How do you use WhatsApp Business with multiple users without sharing a phone?

How many devices does WhatsApp Business allow?

The WhatsApp Business app opens one account on 5 devices at most. Beyond that, you share a device or move to the API. Here are the figures published by Meta and WhatsApp.

The official figures

WhatsApp Business app

1 main phone + up to 4 linked devices (computer, browser, tablet or another phone), so 5 devices.

With Meta Verified

Up to 10 devices with this paid subscription, according to the app’s App Store listing, which says it is “available soon globally”. Check that it is offered in your country.

The 14-day rule

Linked devices work without the phone being online, but log out if the phone is not used for more than 14 days.

WhatsApp Business API

Meta sets no limit on the number of users. The limit depends on the tool connected to the number. With WYP.chat, users are unlimited on every plan.

Sources at the bottom of the page, accessed on 10 October 2026.

Using the same number on several phones

In many small businesses, the company WhatsApp lives on a single phone. Whoever has it in their pocket replies; everyone else asks, “Did you see Mrs Lewis’s message?” Beyond two people, requests go unanswered. There are three ways to share the number.

1. Share the phone

The business phone is passed around or stays in the office. It is free and immediate, but only one person can reply at a time, and nothing shows who wrote what.

2. Link other devices to the app

The same account opens on 4 devices in addition to the main phone: WhatsApp Web, the desktop app or another phone. Registration and every new device always go through the main phone.

1. On the main phone, open WhatsApp Business.
2. On iPhone, go to Settings, then Linked devices. On Android, tap the ⋮ menu, then Linked devices.
3. Tap Link a device and scan the QR code shown on the other device.

3. Connect the number to the WhatsApp Business API

Meta’s WhatsApp Business API connects the number to software such as WYP.chat. Each team member has their own login, each conversation has an owner and every reply carries its author’s name. It is the only one of the three that shows who replies and who owns each conversation.

The limits of the app for a team

Linking devices helps a small team get by. But the app is built for one person, and it shows quickly.

• You cannot see who replied: every message goes out in the business’s name, without the person’s name.
• No assignment: you cannot hand a conversation to a colleague or see who is on it. The same question can get two answers.
• The 14-day rule: if the main phone is not used for more than 14 days, linked devices log out. A phone left in a drawer over the holidays cuts off the whole team.
• A cap of 5 devices (10 with Meta Verified, where available): beyond that, you have to share.
• Features missing on linked devices, according to WhatsApp Help: live location, broadcast lists, posting and deleting status updates.

WhatsApp Business API: unlimited users in a shared inbox

With the API, Meta counts neither devices nor users: the tool connected to the number sets the limit and the price. Many tools charge per user. WYP.chat charges per workspace, with unlimited users on every plan.

• Everyone replies from their own login, on a computer or a phone.
• Each conversation has an owner, and every reply carries its author’s name.
• Internal notes to hand over, hidden from the customer.
• Opening hours and a target response time: WYP.chat flags conversations that have been waiting too long.

Set up a shared inbox

1. Create a WYP.chat workspace, no card needed.
2. Connect your number with your Meta account, keeping the app if you wish (while Meta reviews WYP.chat, our team connects it with you).
3. Invite the team: everyone gets their own login, on a computer or a phone.
4. Share out conversations: one owner per conversation, teams if needed, internal notes to hand over.

Keeping the app and the API on the same number (coexistence)

Using the API does not mean changing numbers. With coexistence, offered by Meta, the same number stays in the WhatsApp Business app (channels, catalogue, status updates, calls) and joins WYP.chat. When you connect, WYP.chat imports the app’s contacts and up to 6 months of history.

What coexistence changes, according to Meta

• Groups are not synced: they stay in the app, not in the shared inbox.
• Broadcast lists are turned off: you cannot create new ones, and existing lists become read-only. Campaigns go through templates approved by Meta.
• Disappearing messages and view-once messages are turned off in one-to-one chats, as is live location.
• The app keeps up to 4 linked devices (excluding WhatsApp for Windows and Wear OS). Devices already linked are logged out when you connect: link them again afterwards.

One condition: open the WhatsApp Business app on the phone at least once every 14 days. Otherwise, Meta cuts the link and the number has to be reconnected.

• Coexistence in detail: what you keep and what changes →

App, Meta Verified or API: which to choose?

• One or two people, with no need to know who replies: the free app is enough.
• Up to 5 people, each on their own device: linked devices will do, with the 14-day rule.
• Meta Verified: a verified badge and 10 devices, if the subscription is offered in your country. The organisational limits stay the same.
• As soon as you need to know who replies, share out conversations or go beyond 5 devices: the API with a shared inbox.

What the API costs with WYP.chat

The WYP.chat free plan covers 1 number and 50 conversations a month, with unlimited users. The Solo plan costs €29 per month excl. VAT. On Meta’s side, incoming messages are free, and replies within the 24-hour window have been free up to 1,000 per month per number since 1 October 2026.

• App, API or coexistence: the full comparison →
• WhatsApp Business message pricing by country →
• WYP.chat pricing →