Use your own number, or get one from OMAI
Two ways to put a WhatsApp number behind your assistant: connect a number you already own through Meta, or rent a dedicated number from OMAI as a monthly add-on. What each one costs, what each one requires, and when to pick which.
- Who
- Owners and admins
- Plan
- Browsing is available on every plan. Buying a number requires an active paid plan.
- Role
- Owner or Admin
Before you start
- A signed-in OMAI account
- A decision about which phone number your customers should write to
Your assistant answers on a WhatsApp number. You can either connect a number your business already owns, or rent a dedicated number from OMAI. Both end in the same place — a connection on Dashboard → WhatsApp Connection with a Connected badge — but they are different flows, with different costs and different things that can block them.
You can also do both. A business that already answers on its main line often rents a second number for a branch, a campaign or a team.
The two paths side by side
| What differs | A number you already own | A number rented from OMAI |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the line | You do. It stays on your own Meta Business account. | OMAI rents the line from its carrier and attaches it to OMAI’s WhatsApp Business Account. |
| What you pay OMAI | Nothing beyond your plan price. | A monthly add-on price on top of your plan, charged to the card saved for billing. |
| How you start | Two confirmations on the connect card, then Meta’s Embedded Signup pop-up. | The purchase wizard: Dashboard → WhatsApp Connection → Choose your number. |
| Who decides whether it works | Meta decides after the pop-up, from the state of your number and business. | The number is bought first, then Meta verifies it with a phone call to it. |
| How the number is verified | Inside Meta’s pop-up, on your own phone. | Meta calls the new number and speaks a 6-digit code; OMAI records and reads it. |
| Typical wait | A few minutes, with your phone in hand. | A few minutes. The activation screen keeps checking for up to 7 minutes. |
| Plan limit that applies | Connecting more than one number needs a plan with multiple numbers. | The dedicated-number limit: 1 on Starter, 1 on Growth, 3 on Pro. |
| Best when | Customers already message that number and you want to keep it. | You have no WhatsApp number yet, or you want a separate line for a branch or campaign. |
Connecting a number you already own
This path runs through Meta. You confirm you are authorized to connect the number, Meta’s sign-in window opens, and you pick the number and the business portfolio inside it. OMAI never sees your Facebook password or your WhatsApp code — the pop-up belongs to Meta.
- You must be an admin of the Meta Business account that holds the number.
- You must control the phone, because Meta may verify it during the pop-up.
- If the number is currently live in the WhatsApp Business app, the coexistence path keeps it working on the phone — see Keep using WhatsApp on your phone.
- Meta decides at the end of the pop-up whether the number is eligible. That decision is not OMAI’s.
Renting a dedicated number from OMAI
Here OMAI does the buying. You choose a country, a number type and the exact number from a live list; OMAI charges the first month, buys the line, attaches it to WhatsApp, has Meta verify it and puts your assistant on it. Nothing needs to be installed and no phone needs to be in your hand.
- The number belongs to the rental for as long as you pay for it. Release it and it goes back to the general pool — you cannot reserve it or take it with you.
- It cannot be used in the WhatsApp Business app on a phone. It exists to be answered through OMAI.
- Verification is by voice call to the new number, not by SMS. See Verify a number.
- Buying requires an active paid subscription, a saved payment method and complete billing contact details.
What each path costs
A number you already own adds nothing to your OMAI bill. A rented number is a monthly add-on: the first month is charged when you buy it, and from then on it is billed as a line on the same monthly charge as your plan. The billing page shows it under Add-ons with its price, its status and a Paid through date.
- The price you see in the wizard is the amount charged. The server checks the price you were shown against the live price book and refuses the purchase if they no longer match.
- The price is frozen when you buy. A later change to the price book does not reprice a number you already rent.
- Releasing a number stops future charges immediately. The rest of the month you already paid for is not refunded.
- Meta charges its own messaging fees for WhatsApp conversations. Those are billed by Meta and are separate from anything OMAI charges, on both paths.
Choosing between them
- Customers already write to your business number and you want to keep those conversations arriving — connect your own number.
- You have no WhatsApp business number at all — rent one. It is the shorter route, because there is nothing to migrate and no phone to hold.
- You want the assistant on a number that is separate from the one your team answers by hand — rent one.
- Your number sits with another provider on the Cloud API — connect your own number, and expect to release it from that provider first. The guided check will say so.
- You want a number in a country where OMAI does not currently sell one — connect your own number. Countries, prices and requirements lists what is on sale.
What is the same either way
The assistant starts answering as soon as a number is connected. There is no separate switch that turns replies on, and the setup checklist on the dashboard only tracks setup progress — it can still look incomplete while your assistant is already replying to customers. Before you connect anything, make sure your business information is in place.
Both paths land on the same screen afterwards. Each connection gets a card on Dashboard → WhatsApp Connection with its status, a Refresh status button and a Remove button, and messages to any connected number arrive in the same shared inbox.
Can I move my rented number to another provider later?
No. The line is rented by OMAI, not by you. If you release it, it returns to the carrier’s general pool and may be taken by someone else.
Can I use a rented number in the WhatsApp Business app on my phone?
No. A rented number is registered for the Cloud API and is answered through OMAI — the shared inbox and the assistant. If you need the phone app, connect a number you own instead.
Does connecting my own number cost anything?
Not from OMAI beyond your plan price. Meta bills its own messaging fees for WhatsApp conversations directly to your WhatsApp Business Account.
Can I have both a number I own and a rented number?
Yes, as long as your plan allows more than one connected number and you stay within its dedicated-number limit. Each connection is listed separately on the WhatsApp screen.