The WhatsApp-to-Central handoff lets you invite your customers to continue a conversation that started on WhatsApp in Central. When a customer messages you on WhatsApp, they get a message with a button that opens the conversation in Central, and the conversation continues there with the same bots, AI agents, and human agents you already use.

You can:

• Automatically reply to the first WhatsApp message with an invitation to continue in Central.
• Customize the invitation message with an image, text, footer, and button.
• Set how often the invitation is sent again if the customer keeps messaging you on WhatsApp.
• Reduce the number of messages you send over WhatsApp by continuing the conversation in Central.
• Turn the handoff on or off for all of your WhatsApp lines or for one in particular.

Prerequisites

Access to your Botmaker account with permissions to manage channels and integrations.

At least one WhatsApp line connected to your account.

The Central channel connected to your account. You don't have to do anything for this: Botmaker already created and connected a Central account for every profile, and the handoff uses it behind the scenes.

Key concepts

Handoff: moving a conversation from one channel to another. In this case, from WhatsApp to Central.

Central: a messaging app for conversations between businesses and people. It has a web version, which opens in the browser with nothing to install, and a mobile app your customer can download.

Central web chat: the handoff's default destination. It's a chat that opens in your customer's browser, detects that they're coming from WhatsApp, and continues the same conversation.

Central mobile app: the app your customer can install on their phone. Once they use it, their conversation with you is stored permanently in their profile.

Invitation message: the message your customer receives on WhatsApp, with the text and the button that take them to Central.

Handoff link: the address behind that button. It's unique, single-use, and signed with your customer's phone number.

What changes in WhatsApp starting October 1

Until now, replying to the messages your customers sent you on WhatsApp had no WhatsApp cost: you only paid when your business started the conversation with a marketing, utility, or authentication template.

Starting October 1, 2026, Meta begins charging for service messages, which are the replies you send your customer without using a template. These are the points worth being clear on:

• You're charged per message, not per conversation. You used to pay once for a conversation window; now every message that goes out to your customer is charged separately. A ten-message conversation costs ten times more than a one-message conversation.
• A message is everything you send in a single send, no matter how long it is. Three short messages in a row are charged three times; the same content in a single message is charged once. That's why it's worth reviewing your flows and merging messages that go out separately today, as long as it doesn't hurt your customer's experience.
• It doesn't matter who replies. The treatment is the same whether a human agent, a rules-based flow, or an AI agent answers.
• Templates don't change. Marketing, utility, and authentication sends keep working and being charged as they are today.
• The price depends on your customer's country, not your business's country. If your business operates in one country and customers from another message you, your customer's country price applies.
• Conversations that start from a click-to-WhatsApp ad get 72 hours free of service message cost. It's the only known exemption.
• The first invoice with these charges arrives in early November, because the first month of usage accumulates during October.

Note: prices vary by country and we don't publish them in this article. To find out which ones apply to your operation, talk to your account team or open a ticket in our Help Center.

Where the Central handoff fits in

When you hand a conversation off to Central, the only message charged as a service message is the invitation message that goes out over WhatsApp. Everything that happens afterward inside Central — the full conversation, with your bots, your AI agents, and your human agents — has no per-message cost.

Central also adds no extra cost to your Botmaker account: it's included in the conversation cost you already pay, just like the rest of your channels.

Note: if your operation needs to stay 100% on WhatsApp, the handoff isn't the only alternative. Meta's agent (Meta Business Agent) works on a different model, where you pay for usage instead of per service message. It's a separate strategy from the handoff; talk to your account team if you want to evaluate it.

How the handoff works for your customer

Your customer doesn't have to do anything special or install anything: they just tap a button.

Step 1: Your customer messages you on WhatsApp

Your customer starts the conversation on WhatsApp as they always would, from your usual number. There's no prior step on their side.

Step 2: They receive the invitation message

In reply, your customer receives the invitation message with the button that opens Central. This message replaces the reply your bot or your agent would normally give on WhatsApp, so it's worth making sure the text clearly explains what will happen when they tap the button.

Step 3: The conversation continues in Central

Tapping the button opens Central and the conversation continues there. Your customer doesn't have to repeat their request: the last message they wrote on WhatsApp appears in Central and your bot replies from that message.

The Central chat has the same quality, speed, and features your customer expects from a messaging app: text, images, audio, and files. They'll see it in different colors, so they notice the conversation moved, and from there they'll be offered the option to open the conversation in the Central mobile app.

Note: the handoff doesn't interrupt the conversation. For your agents it's one continuous conversation, not two.

How to turn on and configure the handoff in your account

Step 1: Go to your WhatsApp line's settings

From your Botmaker account, go to Channels / Integrations and choose WhatsApp. You'll see the list of lines you have connected. Open the Settings of the line you want to review.

Step 2: Check the handoff status

On the Settings screen you'll find the handoff option. Starting October 1 it comes turned on by default on every line, so you'll likely find it already checked without anyone having touched it. That's expected, not an error.

If you want your customers to continue in Central, leave the option checked.

If you'd rather keep your conversations 100% on WhatsApp, uncheck the option. From that moment your bot replies on WhatsApp again, as before.

The handoff is configured per line, so you can leave it on for one WhatsApp account and off for another. That's useful for testing it on a low-volume line before applying it to your main operation.

Note: the change takes effect once you save the settings, and you can turn it back on or off at any time from the same screen.

