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Onboarding changes
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
With the new account model, onboarding flows automatically create a separate Messaging Account per partner and return the ID in the existing WABA ID field. The asset creation and sharing logic is the same — a WhatsApp Business account holds the phone number, and each partner gets their own Messaging Account.
Embedded Signup
Under the new account model, all available Embedded Signup flows reflect the following changes:
- "WhatsApp Business account" and "Messaging Account" appear in Embedded Signup screens and in Meta Business Suite for onboarded clients
- A WhatsApp Business account and Messaging Account are automatically created when a client completes the flow
waac_idstarts appearing in message events starting at Phase 2 — New Graph API version
Partner-initiated account creation
With partner-initiated account creation, the same asset creation and sharing logic applies. Starting at Phase 1 — General availability, when a client accepts the partner's request to create and share a Messaging Account, they must provide a phone number. Adding a phone number is no longer optional.
Onboarding changes by phase
Onboarding updates roll out in phases. Each phase is additive — your existing integration continues to work without code changes.
| Phase | Timing | What ships | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 — General availability | H2 2026 | * Embedded Signup creates a separate Messaging Account per partner automatically whenever a client completes the onboarding flow * "Add phone number later" is removed; the flow is phone-number-first * Partner-initiated account creation: clients must now provide a phone number when accepting a partner's request to create and share a Messaging Account * Clients already onboarded with one partner can onboard with a different partner using their existing phone number. The waac_id is not yet included in message events (available starting Phase 2) | No code changes, but waba_id in message events now refers to a Messaging Account ID. |
| Phase 2 — New Graph API version | H1 2027 | * waac_id (WhatsApp Account ID) now included in message events alongside cs_id * New Embedded Signup settings allow you to control if and where the Messaging Account gets created (details to follow) | * Start capturing waac_id (WhatsApp Account ID) alongside cs_id (business phone number ID) and waba_id (Messaging Account ID) in message events * Can now optionally use WhatsApp Account IDs and Messaging Account IDs with new Graph API endpoints |
| Phase 3 — Mandatory transition | H1 2028 | * All Messages API versions require messaging_account_id (waba_id value in message events) for multiple Messaging Account scenarios * All APIs that target a phone number ID in the endpoint path, or accept a phone number ID as a query parameter, now must use WAAC IDs instead (waac_id value in message events) | Plan engineering work in 2027 to be on the new APIs before this date. |
Learn more
- Updates to WhatsApp Business accounts — overview of the new account model
- Managing messaging accounts — how the new account model affects messaging
- Embedded Signup overview — current Embedded Signup documentation