WhatsApp to Central redirection invites your customers to continue on Central a conversation that started on WhatsApp. Your customer receives a message with a button, taps it, and keeps chatting on Central with the same bots, AI agents, and human agents. That way, the only message you pay for on WhatsApp is the invitation.

You can:

• Turn redirection on or off line by line, seeing an estimate of the cost of staying on WhatsApp first.
• Customize the invitation message and choose its destination: the Central web chat or your own URL.
• Define how often the invitation is resent if your customer keeps writing on WhatsApp.
• Create templates with buttons that go straight to Central.
• Set the link’s security (authorization lifetime and single-use credentials) and the experience inside the redirector

Prerequisites

Access to your Botmaker account with permissions to manage Channels & Integrations, and at least one WhatsApp line (WhatsApp Business API) connected.

You don't need to connect Central: Botmaker has already created a Central account for each WhatsApp line. It's included in all plans, at no additional cost.

Key concepts

Service message: any message your company sends on WhatsApp without a template (replies, buttons, images, files), whether it's sent by a bot, an AI agent, or a human.

Template message: a proactive message, approved by WhatsApp, used to start a conversation (marketing, utility, or authentication).

Central: a messaging app for businesses and people. It works in the browser, without installing anything, and as a mobile app for Android and iOS.

Redirector: the Botmaker feature that sends the invitation to Central. It's configured from the WhatsApp channel, not from the Central channel.

Invitation message: the message with a button that your customer receives on WhatsApp. It's a service message, so it has a cost.

What's changing on WhatsApp starting October 1

Starting October 1, 2026 (00:00 in your WhatsApp account's time zone), Meta charges for every service message. Until now, you only paid for templates.

• You're charged per message, not per conversation. Ten replies means ten charges. Each send counts as one, regardless of its length (an image counts too), so it's a good idea to combine messages that currently go out separately.
• It doesn't matter who replies or who started the conversation. If your customer replies to a template and your bot answers, those replies are charged. Messages your customer sends you aren't charged.
• The price depends on your customer's country, based on their phone's country code, not your line's country. There are no volume discounts. Check Meta's WhatsApp pricing documentation.
• The first 1,000 service messages each month are free, per WhatsApp number. They don't roll over from one month to the next.
• Conversations that start from a Meta Ads click to WhatsApp ad (not Google Ads) get one week (7 days) free of service message charges.
• Templates are still charged as before, with updated rates in some markets.
• It's billed in arrears, on your regular Botmaker invoice, with no surcharges: Botmaker only acts as the payment gateway. October's usage arrives in early November.

Note: to see how many service messages you're sending, go to Settings → Account → Products & Usage, Service messages line under WhatsApp. We recommend checking it every week.

What your options are

You can combine different strategies depending on the line:

• Redirect to Central: you only pay for the invitation; the conversation on Central has no per-message cost. Botmaker doesn't charge for the redirector or for Central either, and it's still a single conversation. This is the option enabled by default.
• Stay on WhatsApp: you pay for each service message. To reduce the impact, use AI agents instead of long menus and WhatsApp Flows to collect several pieces of information in a single step.
• Use Meta Business Agent: Meta's AI agent is charged by AI usage (tokens) instead of per message. Ask your account manager or the support team to enable it.

How redirection works for your customer

Your customer doesn't have to install anything, create an account, or pay.

Step 1: They message you on WhatsApp, at your usual number.

Step 2: They receive the invitation message with a button. This message replaces your bot's usual reply.

Step 3: They tap the button and the conversation continues in the Central web chat, in their browser (or in the Central app, if they have it installed). They see their last message and your bot replies from there, without them having to repeat anything or log in.

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: for your agents, it's a single conversation, showing whether each message came through WhatsApp or Central.

How to configure redirection

Starting September 30, redirection is enabled by default on all lines. You can change this per line at any time, and it takes effect immediately.

Step 1: Open your WhatsApp lines

Go to the left sidebar menu → Channels & Integrations → Channels, find WhatsApp, and click Configure. You'll see your connected lines and the redirection status of each one.

Step 2: Decide whether to keep redirection

It's expected to find your lines with redirection enabled without anyone having touched them. Click the line's indicator to turn it on or off.

When you turn it off, a cost estimate opens, calculated from that line's average number of service messages over the last 3 months, and you can choose to keep redirection or accept the cost.

Note: the estimate includes all your service messages, including the first 1,000 free ones, to show you how your line actually behaves.

