⚠️ Personal WhatsApp is available on request. Contact our team first and we’ll review your account to confirm whether you qualify for access. If approved, we’ll enable the functionality and you can then follow this guide to connect your WhatsApp number.
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Connect your personal WhatsApp number to CaptainBook to read and reply to customer messages directly from the Inbox.
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You can also choose to send booking notifications from the same number.

The connection works like WhatsApp Web: you scan a QR code with your phone and CaptainBook is added as a linked device.
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Important: connecting a personal WhatsApp number carries a real risk. This type of connection is not officially supported by WhatsApp for business use. WhatsApp's anti-abuse systems may restrict or permanently ban a number being used this way.

If this is also your personal number, that can affect your personal WhatsApp account.

CaptainBook will ask you to acknowledge this risk before connecting.
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For automated customer notifications, the recommended option is a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). It uses Meta's official API and does not put your personal WhatsApp number at the same risk.
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Once connected, you get:

Messages sent through a personal WhatsApp connection are best-effort. There is no guaranteed delivery or automatic SMS fallback for automated messages.

In CaptainBook's left menu, click Inbox.

If no WhatsApp number is connected yet, you'll see:

WhatsApp isn't connected yet

Click Connect WhatsApp.

CaptainBook displays a Before you connect message explaining the risk associated with using a personal WhatsApp number.

You can expand:

Why is there a risk, and is there a safer way?

for more information.

To continue:

CaptainBook will display a pairing QR code.

On your phone:

Keep the CaptainBook window open while you scan it.

The QR code refreshes automatically if needed.

Once WhatsApp accepts the pairing request, CaptainBook confirms that your number is connected.

The Inbox will display a green WhatsApp connected indicator.

Customer WhatsApp conversations can now appear in your CaptainBook Inbox.

Your WhatsApp conversations appear in the conversation list on the left.

Open a conversation to see the complete message history.

From the Inbox, you can:

If CaptainBook has not automatically matched the number to a customer, click Link customer in the conversation header.

Search for the customer by name or phone number.

Once linked, the WhatsApp conversation is associated with that customer's CRM record.

To remove a conversation from CaptainBook, open the conversation's three-dot menu and select Forget contact.

This permanently removes the conversation and its associated media from CaptainBook and stops syncing that contact.

Your original WhatsApp conversation on your phone is not deleted.

This action cannot be undone inside CaptainBook.

A personal WhatsApp account may also contain private conversations.

For this reason, CaptainBook does not sync chats with your saved personal contacts by default unless those contacts are customers.

Open the connection settings using the settings icon next to WhatsApp connected.

You will see:

Sync messages with my personal contacts

The setting is off by default.

Leave it off if you want to keep conversations with saved personal contacts out of CaptainBook.

Turn it on only if you explicitly want those conversations to appear in the Inbox as well.

Customers
Messages to and from customers are always synced.

Unknown numbers
Messages to and from unknown numbers are always synced.

Messages sent by CaptainBook
These are always synced.

Saved personal contacts who are not customers
These are synced only when Sync messages with my personal contacts is enabled.

Connecting your number does not automatically start sending booking notifications.

You choose which notifications use WhatsApp.

Open an experience and go to:

Notification preferences

Enable the WhatsApp channel for the notifications you want.

For example:

You can also receive CaptainBook notifications through your connected WhatsApp number.

Open:

Account menu → Notification Settings

Enable WhatsApp for the notifications you want.

Personal WhatsApp delivery is best-effort. There is no delivery guarantee or automatic SMS fallback. For confirmations, reminders and other important automated notifications, a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) is the recommended option.

Once WhatsApp is connected, click the settings icon next to WhatsApp connected.

From here, you can:

Disconnecting stops new messages from syncing to CaptainBook.

Your existing CaptainBook message history remains available, and disconnecting CaptainBook does not log WhatsApp out on your phone.

A WhatsApp linked-device session may eventually disconnect.

If that happens, CaptainBook will display an amber WhatsApp unlinked message.

Click Reconnect and scan a new QR code to restore the connection.

Make sure your phone has an internet connection.

Then open:

WhatsApp → Linked Devices → Link a device

and scan the QR code again.

If necessary, close the pairing window and click Connect WhatsApp again.

Reconnect the number using the banner in the Inbox.

If this happens repeatedly, consider switching to an officially supported WhatsApp Business Account.

First check that the Inbox displays the green WhatsApp connected status.

If the person is saved as a personal contact on your phone but isn't a CaptainBook customer, their messages will only appear if Sync messages with my personal contacts is enabled.

Check that:

Remember that delivery through a personal WhatsApp connection is best-effort.

Personal WhatsApp access is enabled per CaptainBook account.

Contact our team if the Inbox option is not available.

If WhatsApp is important for booking confirmations and time-sensitive customer notifications, use a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA).

Use the personal WhatsApp connection primarily for the two-way Inbox and direct conversations with customers, and only if you accept the risk associated with connecting your personal number.