Twilio Whatsapp Manage Senders

Overview

A WhatsApp sender is a phone number registered with WhatsApp Business through Twilio. Registration goes through a lifecycle of statuses before becoming ONLINE. Sandbox testing does not require a registered sender — see twilio-whatsapp-send-message.

Prerequisites

• Upgraded Twilio account (trial accounts cannot register production senders) — See twilio-account-setup for signup and upgrade steps
• A phone number capable of receiving SMS or voice verification
• Number must not already be registered with WhatsApp
• Environment variables:
  • TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID
  • TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN — See twilio-iam-auth-setup for credential setup and best practices
• SDK: pip install twilio / npm install twilio

Quickstart

Python

import os
from twilio.rest import Client

client = Client(os.environ["TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID"], os.environ["TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN"])

# Step 1: Initiate registration
sender = client.messaging.v2.channels.senders.create(
    sender_id="whatsapp:+15017122661",
    verification_method="sms"
)
print(sender.sid)     # XExxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
print(sender.status)  # CREATING

# Step 2: Submit the OTP Twilio sends to the number
sender = client.messaging.v2.channels.senders(sender.sid).update(
    verification_code="123456"
)
print(sender.status)  # ONLINE (may pass through TWILIO_REVIEW first)

Node.js

const twilio = require("twilio");
const client = twilio(process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN);

// Step 1: Initiate registration
const sender = await client.messaging.v2.channels.senders.create({
    senderId: "whatsapp:+15017122661",
    verificationMethod: "sms",
});
console.log(sender.sid, sender.status);

// Step 2: Submit the OTP
const verified = await client.messaging.v2.channels.senders(sender.sid).update({
    verificationCode: "123456",
});
console.log(verified.status);

Sender Lifecycle Statuses

Key Patterns

Set Business Profile

Python

sender = client.messaging.v2.channels.senders(SENDER_SID).update(
    profile_name="Acme Support",
    profile_about="Official support channel for Acme Corp",
    profile_address="123 Main St, San Francisco, CA",
    profile_vertical="PROFESSIONAL_SERVICES",
    profile_logo_url="https://acme.com/logo.png",
    profile_websites=["https://acme.com"]
)

Node.js

const sender = await client.messaging.v2.channels.senders(SENDER_SID).update({
    profileName: "Acme Support",
    profileAbout: "Official support channel for Acme Corp",
    profileAddress: "123 Main St, San Francisco, CA",
    profileVertical: "PROFESSIONAL_SERVICES",
    profileLogoUrl: "https://acme.com/logo.png",
    profileWebsites: ["https://acme.com"],
});

Configure Webhooks

Python

sender = client.messaging.v2.channels.senders(SENDER_SID).update(
    callback_url="https://yourapp.com/whatsapp/inbound",
    callback_method="POST",
    status_callback_url="https://yourapp.com/whatsapp/status"
)

Node.js

await client.messaging.v2.channels.senders(SENDER_SID).update({
    callbackUrl: "https://yourapp.com/whatsapp/inbound",
    callbackMethod: "POST",
    statusCallbackUrl: "https://yourapp.com/whatsapp/status",
});

Retrieve and List Senders

Python

sender = client.messaging.v2.channels.senders(SENDER_SID).fetch()
print(sender.status)

for s in client.messaging.v2.channels.senders.list():
    print(s.sid, s.status)

Node.js

const sender = await client.messaging.v2.channels.senders(SENDER_SID).fetch();
const senders = await client.messaging.v2.channels.senders.list();
senders.forEach(s => console.log(s.sid, s.status));

If a sender is OFFLINE, check the offlineReasons array in the response (e.g. code 63020 means business hasn't accepted Twilio's Meta invitation).

Migrate an Existing WhatsApp Number

If a number is already registered on WhatsApp (personal or business):

1. Check: https://wa.me/<PHONE_NUMBER>?text=hi
2. Delete the existing WhatsApp account on the device, or disable 2FA on the competing platform
3. Proceed with registration above

ISV / Tech Provider Flow

Register senders under a client's WhatsApp Business Account (WABA):

Python

sender = client.messaging.v2.channels.senders.create(
    sender_id="whatsapp:+15017122661",
    waba_id="client-waba-id"
)

Node.js

const sender = await client.messaging.v2.channels.senders.create({
    senderId: "whatsapp:+15017122661",
    wabaId: "client-waba-id",
});

The client must accept Twilio's invitation in their Meta Business Manager.

CANNOT

• Cannot register a phone number to multiple WABAs — Each number belongs to one WABA at a time
• Cannot exceed 2 senders without Meta Business Verification — Unverified accounts are limited to 2
• Cannot exceed 20 senders without exception — Verified Meta Business Manager: max 20 (50 with exception request)
• Cannot verify phone number only via SMS — Voice verification is available if SMS cannot be received

Next Steps

• Send WhatsApp messages with this sender: twilio-whatsapp-send-message
• Create message templates: twilio-content-template-builder
• Send WhatsApp OTPs: twilio-verify-send-otp