To prevent automatic activation (opt-out), click Turn off this option in the Automatic redirection enabled notice. Manually turning a line on and off doesn't prevent it

Step 3: Customize the invitation message

In the line's redirection settings, you can edit the header image, the body, the footer, and the button text, with a preview on the right. We recommend including your logo and making it clear that it's a secure link to your brand's official channel, because this message is what determines whether your customer taps the button.

Step 4: Choose the button's destination

• Central web chat (default and recommended): doesn't require installing anything.
• Custom URL: your website, your app, or your own chat.

Step 5: Define how often the invitation is resent

After the invitation is sent, the WhatsApp bot is muted: if your customer keeps writing on WhatsApp, it doesn't reply. Configure when to resend the invitation: after a number of hours or after a number of messages from your customer.

Note: each invitation is charged. The less time or the fewer messages you set, the more you pay on WhatsApp.

Step 6: Adjust the button link’s security

In the Button link security section, you define how the person enters the chat when they tap the button on WhatsApp.

• Authorization lifetime: the time during which, from when the link is generated, the person can enter the chat without identifying themselves again. You can choose 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, or 24 hours (default). After that time, the link stops working and the person needs a new link to get back in.
• Single-use credentials: if you turn this on, the link works only once. This makes access more secure, but if the person switches devices or uses private browsing, they’ll need a new link to get back in. It’s off by default.

Tip: turn on single-use credentials only if your operation handles sensitive information. In most cases, a short authorization lifetime strikes a good balance between security and a frictionless experience.

Step 7: Set up the experience inside the redirector

In the Redirector settings section, you adjust what the person sees once they’re in the chat.

• Show top banner: displays a notice at the top of the chat after the first few messages. It’s on by default; turn it off if you don’t want to show it.

When you’re done, click Save.

Step 8: Test it

Click Try the experience: WhatsApp opens with a pre-written message. Send it, tap the button, and check that your bot replies on Central. We also recommend testing with one of your lines and a real number.

How to use your templates with redirection enabled

Your approved templates are still sent the same way. When your customer replies, they receive the invitation to Central (two clicks and one service message). To save both, create templates that go straight to Central:

Step 1: Go to the left sidebar menu → Notification Engine → Templates and create a new template in any category.

Step 2: In the buttons, instead of Bot block, choose Redirect to Central, enter the button text, and choose the bot block that runs when it's tapped. You can add up to two buttons with redirection and one additional button without redirection.

Step 3: Submit it to WhatsApp for approval. Once it's approved, when your customer taps a button they go straight to Central, to the block you configured.

Important considerations

• You don't have to rebuild anything. Bots, AI agents, flows, queues, variables, reports, and WhatsApp Flows work the same on Central. Your customer's phone number is stored in the same variable.
• Meta Ads click to WhatsApp: since those conversations already get one week free of charge, we recommend not enabling redirection on that line. If it also serves customers, split the lines.
• Your customer's history depends on the device. In the web chat, they keep it as long as they use the same browser and device. With the Central app and an active session, it's always saved, they get notifications, and they can write offline. It's a good idea to invite them to download it.
• Your customer needs an internet connection to use the web chat.
• The redirection link is secure: it’s signed with your customer’s number, it has a lifetime you define, and the conversation has end-to-end encryption. If you need to, you can also make it single-use (see Step 6).

Frequently asked questions

What happens if my customer closes Central?

If they come back within the authorization lifetime, they go straight back in. If that time has expired, they need a new link. If you turned on single-use credentials, they’ll also need a new link when switching devices or using private browsing.

Will a line I turned off turn back on by itself?

Only opting out with Turn off this option prevents the automatic activation on 9/30. After that, lines stay the way you leave them.

What happens if my customer taps an old WhatsApp button?

It counts as one more message: it triggers the invitation or counts toward the resend, depending on your settings.

To understand the context of the WhatsApp changes, check out the article "WhatsApp cost changes: what's changing and what you can do". To set up your profile on Central, see "Central channel: set up your account and your presence on Central".

Coexistence lines
If you use your WhatsApp number in Coexistence mode, meaning at the same time in the WhatsApp Business app on your phone and on the Botmaker platform, the cost depends on where each message is sent from. Messages sent from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone are free. However, all messages sent from the Botmaker platform are charged according to Meta’s current pricing, whether they’re agent replies, flows, AI agents, or templates. Also, redirection to Central isn’t enabled on Coexistence numbers, because redirecting the user would interrupt the conversation being handled from the phone.

Remember to visit our Help Center for further information.