Connect AI to your WhatsApp number, no API needed
Run your business on one WhatsApp number your customers already know? Link it to Gental with a QR scan. The agent answers private chats from your knowledge, follows the groups you pick and catches the requests you can serve.
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What the agent does on a linked WhatsApp number
Each feature has its own switch on the number. Turn on only what you need.
Answers 1:1 chats
When someone writes to the number, the agent answers from your files and website, and says it doesn’t know instead of guessing.
Follows WhatsApp groups
Pick the groups it follows. It reads them and spots messages asking for something you offer, like “anyone know a good AC repair place in Riyadh?”
Turns requests into leads
Requests from groups land in a leads inbox with a summary and the group name. Change their status and add notes as you follow up.
Short, polite group replies
If you turn on group replies, it answers the person with a short reply and can add a link to message your official number.
Replies at a human pace
It reads and types at a natural speed, sends only within the active hours you set, and caps replies per hour to keep the number looking normal.
You come first
When you write from the phone in a chat, the agent stays quiet there for as long as you set and cancels any reply it had queued.
How to link a WhatsApp number to AI in minutes
Add the number in Gental
In Channels choose WhatsApp Linked Number, then read and accept the risk notice.
Scan the QR code
In WhatsApp on your phone open Linked devices and scan the code, just like WhatsApp Web.
Pick groups and an agent
Choose the groups to follow, describe the kind of requests you care about, and attach the agent that answers.
Turn on what you need
Direct replies, group replies, contacts and active hours, each with its own switch.
WhatsApp group AI: how it catches a request
A message in a neighbourhood group that the agent recognises as something you can serve:
Anyone know someone who services AC units in Al Narjis? Need it today
Hi! We service AC units in Al Narjis and have slots today. Message us privately and we’ll book you in right away.
Read this before you link your number
A Linked Number uses an unofficial connection to the WhatsApp app, not Meta’s WhatsApp Business API. This kind of connection breaks WhatsApp’s terms of service, and Meta may restrict or ban the number at any time. The number is yours. Gental lowers the risk with human pacing, active hours and sending limits, but cannot remove it. If you send a lot of messages or can’t afford to lose the number, use an official WhatsApp number through Twilio, Interakt or 360dialog.
Linked number or official WhatsApp API number?
| Linked number (QR) | Official number (API) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it connects | Scan a QR code from your phone | Your Twilio, Interakt or 360dialog account |
| Groups | Follows them and spots requests | Not available |
| Meta fees | None | Paid to Meta through your provider |
| Risk | Meta may restrict the number | A number approved by Meta |
| Best for | Shops, solo businesses, community groups | Companies and high volumes |
FAQ
Common questions
Can I connect AI to WhatsApp without the API?
Yes, with a Linked Number: scan a QR code from Linked devices in WhatsApp. It is an unofficial connection and Meta may restrict the number, so for high volumes we recommend an official number.
Does the agent reply to every group message?
No. It reads the groups you pick and only spots requests that fit your business. Group replies are off until you turn them on.
What happens if I message a customer from my phone?
The agent goes quiet in that chat for the time you set and cancels any reply it had queued, so it never talks over you.
Can my number get banned?
It can. The connection is unofficial and breaks WhatsApp’s terms, and Meta may restrict any number. Gental sends at a human pace and within limits, but we can’t guarantee the number’s safety.
Can my own systems use the linked number?
Yes. Turn on API access for the number and your systems can send messages, manage contacts and receive webhook events through the Gental API.
Keep reading
- WhatsApp AI agentAutomated WhatsApp replies from your knowledge, with handover to your team.
- WhatsApp API in Saudi ArabiaWhat the WhatsApp Business API is, and how to run an AI agent on it through your provider.
- Voice notes and filesTranscribes voice notes and answers them, and reads the photos and files customers send.
- Human handoff and inboxThe agent hands over to your team, and your team replies from a shared inbox on the same channel.
- Developers (API)Connect your agent to your app and systems with REST, streaming and signed webhooks.
- Real estate chatbotAn agent that explains projects and payment plans and passes serious buyers to sales.
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