answer on its own?

There are three, and only two of them understand what the customer wrote.

The greeting and away messages are the cheapest start, but they don't hold a conversation: the customer asks the price and gets the same notice as always. The ready-made templates are in the guide certu.com.br/como/criar-mensagem-automatica-no-whatsapp.

For the answer to change with the question, you need one of the two AI agents. The differences between them are in the two sections below.

Three ways for a business's WhatsApp to answer on its own, according to the WhatsApp Help Center in September 2026
Way	Where to turn it on	Understands the question?	What it answers
Greeting and away message	In the WhatsApp Business app, which is free	No. Sends the same ready-made text to everyone	Only the text you wrote, like "we're back at 8 am"
Meta's AI agent (Meta Business Agent)	In the WhatsApp Business app, under Tools › AI agent	Yes	Address, hours, products, price, discounts, payment and shipping, based on what you set up
A platform's AI agent	On the business number, through Meta's official API or by QR code	Yes	Whatever the platform lets you teach: price, rules, scheduling, and when to call a person

Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.

Does WhatsApp's Meta AI serve the business's customers?

No. Meta AI, the colored circle that shows up in the Chats tab, is an optional Meta service for personal accounts: it answers your questions, chats about topics and creates images. According to the WhatsApp Help Center, it is not available in the WhatsApp Business app or in the WhatsApp Business API.

In the WhatsApp Business app there is something else with a similar name, the Meta AI assistant for businesses. It helps you, the owner, write product descriptions, create images for the catalog, prepare a campaign and improve the business profile. It doesn't answer your customer either.

If what bothers you is the AI showing up in your WhatsApp, the step by step to turn off each one is at certu.com.br/blog/ia/desativar-meta-ai-no-whatsapp.

And Meta's own AI agent, does it work for my business?

Meta has an agent that answers customers, the Meta Business Agent. In the WhatsApp Business app it is under Tools › AI agent, and you turn it on by tapping Continue and then Accept. It answers based on the catalog, website, description, address and hours you set up.

Before counting on it, know five things that the WhatsApp Help Center itself warns about. It is available only to selected businesses in some countries, and those without access go on a waitlist. Messages from the conversations where it is turned on are collected by Meta to improve the AI, even with the agent muted. Broadcast lists, disappearing messages and the greeting and away messages may be affected. Devices linked to the account are logged out when it turns on. And in a conversation that was already in progress, it only answers if it sits idle for seven days.

The list of what it does, in the same Help Center, talks about answering questions, recommending products and giving price, payment and shipping information. Booking a time on your calendar doesn't appear in it. If you need that, or you didn't get Meta's agent, the way is to link an outside agent to your number.

Official API or QR code: which way to link the agent to your number?

Both leave the number with you. What changes is who authorizes it and what happens on your phone.

CertuAI is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, a company authorized by Meta to link other businesses' numbers to the official API. The official connection comes with Pro, Max and Max +, and on Start it is an add-on of R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) per month. Without it, the number connects by code or by QR code. On the connection screen, whoever is on a phone gets a code to type into WhatsApp, and whoever is on a computer sees the QR code.

What an official provider is, how to check yours and what you risk with a connection Meta did not authorize is explained at certu.com.br/blog/ia/o-que-e-provedor-oficial-do-whatsapp-e-por-que-importa.

Difference between connecting WhatsApp to an AI agent through Meta's official API and by QR code
	Meta's official API	QR code (linked device)
How it connects	In a Meta window, signing in with Facebook. Whoever already uses the WhatsApp Business app confirms with a code that arrives inside the app	You open WhatsApp on your phone, go to Linked devices and scan the QR code on the screen
Who authorizes it	Meta, through the WhatsApp Business Platform	Nobody. The system joins as if it were one more of your devices
Do you keep using the app?	Yes. Messages show up in the app and in the system at the same time	Yes. The phone stays the main device
Does it depend on your phone?	No. It runs on Meta's servers	Yes. WhatsApp asks you to open the app on the main phone at least every 14 days for the devices to stay connected
What stops working in the app	Broadcast lists, disappearing messages, view once and live location. Groups don't show up in the system	Nothing changes in the app
Meta billing	Template messages, which a business uses to start a conversation, are charged. Replying to someone who wrote in, within 24 hours, has no fee until September 30, 2026; from October 1, 2026, each number gets 1,000 free replies per month and the following ones are charged	None
WhatsApp rules	Within the terms	WhatsApp's terms prohibit unauthorized automated messages and can suspend the account of whoever breaks them

Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.

How do I get started on CertuAI?

You build the agent, connect WhatsApp and see it working before any customer talks to it. CertuAI has no lock-in and no setup fee.

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Frequently asked questions

The questions that come up before putting an agent live.

How do I use AI for customer service on WhatsApp?

Link an AI agent to the business number, teach it what you sell, how much you charge and what you don't do, and define when it should call a person. Then test with hard questions before letting customers talk to it. On CertuAI there are four steps: build, test, connect and let it answer.

How do you make WhatsApp answer on its own?

There are three ways. The WhatsApp Business app sends greeting and away messages, always with the same text. Meta's AI agent, in the same app, really does answer, but it is available only to some businesses. And a platform's AI agent, linked to your number through the official API or by QR code, answers with your prices and your rules.

Does Meta AI answer my business's customers?

No. According to the WhatsApp Help Center, Meta AI is for personal accounts and is not in the WhatsApp Business app or the API. In the WhatsApp Business app there is the Meta AI assistant for businesses, which helps you write and create images, but it doesn't answer the customer either.

What is the best AI to use on WhatsApp?

It depends on what you want. To help you write and research, any assistant works. To serve customers on the business number, compare platforms by what you can teach, the rules you can set, the way of connecting and the total cost for the month. The full comparison is at certu.com.br/perguntas/qual-a-melhor-ia-para-whatsapp-business.

What is smart customer service on WhatsApp?

It is customer service where an AI reads the message the customer wrote, understands what they want and answers with the business's information, instead of showing a "press 1, press 2" menu. When the question goes beyond what it knows, a well-built service hands the conversation to a person.

Do I need to change numbers to connect the AI?

No. With the code or the QR code, the number stays on your phone as always. With the official connection, whoever already uses the WhatsApp Business app keeps using the app with the same number, and messages show up in both places.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. On CertuAI you start by pasting the business's Instagram or website, test by chatting with the agent, and connect WhatsApp by typing a code on your phone or scanning the QR code. None of this requires coding.

Does the AI answer on its own or do I need to approve every message?

It answers on its own the way you taught it. When the subject is sensitive, it calls you in the same conversation.

How much does it cost to connect WhatsApp with AI?

On CertuAI the monthly plans are Start US$ 75, Pro US$ 120 and Max US$ 249 per month, with no lock-in. The connection through Meta's official API comes with Pro and Max, and on Start it costs R$ 50 (Brazilian reais) more per month. Through it, Meta charges separately for the template messages a business uses to start a conversation. Replies to someone who wrote in, within 24 hours, have no fee until September 30, 2026; from October 1, 2026, each number gets 1,000 free replies per month and the following ones are charged.