What is the new WhatsApp business account model, and what happened to the WABA?
Updated 4 October 2026
Meta is splitting the old business account (WABA) in two: a WhatsApp account for one phone number, and a messaging account for templates, billing and webhooks.
- WhatsApp account: holds a single business phone number.
- Messaging account: holds your templates, billing and webhook subscriptions.
- Your WABA: moves to the messaging account with the same ID, and existing API calls keep working.
- Meta plans general availability in the second half of 2026.
Skip the account jargon
Menuthere handles the WhatsApp setup and the message templates its automatic messages need, so you do not manage account types.
Next questions
Sources (1)
- Account model evolution, Meta for Developers, read 2026-10-04