WhatsApp Cloud API in Morocco: the official API explained
When a shop wants to automate its replies, it soon meets three terms: the WhatsApp Business app, "QR code" tools, and the WhatsApp Cloud API. In Morocco as elsewhere, only the third is intended by Meta for automation. Here is what sets them apart.
Three ways to sell with WhatsApp
| WhatsApp Business app | Unofficial tool (QR code) | WhatsApp Cloud API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | Manual replies | Quick automation | Lasting automation |
| AI agent | No | Yes | Yes |
| Allowed by Meta | Yes | No | Yes |
| Risk to the number | Low | Real | Low if the rules are followed |
| Buttons and product carousels | Limited | No | Yes |
What is the WhatsApp Cloud API?
It is the official access Meta offers businesses to send and receive WhatsApp messages from software. Meta hosts it itself, hence "Cloud". Your number stays yours; it is simply linked to a tool, such as an AI agent, instead of being used only from a phone. Meta's documentation describes how it works.
What you need to activate it
- A Meta Business account in your business's name.
- A phone number dedicated to WhatsApp.
- Business verification by Meta, which asks for a few documents.
A provider can go through these steps with you. Jawbia does this during setup.
Why avoid unofficial tools
Tools that connect by scanning a QR code imitate WhatsApp Web. They are easy to start, but Meta did not intend them for this:
- The number can be banned, and with it your history and your contact with customers.
- They break without warning when WhatsApp updates its app.
- They cannot use buttons, lists or product carousels.
For a test or a demonstration, the risk is acceptable. For the number that carries your revenue, it is not.
What does the WhatsApp Cloud API cost?
- The customer writes first: your replies in the following 24 hours are free. This is the case for a sales agent answering questions.
- You write first (promotion, reminder, late confirmation): the message uses an approved template and Meta charges for it, depending on its category and the recipient's country.
Rates change regularly. The reference is Meta's pricing page, not figures repeated on other sites. At Jawbia these fees are billed at cost, with no margin; details are on the pricing page.
Moving from the app to the API: what changes
- You keep your number, but it can no longer be used in the regular WhatsApp Business app at the same time.
- Conversations are read from the connected tool, or from your phone, depending on the solution.
- Messages you send first must use templates approved by Meta.
Before migrating, ask your provider how you will keep control of the conversations. It is the point that surprises people most afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp Cloud API available in Morocco?
Yes. Moroccan businesses can connect a Moroccan number once their Meta Business account is verified.
Can my number be banned with the official API?
The risk exists if you send spam or if many recipients block you. Replying to customers who write to you is not a problem.
Are replies to customers charged?
No. Replying to a customer who wrote first is free for 24 hours. Only messages you send first are charged by Meta.
Can I keep my current number?
Yes, it can be migrated to the API. It will then no longer be usable in parallel in the regular WhatsApp Business app.
Watch it answer your own questions
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