AutoWAAutoWA
Getting Started · ~5 minutes

Send your first WhatsApp message

AutoWA makes WhatsApp a native channel in your CRM — your existing “Send SMS” steps deliver over WhatsApp with nothing to rebuild. Follow these steps once per sub-account.

Before you start

Have these ready and the whole thing takes about five minutes:

  • The phone with the WhatsApp number you want to send from.
  • Admin access to the sub-account (location).
  • A number that belongs to your business and that your contacts expect to hear from.

  1. Install AutoWA

    From the Marketplace, click Install and choose the sub-account to connect. Approve the requested permissions — only what’s needed to send & receive messages, resolve contacts, and read your locations.

  2. Open the WhatsApp Connection page

    Inside the location, open AutoWA → WhatsApp Connection from the left menu. The first time, you’ll see an empty state with a Connect button.

    No number linked yet
    Connect a WhatsApp number to start
    Connect

  3. Set AutoWA as your SMS provider

    This is the one switch that routes every “Send SMS” over WhatsApp. In the sub-account, from the left sidebar:

    1. Settings
    2. → Phone System
    3. → the Advanced Settings tab (top of the page)
    4. → the Telephony Provider tab
    5. Choose AutoWA WhatsApp (custom connector) → Save
    AutoWA WhatsAppTelephony provider · custom connector
    Selected

    Then send: open Conversations, open a chat, set the channel to SMS if it isn’t already, and send — it goes out over WhatsApp. Every “Send SMS” (manual or in a workflow) now delivers over WhatsApp automatically — you don’t edit a single workflow.

    Do this once you’ve subscribed and connected your number (the routing activates the moment a number is linked). Reinstalled the app after removing it? Your subscription stays active — just reconnect the number (scan the QR again) and re-select AutoWA WhatsApp here.

  4. Scan the QR code with WhatsApp

    Back on the connection page, click Connect to show a QR code. On the phone holding your number:

    • Open WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device
    • Point the camera at the code on screen.
    The code refreshes every ~30 seconds for security.
    Waiting for scan…

  5. Confirm you’re connected

    Within a few seconds the page turns Connected, showing your number and last-sync time. Each location runs its own isolated session — connecting one number never touches another client’s.

    Connected, but messages aren’t going out over WhatsApp? That almost always means step 3 was skipped — go back and switch the Telephony Provider to AutoWA WhatsApp under Settings → Phone System → Advanced Settings.

    WhatsApp ConnectionConnected
    +966 5• ••• 87
    linked just now

  6. Send a test & watch the reply

    • Outbound: trigger any workflow with a “Send SMS” step (or send a manual message) to a number that has WhatsApp. It arrives on WhatsApp, showing sent → delivered → read.
    • Inbound: reply from the recipient’s phone — it lands back in your CRM Conversations thread like any other message.
    “Your appointment is confirmed ✅”WhatsApp · just now
    read
    “Thanks — see you then!”Inbound · threaded to Conversations
    inbound

How delivery works

There’s nothing to configure — once AutoWA is your provider, every message goes out over WhatsApp.

A number that isn’t on WhatsApp is reported as failed on the thread — never silently sent as an SMS you didn’t choose. A dropped session holds your messages and alerts you; it’s never rerouted to SMS.

Prefer contacts who aren’t on WhatsApp to receive a normal text automatically? Enable the optional SMS fallback with your own Twilio — about five minutes to set up, with a step-by-step guide.

The safety promise

AutoWA never silently turns into SMS when your session drops.

If the connection is lost, sending pauses, you’re alerted on the page, and messages are held safely until you reconnect — then they send. A dropped session never becomes surprise SMS charges.

Messages are also paced (about one every few seconds) and new numbers warm up gradually to protect your account. Only message people who expect to hear from you — a contact replying STOP is suppressed automatically.

If something looks off

“Reconnecting…”+
A brief network blip. No action needed — queued messages send once it recovers.
“Disconnected” / a QR reappears+
The device was logged out (e.g. removed in WhatsApp → Linked Devices). Just scan the fresh QR to relink; held messages then send.
A message shows as “failed”+
That number isn’t reachable on WhatsApp, so AutoWA reports it as failed on the thread rather than quietly sending an SMS. A dropped session never causes this — those messages are held, not failed.

Need a hand? Join the support community — daily messenger support and 3x weekly live 1-1 support calls — read the full documentation, visit Support, or email info@systemisedtoscale.com — we reply within one business day.

Browse the full documentation