Step 3: Customize the invitation message and choose the destination

Inside each line's settings you'll find the option to edit the invitation message. It's the message that decides whether your customer taps the button or not, so it's worth spending time on.

You can configure it with the same options you have on WhatsApp today:

• A header image.
• The message body, where it's worth explaining why you're asking them to continue somewhere else.
• A footer.
• A link-type button, which is the one that opens the destination.

In the button settings you choose where to take your customer:

• Central web chat, the default destination. It opens in the browser and doesn't require your customer to install anything. It's the recommended option to start with, because it has the least friction.
• Custom URL, if you'd prefer your customers to chat within your app or web chat.

Step 4: Set how often the invitation is sent again

If your customer ignores the button and keeps messaging you on WhatsApp, your bot doesn't reply on that channel. So it doesn't stay silent indefinitely, you can configure when the invitation message is sent again:

• After a set number of hours.
• Or after a number of messages your customer sends.

Because the invitation message is a service message and is charged, this setting is your main tool for controlling how many of those messages go out before your customer moves to Central.

Step 5: Test it before applying it to your operation

On the handoff screen you have a test link that lets you see the full experience without connecting anything or affecting your production lines. Open it, send a message, and confirm your bot replies the way you expect.

Important considerations

• You don't have to rebuild anything. Your bots, AI agents, and flows work in Central just as they do on WhatsApp, with no new configuration. Variables are stored the same way and your reports and dashboards don't change.
• It's a single conversation. For the rest of the platform your customer is still the same user. Your agents see the conversation unified in the Chats screen, with an indication of whether the message came in through WhatsApp or Central.
• Your customer's history depends on the device. In the web chat, your customer sees their full history as long as they use the same browser and the same device, because their encryption keys are stored there. If they switch devices, they lose access to earlier conversations unless they've signed in to Central. That's why it's worth inviting them to install the mobile app: there their history stays available permanently and they can receive notifications.
• You can also hand off to a destination of your own. If your business has a website or a mobile app with traffic, the button can point to your own URL instead of Central: your site with the chat widget, your app with our SDK, or your help center. The handoff is open and accepts whatever address you define. If that's your case, talk to your account team so they can support the implementation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to rebuild my flows or my AI agents?

No. Everything that already works on WhatsApp works the same in Central, with no new configuration and no implementation effort.

Are the variables I was already using still stored?

Yes, exactly as on WhatsApp. If you ask your customer questions in the Central conversation, those answers are stored in their profile as always.

Is a new conversation created when my customer moves to Central?

No. It stays within the same conversation: same user, same variables, same history. Your agents see it unified.

Is the conversation in Central secure?

Yes, it has end-to-end encryption. Central's servers can't see the content of the messages and don't store it: messages are only decrypted in Botmaker so your bots and your agents can handle them. These are the same encryption standards the leading messaging apps use, on a public, auditable API.

What does my customer see when they're handed off?

A chat with the same quality and features they expect from WhatsApp — text, images, audio — in different colors so they notice the channel changed. From there they're offered the option to open the conversation in the Central mobile app.

What happens if my customer keeps messaging me on WhatsApp?

Your bot doesn't reply on WhatsApp. The invitation message is sent again based on what you configured: after a number of hours or after a number of messages from your customer.

Can my customer return to the conversation if they close Central?

Yes. In the same browser they go straight back in, because their credentials are stored on their device. If they open the link on another device, they're asked to authenticate with their phone number and, once they complete it, they pick the conversation back up there.

Can the handoff link be shared with someone else?

No. It's a single-use link, it lives inside a WhatsApp button, and it's signed with your customer's number. If it's shared after being opened it has no effect, and on another device it would ask for authentication with your customer's number.

Is the conversation history kept?

For you and your agents, yes: the full conversation stays in Botmaker, just like any WhatsApp conversation. For your customer, in the web chat it depends on the device they use; in the Central mobile app their history is kept permanently.

Do I have to set anything up in Central?

No. Botmaker already created and connected a Central account for every profile, and you'll see it as one more channel under Channels / Integrations. The handoff uses it behind the scenes.

How can my customers find me in Central?

Besides arriving through the handoff from WhatsApp, your customers can find you through a direct link, a QR code, or by searching your name in Central's business directory, which can be filtered by country. You'll find your chat address in the Central channel inside Botmaker.

What gets charged when I hand a conversation off to Central?

Only the invitation message that goes out over WhatsApp, which is a service message. The conversation that continues inside Central has no per-message cost.

Does Central add any cost to my Botmaker account?

No. It's included in the conversation cost you already pay, just like your other channels. Neither the web chat nor the Central mobile app has an extra cost.

Does the cost change depending on who replies?

No. A service message is charged the same whether a human agent, a rules-based flow, or an AI agent answers it.

Where do I check the prices that apply to my operation?

Prices are set by Meta and vary by your customer's country. Talk to your account team or open a ticket in our Help Center to find out yours.

Does anything change in my dashboards and reports?

No. For the rest of the platform your customer is still a WhatsApp user, so your metrics and dashboards aren't affected.

What happens if my customer taps an old button from a previous WhatsApp conversation?

It works like any other message: depending on the repetition you configured, it triggers the invitation message or counts toward the threshold until it's time to send it again.

To understand the context of the WhatsApp changes and the alternatives available, we're sharing the article "WhatsApp cost changes: what changes and what you can do".

Remember to visit our Help Center for further information.